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PPP's Kim to skip May 18 Democratization Movement memorial ceremony

Published: 16 May. 2025, 14:36

People Power Party presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo attends a Central Election Committee meeting and an appointment ceremony for committee members at the National Assembly in western Seoul on May 15. [YONHAP]

Kim Moon-soo, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party (PPP), will not attend the ceremony commemorating the 45th anniversary of the May 18 Democratization Movement scheduled to take place in Gwangju on Saturday.

Instead, Kim plans to visit Gwangju on Friday, the day before the memorial, and will not make a second trip the following day, a key official from the party’s central election committee told the JoongAng Ilbo on Thursday.

“It’s difficult for him to visit Gwangju on both Friday and Saturday,” the official said. “He will go tomorrow to announce campaign pledges and pay tribute at the May 18th National Cemetery."

Kim had originally expressed a strong willingness to attend both the memorial and the eve celebration.

Speaking with reporters earlier on Thursday, Shin Dong-wook, the campaign’s chief spokesperson, said, “Kim was the first provincial governor to attend the May 18 ceremony while serving as Gyeonggi governor. He has demonstrated his affection for Gwangju many times.”

However, Kim’s decision to skip the main event has sparked speculation that he is responding to growing public backlash in Gwangju.

On Wednesday, the PPP appointed former Defense Minister Chung Ho-yong as a senior adviser to the campaign, only to withdraw the appointment later that night amid public outcry.

Chung, who led the special forces unit that suppressed the May 1980 uprising, was convicted in 1997 for his role in the crackdown and the 1979 military coup that brought Chun Doo Hwan to power.

The Democratic Party strongly criticized the appointment.

“Instead of uniting the people, are they trying to unite pro-Yoon and Fifth Republic figures?” a party spokesperson said, referring to allies of former President Yoon Suk Yeol and former military leaders from the Chun regime.

Meanwhile, the Commemorative Event Committee for the May 18th People’s Uprising, which organizes the eve celebration, also asked Kim to reconsider his attendance.

“Public sentiment in Gwangju toward the candidate is extremely negative, especially after the Chung Ho-yong incident,” a committee representative said. “Given concerns for both the candidate’s and the public’s safety, we asked the campaign to reconsider.”

BY SUNG JI-WON [[email protected]]