The Events of May

Under the slogan “May, with the power of truth! To be the light of our times!” various commemorative events will be held to greet the 42nd anniversary of the May 18 Democratic Uprising in Gwangju nationwide and abroad.

On May 17, one day before the anniversary, the May Citizens’ Open Air Festival will be held on Geumnam Street, Gwangju, at 1pm, offering street performances such as Korean traditional music, a traditional Korean performance called Madangguk, a band, and many other events, such as sharing rice balls. The March for Democracy and Peace, in which people will march while expressing their diverse voices with banners and slogans, will be held on Geumnam Street and the May 18 Democratic Square for two hours, beginning at 5pm the same day. We will reenact the cry of the people from that day 42 years ago.

The most important part of the commemorative events, the May Eve Ceremony, will be held on Geumnam Street, Gwangju, at 7 pm on May 17, with no restrictions on the number of participants for the first time in three years due to the lifting of COVID-19-related distancing restrictions. The theme of the Eve Ceremony is “Geumnam Street Again, Democracy Again.” The first part of the ceremony will be filled with a large number of performances that will describe the May 18 Democratic Uprising through drama, dance, and song. In the second part, which is titled By the Power of Truth, the May Mothers, the mothers of victims of state violence who have been fighting for the restoration of the former Jeonnam Provincial Hall since September 2016, will be on stage and sing a song to tell their stories. In the third part, which is named To Be the Light of Our Times, younger generations will commemorate the May 18 Democratic Uprising through chorus.

This year, the Night of May event, which the youth have prepared, will be held on May 28 at 7:30 pm at the May 18 Democratic Square for two hours. The survivors, younger generations, and future generations will express their feelings in various ways.

The 42nd Memorial Ceremony of the May 18 Democratic Uprising will be held at the May 18 National Cemetery at 10 am on May 18. Prior to this ceremony, on the afternoon of May 14, the People’s Congress to inherit the May 18 Spirit will be held on Geumnam Street to reenact the Gwangju People’s Congress, which was held during the Uprising in 1980. In addition, a rice ball sharing event, which symbolizes the spirit of solidarity and community, a blood donation event, and a conference and debate dealing with the May 18 Democratic Uprising will be held in Gwangju throughout May. Also, overseas Koreans and people in Korea, including Seoul and Busan, will hold commemorative events to greet the 42nd anniversary of the May 18 Democratic Uprising in various parts of the world. The 42nd Anniversary of the May 18 Democratic Uprising Online Commemoration Ceremony, which the Democratic Congress on World Koreans has prepared, will be held on May 18 via Zoom at 12:00 in Korean local time. In addition, the May 18 Commemorative Committee in Germany will hold a memorial service at the Korean Culture Center in Frankfurt, Germany, on May 18 at 6 pm local time, and the joint memorial service hosted by the Korean Consulate General in San Francisco and the Korean American Association in San Francisco will be held at the KOTRA Silicon Valley IT Center. Also, overseas embassies and Korean diaspora associations around the world will hold ceremonies and related events around May 18.

The May 18 Commemorative Event Committee in Seoul will hold a commemorative event at 10 am on May 18 at the Seodaemun Prison History Hall, and The May 18 Commemorative Event Committee in Busan is preparing a memorial service and side events, which are scheduled to be held on May 18 at 7 pm on Judies Taehwa Street.

The May 18 Memorial Foundation is planning to provide exhibition and educational materials and operate the May Visitor Center for pilgrims who wish to visit the May 18-related sites, including giving guided tours. Furthermore, through the 2022 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights Award Ceremony (May 18, 6 pm) and the 2022 Gwangju Democracy Forum (from May 17 to May 21), the May 18 Spirit will be shared.

The May 18 Commemorative Event Committee (chairperson Dongnyeon Jeong) said that “we will make an effort to create time to rethink the May 18 Spirit, known as ‘Daedong’ in Korean, which means solidarity of people, while trying to embrace all the generations like survivors of the Uprising, younger generations, and future generations.”

For more information, please visit: www.518people.org and www.518eve.org

Important Commemorative Events to Greet the 42nd Anniversary of the May 18 Democratic Uprising

The 42nd Memorial Ceremony of the May 18 Democratic Uprising	2022. May 18, 10:00 am at the May 18 National Cemetery
The 42nd Memorial Service of the May 18 Democratic Uprising	2022. May 17, 09:30 am at the May 18 National Cemetery
The 2022 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights Award Ceremony and Celebration Performance	2022. May 18, 18:00 pm at the May 18 Democracy Square
The 2022 Gwangju Democracy Forum	2022. May 17~21, at the Kimdaejung Convention Center
The People’s Congress	2022. May 14, 16:30 pm at the Geumnam-ro
May Citizens’ Open Air Festival	2022. May 17, 13:00 pm at the Geumnam-ro
The March for Democracy and Peace	2022. May 17, 17:00 pm at the Suchang Elementary School ~ Guemnam-ro
The May Eve Ceremony	2022. May 17, 19:00 pm at the Geumnam-ro
The Memorial Day for the Democratic Drivers and Reenacting the Vehicle Protest	2022. May 20, at the Mudeung Baseball Stadium ~ Geumnam-ro
The Ceremony for Revival	2022. May 27, at the May 18 Democracy Square
The Night of May	2022. May 28, 19:30 pm at the May 18 Democracy Square
Online May Pilgrimage, an online historical tour of Uprising-related sites	2022. May 17, 09:45~10:45 am, on youtube
Asahi Newspaper Archival Material Special Exhibition	2022. May 11~July 31, at the May 18 Democratic Uprising Archives
The May 18 Literary Award Ceremony	2022. May 28, 15:00 pm at the Jeonil Building 245
The May 18 Archive Special Exhibition	2022. May 4 ~ June 8 at the May 18 Memorial Culture Center
Commemorative Play, “Geumhee’s May,” Encore Performance	2022. May 21, May 27 19:30 pm at the May 18 Memorial Culture Center