President Lee, who met the main character of the ‘May 18 Street Broadcast’, said, “I did the same on December 3.”

President Lee Jae-myung visited Gwangju on the 18th to mark May 18th, his first since taking office, and expressed consolation and gratitude for the sacrifices made by citizens who defended democracy with their blood.

President Lee visited Gwangju with his wife Kim Hye-kyung on this day and attended the ceremony commemorating the 46th anniversary of the May 18 Democratization Movement, and then toured the newly opened old Jeonnam Provincial Office after restoration.

The former Jeonnam Provincial Office is the place where the citizens of Gwangju ran the leadership during the May 18th Movement, and it is also the place where citizens and students resisted the martial law forces until the end. During the recent restoration, it was created as a history education space.

Here, President Lee inspected the General Affairs Department of the main building, the Civil Affairs Office of the Provincial Police Department, and the Commercial Affairs Office, listened to an explanation of the situation at the time, and expressed sympathy for the citizens’ efforts, Blue House Deputy Spokesperson Ahn Gwi-ryeong said in a written briefing.

He also comforted President Lee as his mother, who found the remains of her son, who had gone missing at the time, through DNA testing for the first time in 20 years, cried while holding hands with President Lee.

Throughout the tour, Mrs. Kim supported Kim Gil-ja, the mother of martyr Moon Jae-hak, who became the motif of Han Kang’s novel ‘The Boy Is Coming.’

I also met Park Young-sun (67), who made his last street broadcast at the provincial office in the early morning of May 27, 1980.

Mr. Park, who was a 21-year-old college student at the time, “계엄군이 도청으로 오고 있습니다”He is a person who broadcasted appeals for citizen participation and solidarity.

As soon as he met President Lee “얼마나 이날을 기다렸는지 모른다”He looked back on that day with tears in his eyes and confessed the hardships he experienced afterward.

President Lee patted Ms. Park’s shoulder while listening to her story, and when she said that she really wanted to meet her, she hugged her tightly and offered comfort.

mudfish “제가 12월 3일에 이 방송을 따라 똑같이 했다”as “힘내시라”He encouraged me again.

On December 3, 2024, when he was the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, right after former President Yoon Seok-yeol declared martial law, he headed to the National Assembly and made a personal YouTube broadcast. “국민 여러분은 국회로 와 달라”This refers to an incident that was appealed.

It is also interpreted as revealing the perception that the May 18 Democratization Movement was the source of strength to overcome the December 3 martial law situation through the so-called ‘revolution of light’.

President Lee has been “광주는 12월 3일부터 시작된 ‘빛의 혁명’의 어머니 같은 존재”Special meaning has been attached to the May 18 Democratization Movement to the extent of defining it as.

This perception was evident throughout the commemorative speech on this day.

This president “다시 태어난 오월의 영령들이 2024년 12월 3일 밤, 오늘의 산 자들을 구했다”as “1980년 오월의 광주시민들처럼 2024년 위대한 대한 국민도 무장한 계엄군을 맨몸으로 막아냈다”He said.

And then “1980년 광주가 온 힘을 끌어모아 꽃피웠던 ‘대동 세상’은 2024년 ‘빛의 혁명’으로 부활했다”He emphasized.

In addition, “12·3 내란은 아직 끝나지 않은 오월의 질문이었다”He expressed his determination to revive and preserve the memory of May 18 so that he can resolutely confront the movement to retreat from democracy in the future.

They also promised to resume including the full text of the Constitution in the spirit of May 18 and to establish a system for ex officio registration of those who contributed to the May 18 Democratic Party.

President Lee did not stop here, but emphasized that the power of solidarity to overcome the complex crises facing Korean society, such as weakening growth potential, deepening inequality, upheaval in the international order, and disappearance of local regions, can also be found in May 18.

Specifically, it mentions the administrative integration of Jeonnam and Gwangju. “광주와 전남이 함께 맞잡은 손이 상생과 공존의 새로운 이정표로 우뚝 서고, 균형발전이라는 희망의 역사를 다시 써 내려갈 것”mentioned.