Igniting all over...

Uyanga Choisilsuren
Mongolia, Ajou University

The democratic fire was ignited in the heart of the people of Gwangju in 1980. The Democracy fire was able to spread not only to every corner of Korea but also to the entire world. Actually, it was a history that happened 42 years ago, but the fire is still existing. Even though you can't see and touch it, you can feel it from the people who were sacrificed during the uprising, the people who are united against the dictatorship regime, and the people who are inheriting democratic fire for the next generations. I am the special one who got the flame of the fire from the May 18 Memorial Foundation.

There is a role for everyone who cares and understands the value of democracy. If you are an ordinary person, be confident that you can give your special contribution during incidents of democratic activities. The May 18 Democratic Uprising movement in Gwangju is a great example of how strong the citizen involvement and solidarity were to bring and create Democracy. If you are a researcher and student who aims to create a democratic country, you can research for ways to improve democracy or create mindset innovation that is able to increase understanding of people better off. Since holding the flame of fire which is inherited from Gwangju, igniting or not strongly depends on me. Maybe I am not someone who can ignite democracy, but I strongly believe that I can be the person who shares the flame with others.

Sometimes I feel that people who are standing highest level don't learn from history. They have been repeating the massacre of civilians again and again. While walking around the cemetery which is dedicated to victims of the May 18 democratic movement, one thought came to my mind. If the women were leading that time, we would not have listened to the tragic history of tears of myriads of mothers who lost their children and the blood of hundreds of innocent youths who were killed. There would be a beautiful family garden and center instead of the cemetery. Although we have lived modern 21st century, there is no guarantee this kind of tragic incident which happened in Gwangju won’t happen again. Therefore, empowering women, especially in decision-makers sectors level participation of women can be the solution to building nonviolence and peaceful democracy.

The secret that I learned from the training isn’t just counting and keeping, it is more about growing and sharing the history and knowledge in order to ignite peaceful democracy all over …