‘May Chair’ in memory of the spirit of

the 5.18 pro-democracy movement

▲ The unveiling ceremony of ‘May Chair’ for the 40th anniversary of 5.18 at provincial citizens resting area in front of main gate of Gyeonggi Provincial Government

Gyeonggi-do province has installed ‘May Chair’ in front of the main gate of Gyeonggi-do Provincial Government and Namyangju Maseok Moran Park for the purpose of commemoration and admiration of the ‘May Spirit’ on the occasion of 40th anniversary of the 5.18 pro-democracy movement. In the unveiling ceremony held in front of the Provincial Government on May 14th, including Governor Lee Jae-myung, KIM, Hee-joong - archbishop, Hong Se-hwa Jean Valjean - Bank head, Joint representatives of the May chair and Human Rights Solidarity Officials were in attendance.

‘May Chair’ was made in the form of a chair for anyone to sit on to commemorate the noble spirit of sacrifice, and so that everyone should remember the spirit of the times to protect democracy. It was meant to showcase national spirit and celebrate of the spirit of the 5.18 pro-democracy movement, beyond the regional limit of Gwangju and the temporal limit of 1980s. It was installed in Busan and Mokpo in 2018, in front of Myeongdong Catholic Cathedral, Seoul in 2019, and with this in Gyeonggi-do province, the fourth and fifth works of art in the county were installed.

Governor Yi said, “Even though 40 years have passed, the spirit of May in Gwangju is still live today in the Republic of Korea. The nation that should have protected human rights and ensured a safe life for its people had murdered the true sovereigns of this country, subjects of the state, using taxes paid by the people and guns entrusted to the army by the people… in different forms, these sorts of things may still continue and at any time, circumstances such as happened in May in Gwangju can happen again, I think… We clarify history and hold it accountable for these evil deeds, not only for the purpose of retribution, but to prevent it from happening again.” After this was added, “I am pleased, because by making “May Chair” in Gyeonggi-do province, it has become a place where provincial residents may look back, when passing by, and take a break in hard times, commemorating May in Gwangju 40 years ago, helping to assure this never happens again.”

▲ ‘May Chair’ installed at provincial citizens resting area in front of the main gate of Gyeonggi Provincial Government

Hee Joong Kim, Joint representative of ‘May Chair Committee’ said, “I think, the basic income under disasters policies implemented by Gyeonggi-do Province in the face of the Corona 19 crisis, share the same spirit as the 5.18 spirit of ‘Together with Neighbors’. Gyeonggi-do province shows its willingness to share the spirit of Gwangju with the citizens of Gyeonggi-do province by installing “May Chair”. I anticipate that by installing ‘May Chair’, initiated in Gyeonggi-do province, the spirit will spread like wildfire to local communities across the country.

Se Hwa Hong, joint representative, said, “The great spirit of integration, uniting us and helping us empathize with each other, even between socially disadvantaged people who have been fighting injustice and have been persecuted, is the content of the spirit of May, Gwangju.” and mediated its meaning to be that the “’May Chair’ sculpture contains difficult reflections regarding how we can create a better society, a society where we live together even during crises such as COVID-19.”

‘May Chair’, installed at the provincial citizens resting area in front of the main gate of the Gyeonggi Provincial Government, is a stone sculpture 220 cm wide and 170 cm long. It is an art work done by painter Seondam Hong, who has done impressive work concerning Gwangju 5.18, linking ‘Marching’, an engraving work that expresses the 5.18 spirit, in an artistic way with the chair. ‘May Chair’, installed at the cemetery entrance for the patriotic martyr for democracy in Maseok Moran Park, Namyangju, is an art work done by Painter Seung Su Lee. It piles on meaning, since Namyangju Maseok Moran Park is the place where many pro-democracy activists are laid to rest, such as Tae Il Jeon, Jong Chul Park, Ik hwan Moon & etc.

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