President Lee Jae-myung attended the 46th anniversary ceremony of the May 18 Democratic Uprising in Gwangju to honor victims and survivors [1].
The event serves as a critical reminder of South Korea's struggle against authoritarianism and the enduring legacy of the 1980 massacre.
During his commemorative speech, Lee recalled the violence of the 1980 uprising, noting that the military regime used weapons intended for national protection to kill citizens [2]. He said the forces of the new military government crushed the "spring of democratization" with the boots of a dictatorship [2].
Lee urged the South Korean people to maintain a spirit of coexistence and integration while remaining vigilant against the return of authoritarian rule. He said Koreans should resist "martial-law troops" in the same manner that the citizens of Gwangju did during the original struggle [1].
Addressing the crowd, Lee said, "Respected citizens, citizens of Gwangju and Jeonnam Province, merit recipients and bereaved families of the May 18 Democratic Uprising, this is the forty-sixth May that has grown with the spirit of coexistence and integration, overcoming the deep scars of state violence" [2].
The president highlighted the tragedy of the 1980 events, saying that the military forces "mercilessly massacred the sovereign people" [2]. By linking the historical events of 46 years ago [1] to the current political climate, Lee said the protection of democracy requires active resistance against state-led violence.
The ceremony in Gwangju brought together survivors and government officials to ensure that the lessons of the 1980 uprising continue to inform the nation's governance and civil liberties [1].
“The South Korean president called for Koreans to resist "martial-law troops."”
By explicitly invoking the 1980 Gwangju massacre and calling for resistance against martial law, President Lee is framing the protection of democratic institutions as an active struggle. This rhetoric reinforces the historical trauma of the Gwangju Uprising as a political tool to warn against any potential return to military-led governance in South Korea.
