"May Events Without May Organizations"... This Year's Commemoration Also 'Incomplete'

May 18 Organizations and Memorial Foundation Decide Not to Join Event Committee
Will Participate in Existing Events Such as Eve Festival and Memorial Ceremony
Preparing Separate Events to Promote Nationalization and Globalization

On the afternoon of May 17, 2023, the eve ceremony of the 43rd anniversary of the May 18 Democratic Uprising was held at Geumnamro, Donggu, Gwangju. Photo by Yonhap News

The May organizations, which recently had conflicts with civic groups over the election process for standing committee chairs, have withdrawn from the 45th May 18 Gwangju Uprising Commemoration Committee. Ultimately, they decided not to participate in the committee and to hold separate events, resulting in a fragmented commemoration.

According to the three official May 18 organizations (Injured Association, Meritorious Persons Association, Bereaved Families Association) and the May 18 Memorial Foundation on the 17th, the four organizations held an internal meeting that morning and decided not to participate in the 45th May 18 Gwangju Uprising Commemoration Committee, from which they recently withdrew, and to proceed with separate events.

Regardless of their affiliation with the committee, they will still participate in existing events such as the eve festival, memorial ceremony, and resurrection festival. To mark the 45th anniversary, the organizations will hold commemorative events in four locations?Seoul, Gyeonggi, Gwangju, and Jeonnam?to promote the nationalization of May 18.

The Injured Association and Meritorious Persons Association were expelled from the committee in 2023 after issuing a "National Joint Declaration for Forgiveness and Reconciliation" with the Special Forces Comrades Association during the 43rd anniversary of May 18, which led to conflict with civil society.

Afterwards, only the Bereaved Families Association participated in the committee, but last year, the Injured Association and Meritorious Persons Association expressed their intention to apologize to Gwangju citizens and to discard the joint declaration, so it was expected they would rejoin the committee this year. However, this year, both the Bereaved Families Association and the May 18 Foundation withdrew from the committee, resulting in a May commemoration without the May organizations.

Previously, the May 18 organizations and civic groups clashed over the process and procedures for electing the standing committee chair. The agreement was for the May organizations and civic groups to alternate the chairmanship every other year, but this year, the civic groups allegedly violated that agreement.

A representative of one of the official May 18 organizations stated, "Unlike the Liberation Day or April 19 commemorations, the May 18 event is not hosted by the May organizations, and even the bereaved families are relegated to supporting roles. The direction of the commemoration is also limited to Gwangju's story, rather than nationalizing the event."

They added, "The May 18 commemoration should focus on honoring and spreading the spirit of May 18. With the 50th anniversary approaching, we decided to prepare separately as a rehearsal for nationalization and globalization. Although there were conflicts with civic groups, we are working on a new direction for the commemoration to restore its essence."

Regarding this, a representative of the May 18 Commemoration Committee said, "We are continuously reaching out to the May 18 organizations to hold the event together. Even if the organizations do not participate in the committee, there will be no changes to the current direction of the May 18 commemoration."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.