Lee urges National Assembly to put Buma and 5·18 uprisings in constitution preamble

President Lee Jae-myung said on 16 October that putting the Buma Democratic Uprising and the Gwangju democratisation movement in the constitution's preamble is the minimum measure to avoid forgetting the people's bloody history of defending democracy and popular sovereignty. He spoke at the 47th Buma Democratic Uprising ceremony at Busan City Hall and asked the National Assembly to move quickly on gathering public opinion and rational debate for a constitutional amendment. [ 19 , 22 , 27 , 29 ]

Lee said that putting the spirit of 5·18 and the Buma uprising in the preamble was something both ruling and opposition parties had always said in one voice whenever the time came, and that it was now time to act, not talk. Dong-A Ilbo wrote that the remark seemed aimed at the People Power Party, which it said had indicated it would not take part in amendment talks. [ 22 , 23 , 27 , 31 ]

CBS NoCut News said the ceremony began at 2 p.m. in the main hall on the first floor of Busan City Hall and drew about 600 people, including Lee, Interior and Safety Minister Yun Ho-jung, Patriots and Veterans Affairs Minister Kwon Oh-eul and Busan Mayor Jeon Jae-soo. Hankook Ilbo said it was Lee's first Buma ceremony since taking office. Kyunghyang Shinmun said it was the second time a sitting president had attended, after Moon Jae-in in 2019, and that Yoon Suk-yeol did not attend while in office. Hankook Ilbo said Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok attended but no People Power Party leaders were seen, and that Constitutional Court head Kim Sang-hwan attended while Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae did not. [ 22 , 32 , 34 ]

In the speech Lee said the Buma cry had cracked the Yushin dictatorship and carried on to Gwangju in May 1980, the June 1987 uprising and the candlelight and 12·3 revolutions. He also said the government would not turn away from the wounds state power left on citizens and would do its best to restore the honour of wronged victims. Kyunghyang Shinmun and Hankook Ilbo reported that his voice shook as he thanked honourees and bereaved families, and a Korea Economic Daily headline said he was unable to speak for 14 seconds. A Dong-A Ilbo headline attributed the emotion to the presidential office, saying it was regret that the preamble could not yet be written into the constitution. [ 19 , 22 , 27 , 32 , 33 , 39 ]

A day earlier, at the 49th senior secretaries' meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, Lee had said ruling and opposition were all of one opinion on putting the two movements in the preamble and that it was time to act. Yonhap said this revived his call to step up amendment talks. Kyunghyang Shinmun reported that the Democratic Party and the Rebuilding Korea Party tried in May to pass an amendment with such a preamble, but the vote fell through because of People Power Party opposition. It said passage requires two-thirds of the National Assembly's members. [ 4 , 5 , 22 ]

On 16 October the Democratic Party said it would lead the push to put the Buma spirit in the preamble and urged the People Power Party to respond with action. Kim Min-seok said the People Power Party had no reason to oppose and should say it agrees. Groups of 5·18 families, injured people and honourees and the 5·18 foundation issued a joint statement welcoming Lee's remarks and expressing regret that this year's amendment attempt failed. [ 8 , 14 , 37 ]