President Kim Attends Ceremony To Mark Kwangju Uprising

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President Kim Attends Ceremony To Mark Kwangju Uprising

In a speech delivered May 18, President Kim Dae-jung stated that, "A special law will be enacted as soon as possible so that the victims of the Kwangju Uprising will be given the privileges due contributors to democracy, and the May 18 Cemetery will be upgraded to a national cemetery." In 1980, the citizens of Kwangju rose up against the military government, clamoring for justice and democracy. According to the official count, 170 died and 20 disappeared during a 10-day street fight that started on May 18.

President Kim attended the "Ceremony to commemorate the May 18 Democratization Movement" held at the May 18 Cemetery in Kwangju. He was the first sitting president to attend a ceremony marking the Kwangju Uprising. He said, "The noble will and spirit embodied by the Kwangju Uprising should remain alive. By doing so, we should make sure that human dignity and the precious values of democracy are maintained and developed."

Then he added, "I will have human rights laws enacted as soon as possible and establish a human rights committee to build an advanced nation in human rights, which can be an example to other nations. I will make efforts to develop a participatory democracy, in which citizens can participate in national affairs without the fear of being labeled as an antangonist of the nation."

President Kim then stressed that, "Starting today, let us firmly sever the chains of regionalism and move forth strongly into an era of harmony and cooperation."




by Kim Jin-kook

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