ID :
182870
Wed, 05/18/2011 - 10:55
Auther :

Lee calls for efforts toward advanced democracy


SEOUL, May 18 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Myung-bak on Wednesday called for nationwide efforts to move toward a more mature democracy succeeding the spirit of the 1980 pro-democracy uprising in the southwestern city of Gwangju.
In his speech at a ceremony to mark the 31st anniversary of the uprising, Lee said the incident planted a seed of hope for democracy on Korean soil, leading to a nationwide democratic movement that helped the country restore democracy years later.
The uprising "laid strong groundwork for democracy, but South Korea should continue efforts toward a more mature democracy," Lee said in the speech, which was read instead by Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik.
The uprising in Gwangju, about 320 kilometers from Seoul, was crushed in a bloody government crackdown. The regime of then-President Chun Doo-hwan, who took power through a military coup in 1979, dispatched paratroopers and tanks to brutally put down the revolt.
According to government data, about 200 people were killed and 1,800 others wounded in the uprising. But unofficial figures put the death toll at more than 2,000.
"Now is the time to combine forces and make a leap toward becoming an advanced first-rate country, succeeding and developing the spirit of the May 18 democratic uprising," Lee said.
sshim@yna.co.kr

X