Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea presidential candidate, criticized Kim Moon-soo, the People Power Party candidate, for not attending the ceremony commemorating the 45th anniversary of the May 18 Democratic Uprising held in Gwangju on the 18th, stating, "I hope that (Kim) awakens and comes to pay his respects in the spirit of repentance even if it is this evening."

Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, attends the 45th anniversary of the May 18 Democratization Movement ceremony held at the May 18th National Cemetery in Gwangju's Buk-gu on May 18, with Yoon Yeo-jun, the chief campaign chair, and Park Chan-dae, the acting representative and floor leader. /Courtesy of News1

After the ceremony, when asked by reporters how he felt about Kim not attending, Lee said, "I think it is a minimum duty to people before politics."

Lee remarked, "I do not know whether Kim came or did not come. He might have chosen not to come or could not come."

He mentioned the current situation where both the president and the prime minister are vacant, saying, "The fact that the president and the prime minister could not attend the ceremony today is a sad reality. If they had fulfilled their duties, this would not have happened."

He also referenced the People Power Party appointing former Minister of National Defense Jeong Ho-yong, who led the suppression of the May 18 movement, as a senior advisor before retracting the appointment, stating, "I was horrified. Can this really be called the campaign committee of a presidential candidate in South Korea?"

He targeted Seok Dong-hyun, a lawyer who recently resigned from the campaign committee, stating, "It seems that Kim's campaign committee had been employing a key lawyer for former President Yoon, who led the December 3 military coup last year, while claiming to remember the May 18 incident. One's true intention appears to be not at all compatible with this. It seems they are mocking the people, mocking history, and ridiculing the victims of May 18."

In addition, Lee has pinned the label of "insurrection-supporting forces" on the People Power Party, emphasizing accountability.

He claimed, "In relation to the investigation into the May 18 incident, the order to fire has not been specified yet," stating, "With no complete punishment, absurd attempts at military coups similar to the one on December 3 last year have occurred."

He continued, "There are still key personnel involved in the December 3 loyalist coup remaining in various national institutions exercising state power," and emphasized that "A second and third insurrection continue, and a thorough eradication and strict accountability must be implemented."