Let's have imagination about '5‧18' and “responsibility”! 5‧18 International Forum Successfully Held

- Holding the beloved Gwangju responsible.... Empathizing with 'Future Responsibility'

- 5‧18 International Research Institute, as a performative research organization, will pay attention to citizens' questions

From November 2 to 4, the 5‧18 International Research Institute (an academic research institute under the board of directors of the 5‧18 Memorial Foundation) successfully held the “2023 5‧18 International Forum” on the theme of “5‧18 and Responsibility” at the 5‧18 Memorial Culture Center. On November 2 (Thursday), an archive exhibition, opening reception and documentary screening with researchers and citizens were held; on November 3 (Friday), an academic conference was held where researchers from various fields discussed the question “What is 5‧18 and Responsibility?” with citizens; and on November 4 (Saturday), an academic network meeting of 5‧18 International Forum participants was held to evaluate the forum and share opinions on the 2024 5‧18 International Forum.

The 5‧18 International Institute selected the topic of “5‧18 and Responsibility” to answer the social interest in the “forgiveness and reconciliation” theme of 5‧18 and the confusion caused by the disagreements in the region, such as the joint public declaration ceremony on February 19 and the visit of Jeon Woo-won to Gwangju. The theme is an attempt to answer the academic question “What is 5‧18 and responsibility?” in 2023, against the backdrop of citizens' opinions that “forgiveness and reconciliation must be predicated on accountability and truth-telling” at the “Citizens Speak” 5‧18 public debate held by the 5‧18 Memorial Foundation on July 22nd.

The 2023 5‧18 International Forum - 5‧18 International Academic Conference, held at the Daedong Hall of the 5‧18 Memorial and Cultural Center on Friday (3), featured two keynote presentations on “What is Responsibility?” in the morning and four topic presentations on “Historical Events and Responsibility” and “5‧18 and Social Responsibility” in the afternoon.

In the first keynote presentation, Professor Ichiro Tomiyama said, “The question of responsibility requires a discussion on how to change the order of words, foreseeing the violence of the question-and-answer dance before the question of ethics, and build a place where each person responds to events and creates a relationship with words for the process to continue.” (冨山一郎, Doshisha University Global Studies/'Responsibility as Relationality: Violence and the Aftermath (original title: 関係性としての責任-暴力、その後を考えるー)). Next, Professor Kim Sang-bong (Department of Philosophy, Chonnam National University) emphasized, “We should distinguish between the ethics of responsibility and the ethics of response depending on whether or not the subject has committed an act of violence, and emphasize the freedom and relationality that arise from the decision to respond to the suffering of others, and aim for shared responsibility” (Between the Ethics of Response and the Ethics of Responsibility: Problems of Ethics in the 5‧18 Division). In the dialogue between the two speakers, moderated by Lee Young-jin (Department of Culture and Anthropology, Kangwon National University), Professor Kim Sang-bong said, “Recalling the history of how many people across the country responded to 5‧18 after 1980, we should think about our responsibility for what the beloved Gwangju is doing and what we should do,” emphasizing future responsibility.

In the afternoon, Park Kyeong-seop (Researcher, 5‧18 International Research Institute) said, “We can only continue to ask for the responsibility of the martial law forces and clarify their actions by naming specific individuals,” and suggested the need for a new imagination, saying that it would be difficult to talk about the 5‧18 with people in their 20s and 30s using the word “responsibility,” and suggested the need for a new imagination. Dr. Kang Hyeon-jeong (Department of Philosophy, Chonnam National University) said that when the martial law forces were asked to take responsibility for the May 18th, it was difficult to predict their excuses, and that none of them had ethical rationality, and that a more specific approach to perpetration and responsibility was needed. In this regard, Professor Jeong Dae-seong (Professor of History and Education, Pusan National University) emphasized the need to redraw the 'topographical map of perpetration' in a concrete way rather than a simple statement of truth. In addition, Professor Kim Heonjun (Department of Political Science and Diplomacy, Korea University) said that 5‧18 is like a big peak in Korea's transitional justice, and that we should continue to discuss “accountability” because transitional justice is a “process,” not an outcome.

David Butterworth (Independent Researcher, Northumbria University, United Kingdom) presented a paper titled “The human rights foreign policy of the carter administration and its application in South Korea.” He expressed his gratitude for his interest in Korean history, especially the Korean War and President Jimmy Carter, while working as a foreign language teacher in Jangseong, Jeolla-namdo. His paper was praised for its fresh approach to the topic of May 18 and the role of the United States, and how the human rights division within the U.S. administration viewed the event.

The plenary discussion, moderated by Yoo Kyeong-nam (Director of Research, 5‧18 International Research Institute), was a time for the keynote speakers, moderators, and panelists, including Kim Min-hwan (College of Peace and Liberal Arts, Hanshin University), Shim Jeong-myeong (Institute of Humanities, Chosun University), Kim Jae-hyeong (Department of Culture and Liberal Arts, Korea University of Communication), Lee Kyeong-joo (Inha University School of Law), Cho Gye-won (Institute of Politics, Korea University), Jeong Dae-seong (Department of History and Education, Pusan National University), and Lee Sol (State University of New York at Stony Brook) to share their thoughts. As emphasized by Professor Ichiro Tomiyama, the researchers at the conference agreed on the need for a public forum where generations can come together to discuss “words” and “actions” that go beyond the existing method of holding perpetrators accountable, such as materializing the acts of perpetration and imagining a citizen (mock)court. In particular, in response to the audience's question about 'future responsibilities,' Professor Kim sang bong emphasized that the reason why May 18 and Gwangju are special in Korea's history of people's movements is the historical fact that people outside Gwangju dedicated and sacrificed for Gwangju, and that each citizen should reflect on themselves and make new practices for those who responded to Gwangju, which was loved more than anything else.

The 5‧18 International Forum, which took place from November 2-4, was opened by Argentine Ambassador to Korea Emiliano Weisselfitz with the theme “Good Light, Good Air.

※ Youtube link to its re-play : https://www.youtube.com/live/Sa-puCEzKss?si=OmoViqWF-bSXqj8y

※ documentations : https://518.org/nsub.php?PID=0201&action=Read&idx=2951

※ Contact : ksj@518.org / +82 062-360-0574. End.