Lee Jae-myung, chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea, criticized President Yoon Suk-yeol's May 18 commemorative speech today (5 May), saying, "We talk about the continuation of the spirit of May and liberal democracy, but unless we reflect on the one-point constitutional amendment that we promised or the damage to people's lives and lives caused by state violence and take measures to prevent a recurrence, all of that is empty fire."

Chairman Yi made the remarks in a meeting with reporters after attending a ceremony to commemorate the 18rd anniversary of the May 5 Gwangju Democratic Movement held at the Gwangju National Cemetery this morning.

Earlier, in his commemorative speech, President Yoon said, "If we do not forget and inherit the spirit of May, we must face all forces and challenges that threaten freedom and democracy, and we must have such practical courage."

"This is also the site where our people sacrificed their lives to fight to protect democracy, human rights, and peace. It is also the scene of state violence that took the lives of our people, wounded them, and destroyed their lives with the sword of a gun entrusted to them to protect the lives and safety of the people," he said, stressing that "the government and the ruling party responsible for this state violence should not only reflect, remembrance, and commemorate with words, but also show it with their actions."

He said, "The inclusion of the May 18 Spirit of the Constitution was a promise made to the people that was made at the time of the presidential election," adding, "I once again urge the President, the government, and the ruling party to keep their promise to include the spirit of May 5 in the preamble of the Constitution through a one-point constitutional amendment in the next general election."

Referring to the alter ego of the late Yang Hoe-dong, an official of the KCTU Construction Workers' Union, Chairman Yi said, "The act of taking people's lives and people's lives through state violence is starting again."

In response to the President's Office's dismissal of the proposal for a "one-point constitutional amendment" in the preamble to the 18 May Constitution as a "trick to change the face of politicians tainted by corruption," Representative Yi retorted, "Is it right to accuse the prosecutors of abusing their prosecutorial power and accusing them of being prosecuted?"

"The unjust abuse of prosecutorial power, the unjust prosecution of the prosecution in order to destroy the opposition without any evidence, is now being revealed," he said, stressing that "it is not right to act below common sense to accuse me of being the one who has been accused of it."

(Photo=Yonhap News)