Jang Dong-hyuk Attends 5·18 Memorial Ceremony for First Time as Party Leader

Jang Dong-hyuk, the leader of the People Power Party, will attend the 5·18 Democracy Movement memorial ceremony for the first time since taking office. Democratic Party leader Jeong Cheong-rae is also expected to attend, marking a potential meeting of the two party leaders.

According to the People Power Party on May 15, Jang and the party leadership plan to participate in the 46th anniversary memorial ceremony at the 5·18 Democracy Square in Gwangju on May 18.

The party stated that Jang's attendance is intended to honor the spirit of the 5·18 movement. A key party official emphasized that attending the ceremony signifies respect for the noble sacrifices of the martyrs and the need to heal various wounds and conflicts in society across generations.

The official added, "I hope this is not interpreted as a political move to win votes during the election period. I don’t believe that attending the 5·18 event will change the atmosphere, just as visiting the National Cemetery for the Korean War memorial does not change anything. It is appropriate to attend the 5·18 memorial ceremony as well."

This will be Jang's second visit to Gwangju since November of last year. In that visit, Jang and the party leadership attempted to pay respects at the National 5·18 Democracy Cemetery but were blocked by citizens.

Meanwhile, Jeong plans to attend the pre-event for the 5·18 People's Uprising memorial on May 17 and will continue with a visit to the National 5·18 Democracy Cemetery the following day. This suggests that both party leaders will attend the memorial ceremony together.

At last year's 5·18 Democracy Movement memorial ceremony, presidential candidates Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party, Lee Jun-seok of the Reform Party, and Kwon Young-guk of the Democratic Labor Party were present. Kim Moon-soo, the People Power Party candidate, visited the 5·18 cemetery the day before but did not attend the ceremony.