Urgent Push to Enshrine May 18 Spirit in Constitution Preamble

The issue of including the spirit of the May 18 Democratization Movement in the Constitution's preamble has emerged as a national task that can no longer be postponed. In the modern history of the Republic of Korea, May 1980 was a monumental turning point that established the foundation of democracy, a great moment when the power of citizens reoriented the nation's direction. The inclusion of the May 18 spirit in the constitutional preamble is considered an urgent task that cannot be further delayed, and it is assessed as an essential condition for national integration and progress toward a mature democratic republic. If the April 19 Revolution sowed the seeds of democracy, the May 18 Democratization Movement created the decisive momentum for moving beyond military dictatorship toward a constitutional democratic order. Enshrining the May 18 spirit in the constitutional preamble clarifies the legitimacy of South Korean democracy and establishes the standard of values that the nation should pursue.

The May 18 Democratization Movement has been the subject of political debate numerous times in the past, with attempts by some to reduce it to a regional history or distort it with ideological lenses. However, the prevailing view is that May 18 is a history of courage and solidarity by ordinary citizens to protect freedom, human rights, and democracy, and it is a shared asset that the entire nation must embrace.

Myung Jin, Chairman of the Gwangju City Council's Education and Culture Committee, pointed out that local efforts alone have limitations, as distortions and defamation are repeatedly produced and amplified into social conflict when combined with fake news. He emphasized that clearly stipulating the May 18 spirit in the constitutional preamble is the most direct way to block such distortions.

The issue of including the May 18 spirit in the Constitution is not a matter of partisan politics, but a responsibility that the entire political sphere must bear before history. It is analyzed as a contemporary demand and an essential condition to integrate the nation through facing the truth and acknowledging shared values, rather than covering up the past, and to complete, in institutional language, the democracy that the citizens of May defended with their blood, within the Constitution that will serve as a standard for future generations.