By Kim Dong-wooPosted : June 10, 2024, 18:14Updated : June 10, 2024, 18:14
SEOUL, June 10 (AJU PRESS) - Korea on Monday marked the 37th anniversary of the landmark 1987 pro-democracy movement known as the June Democratic Uprising with a commemoration ceremony attended by top officials and prominent figures.
Around 300 people, including Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, lawmakers from both the ruling and opposition parties, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and prominent former democracy activists, gathered at Seoul City Hall to commemorate the historic demonstrations that paved the way for the nation's democratic transition.
The June Uprising saw nationwide rallies against the authoritarian rule of then-President Chun Doo-hwan, eventually forcing the regime to revise the Constitution to restore a direct presidential election system. The protests ushered in a new era of democratization and liberalization in South Korean society.
This year's ceremony carried the theme "Only One Word, Democracy," echoing a line from the 1977 poem "It's Alright Not to be Flowers Now" by renowned poet Yang Sung-woo, who served as a spokesman for the national movement to achieve a democratic constitution. The theme revisits the rallying cry for democracy during the 1987 uprising while conveying a message of unity and coexistence.
Attendees sing the national anthem during a ceremony marking the 37th anniversary of the June Democratic Uprising at the Seoul Metropolitan Government building in Seoul on June 10, 2024. AJU PRESS Kim Dong-woo.
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo (4th from right) and other dignitaries observe a moment of silence for the victims during a ceremony marking the 37th anniversary of the June Democratic Uprising at the Seoul Metropolitan Government building in Seoul on June 10, 2024. AJU PRESS Kim Dong-woo.
Cho Kuk (left), leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party, and Heo Eun-ah (right), leader of the Reform Party of Korea, observe a moment of silence for the victims during a ceremony marking the 37th anniversary of the June Democratic Uprising at the Seoul Metropolitan Government building in Seoul on June 10, 2024. AJU PRESS Kim Dong-woo
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo delivers a commemorative speech during a ceremony marking the 37th anniversary of the June Democratic Uprising at the Seoul Metropolitan Government building in Seoul on June 10, 2024. AJU PRESS Kim Dong-woo.
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo delivers a commemorative speech during a ceremony marking the 37th anniversary of the June Democratic Uprising at the Seoul Metropolitan Government building in Seoul on June 10, 2024. AJU PRESS Kim Dong-woo.
Participants sing along to the song “Evergreen Tree” during a ceremony marking the 37th anniversary of the June Democratic Uprising at the Seoul Metropolitan Government building in Seoul on June 10, 2024. AJU PRESS Kim Dong-woo.
Participants sing along to the song “Evergreen Tree” during a ceremony marking the 37th anniversary of the June Democratic Uprising at the Seoul Metropolitan Government building in Seoul on June 10, 2024. AJU PRESS Kim Dong-woo.
The Kim Duk-soo Samulnori troupe and students from Chung-Ang University perform during a ceremony marking the 37th anniversary of the June Democratic Uprising at the Seoul Metropolitan Government building in Seoul on June 10, 2024. AJU PRESS Kim Dong-woo
Students take pictures at a photo booth outside Seoul City Hall on the sidelines of a ceremony marking the 37th anniversary of the June Democratic Uprising on June 10, 2024. AJU PRESS Kim Dong-woo
People watch a photo exhibition outside Seoul City Hall on the sidelines of a ceremony marking the 37th anniversary of the June Democratic Uprising on June 10, 2024. AJU PRESS Kim Dong-woo
People watch a photo exhibition outside Seoul City Hall on the sidelines of a ceremony marking the 37th anniversary of the June Democratic Uprising on June 10, 2024. AJU PRESS Kim Dong-woo
