During a public hearing on May 18 fact-finding held on Friday (Feb 11), Jee Man-won gave a presentation and repeated his position. He is a controversial far-right commentator, who claims the May 18 Gwangju Uprising was a “riot” led by North Korean soldiers.

For his false claims (that the North Korean military was involved in the 1980 Gwangju Uprising) the Supreme Court in 2013 had ruled that Jee was guilty of defamation.

Friday’s public hearing was hosted by Rep. Kim Jin-tae and Rep. Lee Jong-myeong. Rep. Kim Soon-rye had also given controversial remarks that “pro-North Korea leftists are dipping into tax money by receiving May 18 patriots allowances, calling them a monstrous group.”  They are the lawmakers of the Liberty Korea Party (LKP).

Following the controversies, The Korea Times wrote an editorial titled “Anachronistic View” that reads:

"It is ludicrous to make such a claim. Scholars, officials, and civic activists have already conducted numerous investigations and concluded that the Gwangju Incident was a pro-democracy movement against the Chun Doo-hwan-led military junta. Chun seized power through a military coup after the Oct. 26, 1979 assassination of then President Park Chung-hee."

The editorial further questions: 

How could they even denounce the pro-democracy movement as a "riot"? They did not even hesitate to describe the pro-democracy activists as a group of "monsters."

Earlier, LKP had recommended Kwon Tae-oh, a career soldier and former secretary-general of the National Unification Advisory Council; Lee Dong-uk,​ former​ reporter for the Chosun Monthly, and Cha Gi-hwan, an attorney, for the Gwangju Uprising Fact-Finding Commission.

These recommended figures, who always remained biased toward the Gwangju Uprising, will block efforts to get to the truth according to activists and advocates for the victims of the Gwangju Uprising.

In this connection, civic groups, including the May 18 Memorial Foundation, have called for the following actions:

-      The three lawmakers mentioned above should extend a public apology to the victims and activists of the democratic movement.

-      The LKP should take a stern stand against its lawmakers since it has already made clear that it was not the official stance about the May 18 Democratization Movement.

-      Any kind of activity or attempt to prevent members from disrupting the fact-finding committee should be discouraged.

-      The LKP should withdraw those recommended members and recommend those figures with valid historical awareness and common sense, who Gwangju citizens can accept.

The May 18 Democratic Uprising is known as the cornerstone for South Korea’s democratization and the milestone of Korean democracy. The struggles of the Gwangju Uprising prompted the pro-democratic forces to extend the fight nationwide and bring those responsible for the massacre to justice. In the June Uprising of 1987, they finally defeated the dictatorship and restored democracy.

Due to the state atrocities during the Gwangju Uprising, more than 167 people lost their lives. The death toll of the May 18 Democratic Uprising is 352, if the 110 deaths because of the aftermath of injuries and the 76 missing persons are added to the 166 who died at the scene are included.

Over the past 39 years, five governmental investigations about the Uprising have taken place but its entire truth is still vague. No proper investigation into human rights violations by the military during the May 18 Democratic Movement has been carried out.

The Gwangju Uprising Fact-Finding Commission is being established in accordance with the Gwangju Uprising Fact-Finding Special Act passed by the National Assembly in Feb. 2018. The Special Act officially came into effect last September, however, the commission has not been launched yet because the LKP had put off its recommendation for the fact-finding mission.

As witnesses and related materials are fading away, the sincere work of the Gwangju Fact-Finding Commission is for sure the last opportunity to unveil the truth and investigate the human rights violations committed by the military government and identify those who gave the order to open fire.

Photo Caption and Credit: 
Ruling Democratic Party leader Lee Hae-chan console members of a council representing those who lost family members in the Gwangju uprising in front of the National Assembly last Friday. (Yonhap)/Korea Herald