My fellow Koreans,

Today, I am filled with deep emotion as I stand here in the May 18 National Cemetery to mark the 37th anniversary of the May 18 Democratization Movement. Gwangju 37 years ago today was scene to one of the saddest and most painful moments in Korea’s modern history. The citizens of Gwangju back in May 1980 come to mind first. They were someone’s relatives and neighbors.

They were ordinary citizens and students risking their lives to protect their ordinary way of life from infringement of freedom and human rights. As the President of the Republic of Korea, I bow my head down low in deep gratitude to the souls of the victims of Gwangju. I offer my deepest sympathies to the bereaved families and the injured who still harbor the pain and scars left behind by the fateful events of that May in Gwangju.

Gwangju May 1980 is an ongoing reality to the present day. It is a part of history that has yet to find closure. The democracy of the Republic of Korea has prevailed rising above this tragic history. Our democracy was able to stand strong and rise again thanks to the sacrifices made in Gwangju. I offer my wholehearted respect to the citizens of Gwangju and Jeollanam-do Province who safeguarded democracy with the spirit of Gwangju May.

Fellow Koreans,

What happened on May 18 back then was a tragedy in our modern history where an unjust state power trampled on the lives and human rights of the people. However, the civil uprising in response set an important milestone for democracy.

The truth has been covered up, distorted and repressed for a long time. Even in the darkness of brutal dictatorship, our people moved forward step by step following the light of Gwangju. Revealing the truth about Gwangju became part of the Democratization Movement. Working as a lawyer in Busan, it was no different for me.

I myself was arrested around the time of May 18 back then, but my suffering paled in comparison with that of others. I could not ignore the truth of Gwangju that caused me to feel such outrage, and I felt a great sense of indebtedness and guilt that I could not share in their pain. That emotional burden gave me courage to plunge into the pro-democracy movement. It has been a driving force of personal growth and, today, I am standing here.

At long last, the spirit of Gwangju May was revived as the great candlelight revolution that lit up the entire nation last winter. There was uncompromising rage and demand for justice there in the crowds. Their cries reaffirmed the fact that the owner of a country is its people. There was fierce enthusiasm and one unified spirit determined to create a properly functioning country.

I dare to say it right here. The newly launched Moon Jae-in Administration continues on from the Gwangju Democratization Movement. It carries the legacy of the June Struggle in 1987 as well as the People’s Government and the Participatory Government.

I want to make this absolutely clear here today. The new Administration will restore full-fledged democracy in this nation by upholding the spirit of the May 18 Democratization Movement and the candlelight revolution. It will bring about the full blossoming of a mature democracy so that the souls of the fallen citizens of Gwangju can rest in eternal peace.

Even to this day, there are voices in some sections of our society attempting to distort and disparage the Gwangju May Democratization Movement. This cannot be tolerated. It is tantamount to distorting history and denying democracy.

Instead, we need to take pride in the history of democracy in our country that has been achieved through the sacrifice and devotion of many people.

The new Administration will redouble its efforts to uncover all details of the pro-democracy uprising in Gwangju in 1980. We will find out without fail the truth about, and who is responsible for, the firing of weapons including from military helicopters.

We will also prevent attempts to destroy related documents and distort historical facts. Concerning the restoration of the old Jeollanam-do Provincial Government office building, the Government will consult with the Gwangju Metropolitan City government. A thorough fact-finding effort is never an issue of conflict between liberals and conservatives. Rather, it is a matter of common sense and justice. It is an endeavor to preserve the value of democracy that we all have to join forces to uphold.

I will, under all circumstances, keep my campaign promise to include the spirit of the May 18 Pro-democracy Movement in the Preamble to the Constitution. I will usher in an era of a genuine democratic republic that upholds the spirit of the Democracy Movement in the Constitution. Only then, will the Democracy Movement be able to take up its rightful place as a proud chapter in Korean history for the whole people to remember and learn from.

I would like to take this opportunity to courteously ask for the National Assembly`s cooperation and the people`s consent to complete a revision of the Constitution by including the spirit of the May 18 Movement in its Preamble.

My fellow Koreans,

The song Marching for Our Beloved is not just a song. It is the quintessential symbol of both the blood spilled during that May in Gwangju and its spirit. It represents the spirit of the May 18 Democratization Movement itself.

Singing the song is an expression of a commitment to protect the honor of the victims and remember the history of democracy.

To sing this meaningful song in unison today will reinvigorate the spirit of Gwangju that has been so badly damaged. I hope singing in unison today will put an end to unnecessary controversies.

My fellow Koreans,

Two years ago, a placard was posted nearby Paengmok Port on Jindo, an island close to where the Sewol ferry sank. It had been sent by the bereaved mothers of victims of the May 18 Democratization Movement to the bereaved mothers of the students of the ferry disaster on April 16. It read, "I know your bitter pain. Find the strength to carry on; please, do not falter!"

It was a bitter outcry severely reprimanding a nation that had trampled on, and failed to safeguard, the lives of its citizens. My Administration will do all it can to make sure that we will never again suffer such a sense of betrayal and anger.

Citizens’ lives and their dignity will be regarded with the utmost respect. I believe that is the main reason why a nation exists.

Today, I wish to pay tribute to the sacrifices and dedication of the many who made the deaths and pain of Gwangju May their own and worked tirelessly to let the world know about it. 

Park Gwan-hyeon: a 29-year-old Chonnam National University student who went on hunger strike for 40 days and died in Gwangju prison in 1982 to call for an investigation into the truth about the Gwangju Democratization Movement. Pyo Jeong-du: a 25-year-old laborer who set himself on fire and died in 1987 to call for the punishment of those responsible for the Gwangju massacre. Cho Seong-man: a 24-year-old Seoul National University student who jumped to his death from the fourth floor of the education building of Myeongdong Cathedral in 1988 to call for the ascertainment of the truth about the massacre. Park Rae-jeon: a 25-year-old Soongsil University student who set himself on fire and died crying out “Gwangju is alive” on the roof of the university’s student union building in 1988.

Many young people sacrificed themselves to give consolation to the souls of those fallen that May. They risked their lives to call for the punishment of those who were responsible and to find out the truth. They gave their lives for what ought to be revealed and remembered while the nation neglected its responsibilities. A number of journalists and intellectuals who tried to unveil the truth lost their jobs and were incarcerated.

Along with the heroic souls of May, I will make sure that their sacrifice and dedication will not have been in vain and will lead the Republic of Korea to become a country where there is no more avoidable death and suffering.         

I will make the Republic of Korea a nation where truth prevails over lies.

I ask the citizens of Gwangju to remember those across the country who have made sacrifices for their whole life to uphold the spirit of Gwangju.

Now I ask the citizens of Gwangju to take the initiative in creating a true unity of the people by overcoming the pain of suffering unfair treatment, neglect, and wounds from knives and bullets.

When the pain of Gwangju is overcome and the scars and conflict of the people are embraced, the hand offered by Gwangju will become the most resilient source of hope for unity.

My fellow Koreans,

Food contributed and blood donated by Gwangju citizens during the Democratization Movement; this spirit of sharing and participation demonstrates the very history of our pride. This is the true shape of democracy.  

The spirit of Gwangju, of people defending democracy without losing their humanity in extreme life-or-death situations, saw a revival during the recent candlelight demonstrations at Gwanghwamun Square. The candlelight protests opened an era of popular sovereignty by building upon the spirit of the Gwangju Democratization Movement.

The people declared the Republic of Korea belonged to them. The Moon Jae-in Administration affirms here, before the souls of Gwangju, that it will be the Government that upholds the will of the people.    

It is a new Republic of Korea where we comfort each other and soothe each other’s pain.

When more people step forward to advocate common sense and justice, the noble spirit of the Democratization Movement will remain as a lasting value that is alive in us.

Once again, I offer my thoughts and prayers for the souls of the Gwangju Democratization Movement.

Thank you.