President Lee Jae Myung on Sunday apologized to the bereaved families of victims of the March 15 Democracy Movement and pledged greater efforts to identify and honor those who participated in South Korea’s pro-democracy struggle.
Lee attended the government-hosted ceremony commemorating the March 15 pro-democracy protest, becoming the first sitting South Korean president to do so since it was designated a national memorial day in 2010.
The event also marked the first official government apology for the incident in which police shot 16 people dead.
The government has held official commemorations for the March 15 Democracy Movement — the starting point of South Korea’s nationwide democratization movement in the 1960s against rigged elections under the Syngman Rhee regime — every year since 2011.
"Today, we remember the history of the sovereignty of the people that began here in Masan 66 years ago," Lee said in his commemorative speech at the March 15 National Cemetery in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province.
"Citizens and students who rose up against the dictatorship, shedding their blood and sacrificing their lives, ultimately brought home the truth that sovereignty lies with the people."
In his commemorative speech, Lee expressed "deep respect and gratitude toward honorees of the March 15 Democracy Movement, who did not back down even in the face of hardships and threats."
"As the president representing the Republic of Korea, I also extend my heartfelt apology and words of comfort to the bereaved families of the victims of the March 15 Democracy Movement who suffered great pain at the hands of state power," Lee said, referring to South Korea by its official name.
Lee paused, stepped beside the podium and made a deep bow in apology during the live broadcast of the ceremony.
Lee underscored that "the lesson that the March 15 Democracy Movement has left in our history is clear: 'Democracy does not come on its own, nor does it sustain itself.'"
In his speech, Lee drew a parallel between the movement and public protests against the martial law declaration by then-President Yoon Suk Yeol on Dec. 3, 2024.
"We will strive to ensure that the spirit of the democracy patriots who devoted themselves to democracy in this land takes root throughout our society and is carried on to the next generation as an even more precious value," Lee said.
"To this end, we will find even one more person who took part in the March 15 Democracy Movement and the April 19 Revolution, and reward, record and honor them."
The March 15 Democracy Movement began in Masan — now part of Changwon — on March 15, 1960, led by ordinary people and students.
The protest erupted over widespread electoral fraud in the presidential and vice-presidential elections under the Syngman Rhee regime and the ruling Liberal Party. Police responded with gunfire, leaving 16 dead and many wounded.
The discovery of the body of high school student Kim Ju-yul — with a tear gas canister lodged in his eye — in waters off Masan on April 11 that year further fueled public outrage.
The April 19 Revolution that followed ultimately brought down the Rhee dictatorship.
dagyumji@heraldcorp.com
