President Lee Meets Hero of "May 18 Final Street Broadcast": "I Repeated That Broadcast on December 3"

Touring the Restored Jeonnam Provincial Office After the May 18 Memorial

A Place Where Citizens Resisted Until the End Before the Martial Law Crackdown

"Citizens of Gwangju, Please Come to the Provincial Office and Save the Students and Citi

President Lee Jae-myung and First Lady Kim Hye-kyung visited the former Jeonnam Provincial Office, the final site of resistance during the May 18 Democratic Uprising, immediately after attending the ceremony for the 46th anniversary of the May 18 Democratic Uprising on the 18th. They reflected on the significance of its restoration and reopening. President Lee met with Park Youngsoon, Vice President of the May 18 Final Resistance Citizens’ Association, who made the final broadcast to Gwangju citizens at dawn on May 27, 1980, and comforted him by saying, "On December 3, I did the same broadcast, following yours."

President Lee Jae-myung and First Lady Kim Hye-kyung are paying tribute with flowers at Sangmugwan Hall after visiting the former Jeonnam Provincial Office in Gwangju on the 18th. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism officially opened the former Jeonnam Provincial Office, which has been transformed into an exhibition and memorial space, on this day. May 18, 2026. Photo by Cheong Wa Dae Communications Photographers Group, Yonhap News Agency

The presidential couple arrived in front of the main building of the former Jeonnam Provincial Office in Dong-gu, Gwangju, at around 11:50 a.m. on this day. First Lady Kim entered hand in hand with Kim Gilja, the mother of the late Moon Jae-hak, whose story was the motif for the novel "The Boy Is Coming." They were accompanied by Prime Minister Kim Minseok, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Hwiyeong, Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Kwon Oeul, Chief Presidential Secretary Kang Hoonshik, National Security Advisor Wi Sung-rak, and Policy Chief Kim Yongbeom.

The former Jeonnam Provincial Office is the place where citizens made their final stand on May 27, 1980, just before the martial law army’s crackdown. After concerns arose in 2008 that the site might be damaged during the construction of the National Asia Culture Center, citizens of Gwangju and Jeonnam, along with May organizations, continuously demanded its restoration. Following the work of a restoration task force, six buildings, including the main building, have opened as exhibition halls. Lee Younghee, a guide from the Restoration Task Force for the Former Jeonnam Provincial Office, explained, "This is the final battleground that Gwangju citizens defended with their lives, fully aware of the fatal risks if they stayed."

The presidential couple first toured the General Affairs Department on the first floor of the main building. This area was used at the time as the Student Countermeasures Committee and the Citizen Army Situation Room. Throughout the building, marks suspected to be bullet holes and locations where actual bullets were recovered during the martial law army’s crackdown were indicated. President Lee listened to the guide’s explanation with his hands clasped, while First Lady Kim moved alongside Kim Gilja, holding her arm.

President Lee then met Vice President Park Youngsoon in the broadcasting room next to the General Affairs Department. Upon seeing the President, Park became emotional and said, "You have no idea how long I have waited for this day." He recalled, "When I heard that the martial law army had surrounded the entire provincial office, I was terrified. I thought, 'Now, I am going to die.'"

Vice President Park recounted the content of his broadcast at the time. He said, "Citizens of Gwangju, the martial law army is invading right now. Please come to the provincial office and help save the students and citizens." He explained that he broadcast this message for 20 minutes. He went on to testify that the martial law army was the first to storm the broadcasting room, that he was beaten, and that he was taken to military security where he endured torture and imprisonment. He said, "After that, I was called a mobster and a thug, enduring two years of suffering and unimaginable pain."

President Lee Jae-myung is having a conversation with Mr. Park Youngsoon, who made the last street broadcast in May 1980, on the 18th at the old Jeonnam Provincial Office in Dong-gu, Gwangju, on the occasion of the 46th anniversary of the May 18 Democratic Uprising. May 18, 2026. Photo by Gwangju Jeonnam Press Photographers Group, Yonhap News.

As President Lee listened to Vice President Park’s story, he comforted him by patting his shoulder. When Park handed the President a letter he had written himself and earnestly requested, "Please, no matter how difficult, I ask you to read it yourself," President Lee responded, "I will," and read part of the letter on the spot. As Park became emotional again, President Lee embraced him and said, "On December 3, I did the same broadcast, following yours. Please stay strong."

The presidential couple then viewed the special exhibition marking the opening, titled "May 18 Gwangju, Time Unfinished," set up in the Civil Affairs Office of the Police Bureau at the former Jeonnam Provincial Office. The exhibition was organized into three sections: "Leaving Information," "Reviving and Preserving," and "Remembering and Reflecting." On display were records from the time of the May 18 Democratic Uprising, including foreign news clippings, Associated Press telex scripts, the "Declaration of All Jeonnam People for the Defense of Democracy," the "Democratic Citizen Bulletin," and various statements.

At the site, it was also explained that coverage by domestic media at the time was blocked by government censorship. The guide stated, "Compared to foreign news sources, there is a lack of domestic reporting because Korean journalists wanted to report, but government censorship, such as through the press censorship office, prevented the truth about May 18 from being conveyed to the public." The presidential couple examined the Citizen Army newsletter, foreign journalists’ records, and materials containing the memories of victims and bereaved families, expressing empathy for the efforts of citizens to protect the truth of May 18.

At the exhibition hall, President Lee also met Lee Geunrye, who found the remains of her son, who had gone missing in May 1980, through DNA testing in 2002. When President Lee entered the exhibition room, Lee Geunrye wept and could not stop crying until the end of the tour. The guide explained, "She harbored deep regret for being unable to recognize her son, and she expressed that sorrow through song." President Lee comforted her by holding her hand and offering words of consolation.

Finally, the presidential couple visited Sangmugwan Hall to pay tribute to the victims. Both donned white gloves and offered chrysanthemums in remembrance. At the front of Sangmugwan Hall hung a piece of muslin cloth that had tied the coffins at the time, and on the podium was inscribed, "We must remember. We will forever remember your sacrifice, your courage, and each and every one of you."

After placing the chrysanthemums, the presidential couple joined all attendees in a silent tribute. The guide at the site remarked, "Those who remembered May 18 protected the Republic of Korea on December 3, 2024." After the moment of silence, President Lee shook hands with the guide and exited Sangmugwan Hall.

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