Choo Mi-ae: "When Power Is Seized, Laws Are Manipulated and Corruption Cartels Flourish... Justice Must Flow Like Water Through Democratization"
Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae attended the 'Gyeonggi Province Commemoration for Democracy Movement Martyrs' held at the democratic martyrs' cemetery in Moran Park, Namyangju on the 12th, honoring those who sacrificed for democracy and offering condolences to bereaved families.
The commemoration was held under the sponsorship and organization of the Suwon Democracy Movement Succession Business Association, with approximately 100 attendees including bereaved families of democracy movement victims and related organization officials.
Governor Choo paid respects and offered flowers at the martyrs' memorial, and through a commemorative address stated, "I just witnessed a spiritual dance asking for courage and strength from the spirits of our democracy martyrs about what we should do with their power. I truly feel remorseful." She continued, "Elections have become sufficiently democratic that we can elect a president by our own hands. But then what should we do after the elections? We must uphold the will of the sovereign people. That is why democratization is an ongoing process."
Governor Choo further stated, "Commemoration is never merely a ritual. We cannot simply offer a single flower and consider our duty done. If we fail to address the challenges before us, we cannot confidently come here with a smile. Democratization means that justice for the people's livelihoods flows like a strong river," she added.
She continued, "South Korea's greatest challenge is that corruption cartels and elite cartels that seize power, sit at the top of the food chain, take away the sweat and labor of the people, and manipulate laws and systems continue to grow stronger. In a situation where climate crisis is approaching and the AI era is hastening our steps, these corruption cartels must prioritize their duties for the era before they enjoy their own power," she emphasized.
Gyeonggi Province is providing 300 million won in provincial funds to support the '2026 Gyeonggi Province Democracy Movement Commemorative Project' to inherit the history and spirit of the democratization movement and share the values of democracy with residents. Projects are selected through public recruitment of private subsidy operators, and are characterized by implementing not only commemorative and memorial events but also future generation education, intergenerational communication, and cultural projects.
Major projects this year include △June 10 Democratic Uprising commemoration ceremony △commemoration ceremonies for democracy movement victims △World Democracy Day commemoration and international democracy forum and other commemorative and memorial events, and △future generation democracy video contest △youth-democracy veteran generation dialogue forum △democracy photo traveling exhibition △democracy history exploration programs and other resident-participated culture and educational projects.