“Let's solve this outrageous situation together with Kim Moon-soo.”
Kim So-hyuk, a young person in his 20s from Gwangju, called for support for Kim Moon-soo, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, on the 23rd, saying, "The silence of Gwangju must end."
At 11:02 p.m. that night, Kim said in a supporting speech aired on TV Chosun, "Gwangju is a pride of South Korea that has resisted vested interests throughout its critical historical moments, from the student anti-imperialist movement to the Korean War and the May 18 democratization movement," and added, "However, this year marks the 30th anniversary of the implementation of local autonomy, and resistance and dynamism have disappeared and have been thoroughly privatized by the Democratic Party."
He also recounted his experiences of conflict with a teacher from the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union, who had caused controversy with politically biased remarks during his high school years, and a legal battle that lasted for five years. He noted, "Adults defended the teacher, saying, 'That can happen in Gwangju,' and I felt a sense of frustration as if I were facing an even bigger wall," but added, "I firmly confronted the contradictions of adults who boasted of having fought against dictatorship for the sake of freedom, while actually suppressing the freedom of students. I believed that was the true spirit of Gwangju."
He further said, "The 'small disturbance' caused by Gwangju students came to an end as the Supreme Court finalized a ruling on a teacher's career, but this is merely a case that encapsulates the problems and contradictions Gwangju faces today," and asked, "What is the current state of Gwangju?"
He stated, "Young people are leaving, corporations are turning away, and we have to worry about mere survival, let alone growth and development. The financial independence ratio for the Honam region is the lowest in the nation, and local businesses are collapsing while they suffer from a sense of helplessness, only looking at the crumbs dropped by the central government."
He continued, "The mayor, city council members, district council members, and members of the National Assembly are all from the Democratic Party," and asked, "If the Honam region has entrusted overwhelming power to the Democratic Party without any checks, and as a result, only Gwangju and Honam are declining, whose responsibility is that?"
He emphatically stated, "If the candidate Lee Jae-myung and the Democratic Party, who intimidate the judiciary to cover up their crimes, gain control over the executive, legislative, and judicial authorities, the entire Republic of Korea will similarly fall into a quagmire under the shadow of dictatorship."
In conclusion, he called for support, stating, "Kim Moon-soo, who was dignified before power, did not compromise before ideology, stood against the vested interests of both the left and right to protect freedom, and confronted power for the rights of the people, is the only person who can withstand the raging tide of totalitarianism today."