[46th Anniversary of May 18] The Sorrow of My Husband Who Pleaded, "Lift the Eyes That Brand Me a Rioter"… Rekindled as the "Torch of May"

② Wife of Citizens' Militia Member and Artist Kangha Lee, Director Lee Jungdeok
Watching Martial Law Troops Storm the National Assembly Brought Back Memories of Her Husband's Lifelong Trauma
"It Must Not Happen Again in This Land... I Went to Geumnam-ro Square and the Impeachment Protest Sites"
Fulfilling the Justice Her Husband Hoped For... Will Continue Until the Spirit of May 18 Is Inscribed in the Constitution

Editor's NoteIn May 1980, Gwangju was trampled under the boots of martial law troops, left to stand alone. But on December 3, 2024, the Republic of Korea was not alone. In the grave crisis brought on by former President Yoon Suk Yeol's unconstitutional declaration of emergency martial law, it was not grand slogans that stood in the way of armed troops, but ordinary citizens carrying the 'memory of May 18' in their hearts. The determination to pass on the democracy won by the blood of the parent generation to their children compelled them to lock the doors of the National Assembly and ultimately became the driving force that turned back the martial law troops. However, the latest constitutional amendment, which centered on including the spirit of the May 18 Democratic Uprising in the preamble of the Constitution, was ultimately defeated for the first time in 39 years due to the mass absence of the People Power Party, resulting in the failure of the vote to be established. Politics has directly betrayed the sacrifice of the people who threw themselves into the fray to block martial law. Through this three-part special series, The Asia Business Daily records 'May 18 Within Me' by sharing the voices of those who fought in the pre-dawn struggle of December 3 and those who were active during the impeachment process.

"Seeing the boots that once kicked my husband and the gun barrels pointed at citizens reappear in the heart of Seoul made my whole body tremble. Thinking of my husband, who lived his whole life with trauma, I simply could not stand by and do nothing."

Yangnim-dong in Gwangju, at the end of a tranquil alley, stands the Lee Kangha Art Museum. Lee Jungdeok, the director of the museum and secretary-general of the May Mothers' House, recalled the events of December 3 with a bittersweet smile. Eighteen years have passed since she lost her husband, the late artist Kangha Lee (1953-2008), but the sight on TV that night of armed soldiers storming the National Assembly vividly brought back the nightmare of May 1980 that had consumed her husband's life.

On the 11th, Lee Jungdeok, the director, is speaking about the spirit of the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement and the December 3 Martial Law Incident at the Lee Kangha Art Museum in Yangnim-dong, Nam-gu, Gwangju. Photo by Min Hyun-ki

'Ah! Gwangju' by Art Student Kangha Lee... Choosing a Rifle Over a Brush, Prison Over Art

In May 1980, Kangha Lee, then a first-year art education student at Chosun University, witnessed citizens being beaten by martial law troops and rose up in indignation. He joined the citizens' militia, painted banners for the uprising, and took up arms. The consequences were severe. At Sangmu Base, he was tortured so brutally that he lost the use of his right arm, and even after his release, he had to evade a two-year nationwide manhunt.

Director Lee recalled, "My husband often wondered if he should have just looked away for the sake of his own comfort." But reality was harsh. The May 18 Democratic Uprising became a lifelong stigma, branding him a 'rioter.' He was blocked from becoming an art teacher due to background checks, and was repeatedly jailed on trips because of his fugitive history. It was a painful era when she had to tell her daughter, "If anyone asks if you are the child of the rioter Kangha Lee, run away."

Throughout his life, Kangha Lee suffered from the aftereffects of that day and the social stigma of being called a 'rioter.' Despite economic hardship, he held touring exhibitions in seven cities, capturing the sorrow of May and hopes for reunification on canvas, but excessive activity and stress ultimately took a toll on his health. In 2003, seeking to devote his last passion to art, he moved to an abandoned rural school, but after battling cancer, he passed away in 2008.

The December 3 Martial Law Declaration Reignited Trauma... "Standing in the Square in My Husband's Name"

Fifteen years after her husband passed away, in December 2023, Kangha Lee was acquitted after 43 years in a retrial. The court stated that his actions were "legitimate acts to protect the constitutional order." At last, it seemed he had shaken off the label of 'rioter.' But before that joy could settle, on December 3, 2024, the declaration of emergency martial law by former President Yoon Suk Yeol struck Lee Jungdeok like a bolt of lightning.

"My husband never spoke about that day, perhaps because of his trauma. But suddenly, those terrifying martial law troops reappeared. I couldn't sleep, worrying that someone else would be branded a rioter, dragged away, and have their life destroyed."

After retiring as an elementary school teacher, Director Lee quietly promoted her husband's art as secretary-general of the May Mothers' House. But on that day, she tightened her shoelaces and took to the streets. In her husband's place, who had lived in hiding and pain, and with a sense of mission to never let such tragedy repeat on this land, she stood in Gwangju's Geumnam-ro Square and at the impeachment protest sites. It was the moment the spirit of May 18 turned a woman in her seventies, a retired teacher, into an activist.

The contents of the report personally written by the late writer Kangha Lee. Photo by Min Hyunki

Martial Law Was Stopped... But Politics Betrayed the 'May 18 Preamble Amendment'

The struggle in Gwangju was not in vain. The December 3 martial law ended after three hours, demonstrating that the strength of democracy protected by the bloodshed in Gwangju in 1980 was alive in Seoul in 2024. The speech by Park Chan-dae, floor leader of the Democratic Party, during the impeachment bill submission—"Korean democracy owes a debt to Gwangju"—brought tears to the eyes of countless citizens gathered in the square.

Yet Director Lee's grief soon turned to anger. The constitutional amendment to include the spirit of May 18 in the preamble and make it the foundation of democracy was nullified on May 9 due to the People Power Party's organized boycott. That historic opportunity, which came after 39 years, vanished so futilely.

"In his lifetime, my husband wrote in his notebook, 'I just wish people would stop looking at me with those fearful eyes, calling me a rioter.' Including the spirit of May 18 in the preamble was the path to restoring the honor of countless victims like my husband and achieving a complete victory for democracy. But politicians betrayed that cause."

"The Only Way to Remain an Unashamed Parent Is Constitutional Recognition"

Director Lee still guards the art museum, standing before her husband's work "Ah! Gwangju." The scenes of helicopters and soldiers with guns on the canvas depict not only Gwangju 46 years ago, but also Seoul just days ago. Attending press conferences urging constitutional recognition, she raises her voice, calling attention to the historical task that politicians have neglected.

She said, "He was not brave, but he sought justice—and I remember my husband's wish that our story would be told to our children without shame. Until the day the spirit of May 18 is inscribed in the Constitution, I will not stop. That is the true completion of democracy my husband sought to capture on canvas."

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