President Lee: "I Will Do My Best to Include the Spirit of May 18 in the Constitution's Preamble"

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\r\n[Financial News] President Lee Jae-myung said on the 18th that he would "do my best to ensure that the spirit of May 18 is included in the Constitution's preamble" at the May 18 Democratic Uprising memorial ceremony he attended for the first time since taking office. With a proposed constitutional revision to enshrine the spirit of the May 18 Democratic Uprising recently failing to pass, he once again stressed his commitment to including it in the preamble in his first commemorative address for the event since becoming president.
In his commemorative address at the 46th anniversary ceremony of the May 18 Democratic Uprising, Lee said, "The spirit of May, which proved the sovereignty of the people and stands as a source of pride in modern Korean history, must be firmly rooted in our society. The democratic ideals of the May 18 Democratic Uprising should be proudly engraved above the Constitution of the Republic of Korea."
He added, "The April 19 Revolution, the Busan–Masan Uprising, and the May 18 Democratic Uprising led through the June Democratic Struggle to the Candlelight Revolution and the Revolution of Light." He continued, "As this has long been a promise made by all political forces to the people beyond political interests, I earnestly ask for bipartisan cooperation and a decisive step forward."
Linking the December 3 martial law crisis to the spirit of May 18, Lee said, "The insurrection of December 3 was an unanswered question from May that has not yet ended." He went on to say, "Democracy does not come on its own, and it is not preserved on its own. We once again painfully confirmed on the ground that the power to complete democracy comes only from the people's earnest desire and action."
Lee said, "May was revived by countless consciences that wanted to stand on the side of truth and justice. The spirits of May, reborn in that way, saved the living on the night of December 3, 2024." He added, "Just like the citizens of Gwangju in May 1980, the great people of Korea in 2024 stood barehanded against armed martial law troops."
\r\nPresident Lee said, "So that Gwangju in 1980, which saved today's Republic of Korea, can continue to save the country's future, the government of popular sovereignty will keep recording, remembering, compensating, and honoring May 18 without pause," and laid out three pledges.
First, he said, "I will do my best to ensure that the spirit of May 18 is included in the Constitution's preamble." He also said the Jeollanam-do Provincial Office, which officially opens on the day, will be turned into "a living sacred site of K-Democracy that people around the world can learn from and remember."
He also promised to "establish an ex officio registration system for May 18 merit recipients so that not a single sacrifice is overlooked." Referring to the late Yang Chang-geun, who is buried at the May 18th National Cemetery, Lee emphasized, "From now on, the government will become the family of each and every victim of state violence."
Lee said, "The memory of May and the spirit of May 18 are by no means a legacy of the past." He described them as "the courage to stand firmly against injustice, the solidarity that helps us overcome crises together, and the name of hope for a better tomorrow."
He added, "The government of popular sovereignty will faithfully carry forward the spirit of May 18 and move boldly toward a nation where the people are the true masters, as Gwangju so desperately dreamed. With the power of freedom, equality, and unity left by Gwangju in May, I will devote all my strength to overcoming the current crisis and passing on a future that is more glorious and brighter."
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west@fnnews.com Seong Seok-woo Reporter