President Lee becomes first sitting leader to attend March 15 Masan Uprising ceremony: "We will not forget your noble sacrifice"

[Financial News] President Lee Jae Myung and First Lady Kim Hye-kyung attended the 66th anniversary March 15 Democratic Uprising Commemoration Ceremony at the March 15 Democratic National Cemetery in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, on the 15th. There, they formally apologized to the bereaved families and pledged to honor the victims and their relatives. Since the March 15 Masan Uprising was designated a national commemorative day in 2010 and the government began hosting the ceremony in 2011, this is the first time a sitting president has taken part. Before the designation, President Kim Dae-jung attended the 40th anniversary event in 2000.
In his address, President Lee stated, "Sixty-six years ago today, here in Masan, the history of popular sovereignty began." He continued, "Citizens and students who rose up against the dictatorship, at the cost of their blood and their lives, ultimately reminded us that the true owners of this country are its people."
He went on to explain, "The March 15 Masan Uprising that began in Masan sparked the April 19 Revolution across the country and ultimately brought down a dictatorship that had seemed unshakable. From the Busan–Masan Uprising, the Gwangju Uprising (May 18 Democratization Movement), and the June Democratic Struggle to the Candlelight Revolution and the Revolution of Light, the spirit of March 15 has flowed unbroken." He added, "That spirit has become our model, raising up the nation whenever it faces a crisis."
President Lee continued, "I extend my deep respect and gratitude to the honorees of the March 15 Masan Uprising, who never retreated despite hardship and threats. As the president representing the Republic of Korea, I offer my heartfelt apology and words of consolation to the bereaved families of those who suffered great pain at the hands of state power during the March 15 Uprising." After stressing this, he paused his remarks and bowed deeply. He added, "We will never forget your noble sacrifice."
The March 15 Masan Uprising is remembered as a protest led mainly by citizens and students of Masan who witnessed fraud in the March 1960 South Korean presidential election and the Fifth Vice Presidential Election of South Korea on March 15, 1960, and demanded a new vote and democracy. It is regarded as the first bloody democratization movement in South Korea, during which many people were killed or injured when police opened fire.
In particular, President Lee used his speech to link the March 15 Masan Uprising with the state of emergency martial law declared on December 3, 2024, underscoring what he called the "resilience of democracy."
President Lee said, "Even as the years passed, the painful wounds and memories etched into our hearts and minds, and the firm historical conviction that 'no power can ultimately defeat the people,' came together and enabled us to drive back the darkness of insurrection on the night of December 3, 2024." He added, "Just as the citizens and students of Masan bravely faced guns and bayonets with their bare bodies, the people of Korea likewise stood unarmed against the martial law troops on that winter night in 2024."
He went on to say, "Just as March 15, 1960 did, December 3, 2024 will be remembered as a day when the wisdom of popular sovereignty defeated the ambitions of some for permanent rule, a day that turned a winter of despair into a spring of hope."
He concluded, "I will devote all my strength to ensuring that the spirit of those who sacrificed themselves for democracy in this land takes firm root throughout our society and is passed on to the next generation as an even more precious value." He pledged, "To that end, we will identify and honor as many participants in the March 15 Masan Uprising and the April 19 Revolution as possible, and we will recognize them, record their stories, and treat them with the respect they deserve."

cjk@fnnews.com Choi Jong-geun Reporter