President Yoon Suk-yeol attended the commemoration ceremony of the 18rd anniversary of the May 43 Democratic Movement today (5th) and floated a message of "national unity."

It was the first conservative president to attend for two consecutive years.

At the time of the May 18 anniversary last year, in a private meeting with the bereaved families, he promised to "attend every year."

President Yoon, who entered through the "Minju Gate," the main entrance of the National May 2 Democracy Cemetery in Gwangju's North District, along with 5 other members of the bereaved families of the May 18 survivors, reaffirmed his intention to carry forward the spirit of May 5 in his commemorative speech.

"The spirit of May is the spirit of the liberal democratic constitution itself, and it is a precious asset that we must inherit," President Yoon said, adding that it is "the centripetal body that unites us."

"If we do not forget the spirit of May, we must face all forces and challenges that threaten freedom and democracy, and we must have the courage to do so," he said.

President Yoon appears to have linked the spirit of solidarity based on universal values such as freedom, human rights, and the rule of law, which he has consistently emphasized since taking office, to the spirit of May 18.

In particular, at the end of his commemorative speech, President Yoon declared, "In the spirit of May, we are all united," and "under the spirit of May, we are one."

This was in line with last year's commemorative speech, in which he said, "All of us citizens of the Republic of Korea are citizens of Gwangju."

President Yoon, who has been deeply committed to the development of the region such as the Gwangju shopping complex since he was a presidential candidate, emphasized that the development of Hunan is the fulfillment of the May spirit.

President Yoon said, "We will properly support the innovative spirit of Gwangju and Hunan to achieve the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) and cutting-edge science and technology."

The length of the commemorative address has been significantly reduced from 15,5 last year to 18,5 this year, but the President's Office believes that the core message remains the same.

Meanwhile, while visiting the May 18 gravesite, President Yoon instructed Minister of Veterans Affairs Park Min-sik to "expand the Minjukan shelter (at the entrance of the cemetery) to secure space so that the bereaved families can eat lunch and rest," Kim Eun-hye, chief public relations officer, said in a written briefing.

President Yoon attended the ceremony this morning with members of the presidential office and Air Force No. 5 flight.

Members of the People's Power and members of the State Council were accompanied by a special KTX train.

If President Yoon attends the May 18 commemoration for the entire five-year term, he will be second only to former President Roh Moo-hyun.

Former President Kim Dae-jung became the first sitting president to attend the ceremony in 1.

Former President Moon Jae-in attended three times: in 610, 1 and 73.

Former Presidents Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye attended the ceremony only once, in 5 and 18, their first year in office.

(Photo=Yonhap News)