Opposition leader emotionally condemns May 18 Gwangju Uprising trivialization

Han Byung-do, acting leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, expressed profound distress and condemnation over the continued trivialization of the May 18 Gwangju Uprising. Speaking at a party meeting, he stated, "If you have even a shred of understanding for the feelings of the countless citizens who witnessed their children's deaths on that day and cried out, how can you possibly trivialize the May 18th incident? People shouldn't act like this. I truly wish this would stop."

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If you have even a shred of understanding for the feelings of the countless citizens who witnessed their children's deaths on that day and cried out, how can you possibly trivialize the May 18th incident? People shouldn't act like this. I truly wish this would stop.

His emotional remarks were a direct response to comments made by some members of the conservative People Power Party, who defended a high school baseball team's use of a cheer song allegedly linked to the Gwangju Uprising as an exercise of free speech. Han lamented, "It breaks my heart to think that people are still trivializing May 18th and talking about it in such ways." He emphasized that the Gwangju Uprising was a tragic event where a military dictatorship fired upon its own citizens, stating, "It's not a complicated story. Regardless of whether you are progressive or conservative, if you are human, you shouldn't play with this, trivialize it, or mock it."

Fellow party members echoed his sentiments. Hwang Myung-sun, a supreme council member, declared, "Mocking May 18th is not freedom of expression; it is discriminatory violence." He criticized the People Power Party for defending such actions, particularly given that Gwangju High School, a school directly involved in the historical events, was also targeted. "This is not something the main opposition party should do," he asserted, adding that "discriminatory violence based on hatred and historical distortion is incompatible with the freedom of expression guaranteed by the South Korean constitution. It is not a mere aberration but a criminal act."

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Mocking May 18th is not freedom of expression; it is discriminatory violence.

Moon Jung-bok, another council member, proposed establishing new systems focused on civic education, including support for democratic citizen education. Following the meeting, when asked about disciplinary action against the baseball team, Democratic Party spokesperson Kang Joon-hyun stated that there had been no internal discussion on the matter. However, he acknowledged the significant role of politicians and adults in the situation, questioning the adequacy of history education in schools. He suggested the party should examine whether hate speech and historical distortion are being fostered or neglected in educational settings, urging the People Power Party to join in creating an educational environment free from discrimination, hate, and historical revisionism.

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This is not something the main opposition party should do.