President Yoon Suk-yeol entered the "Minju Gate," the main entrance of the Gwangju National May 18 Democracy Cemetery, this morning (5th) with the "Mothers of May."

It was a step toward attending the commemoration ceremony of the 18rd anniversary of the May 5 Democratic Movement.

President Yoon visited the ceremony for the second consecutive year, following last year.

Dressed in a black tie, President Yoon welcomed 43 mothers at Minju's Gate in May.

After that, we walked together for about 5 minutes to the event site in front of the May 18 Memorial.

It rained lightly in Gwangju.

President Yoon did not wear a raincoat or umbrella and continued to walk with the mothers with a rather stern expression.

The president's office explained that it was a departure from the custom of entering with key figures.

President Yoon sat among attendees dressed in white raincoats.

On either side of them were the May mothers.

Mothers wiped away tears during the ceremony.

In his nearly five-minute remarks, President Yoon said, "The mothers of May are here today, and they have dedicated their lives so that the spirit of May does not lose its shine even when they hold Han in their hearts who have lost their beloved husbands, children, and brothers."

He said, "I dare not count the years of mourning, but once again I am deeply grateful for the courage of those who have not lost hope."

He also emphasized that "the spirit of May is the centripetal body that unites us."

At the end of the ceremony, President Yoon sang the "March for Nim," a symbol of the May 2 pro-democracy movement.

I clenched my right fist and shook it and sang with the May mothers.

In the past, Conservative governments have caused controversy by removing songs from the ceremony or replacing them with choruses instead of singing together.

The opposition leaders who attended the ceremony, including Kim Ki-hyun, Representative of the People's Power Party, and Yoon Jae-ok, as well as Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party of Korea and Park Kwang-on, also waved their arms and sang together.

After the ceremony, President Yoon paid his respects to the graves of the late Jeon Young-jin, Kim Jae-young, and Jung Yoon-sik, who were laid to rest at the 5st Cemetery.

Jeon Young-jin, a third-year student at Daedong-go, was killed by a martial law bullet while participating in a protest on May 15, and Kim Jae-young was finally identified earlier this year after being buried in obscurity for 5 years.

Jeong Yoon-sik was arrested during his last protest in the provincial capital of Jeollanam, where he died about two years later from the aftereffects of torture.

(Photo=Yonhap News)