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Presidential candidates attend ceremony marking 1980 Gwangju pro-democracy uprising

Published: 18 May. 2025, 13:42

Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung, third from right, the minor Reform Party's Lee Jun-seok, second from right, and the minor Justice Party's Kwon Young-kook, right, attend a ceremony marking the 45th anniversary of the 1980 pro-democracy uprising in Gwangju at the May 18th National Cemetery in the southwestern city on May 18. [YONHAP]

Candidates of the June 3 presidential election gathered in the southwestern city of Gwangju on Sunday to attend a ceremony marking the 45th anniversary of a pro-democracy uprising in the city.

Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung, the minor Reform Party's Lee Jun-seok and the minor Justice Party's Kwon Young-kook were among some 2,500 attendees who took part in the ceremony at the May 18th National Cemetery.

On May 18, 1980, demonstrators in Gwangju, including students, protested against the then ruling junta led by Chun Doo Hwan, who seized power in a military coup the previous year. The military conducted a bloody crackdown, leaving hundreds dead.

"Going toward the future by respecting others' differences and sharing their pain is the true way to repay for Gwangju that May," acting President Lee Ju-ho said at the ceremony. "The spirit of solidarity and unity that Gwangju demonstrated that May 45 years ago is a teaching that is needed today."

The government has held a ceremony marking the pro-democracy uprising every year after May 18 was designated as a memorial day in 1997.

Yonhap