5‧18 Suggestions from regional institutes on the role and function of international institutes

On June 9, the 5‧18 Memorial Foundation held a joint conference of the Council of Democracy Research Organizations, "Challenges and Prospects of Regional Democratic Movement Research," to discuss the recommendations of regional research organizations on the role and function of the 5‧18 Institute.

The discussion was attended by research organizations such as the 4‧9 Inheritance of the Revolutionary Movement (Daegu), the Institute for Democracy and Society at Busan Democratic Park (Busan), the Korea Democracy Institute of the Democratic Movement Commemoration Project (nationwide), the Yeosu Community Research Institute (Yeosu), and the Jeju 4‧3 Institute (Jeju).

We share the transcript of the discussion below.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the discussion and for your interest.

Conference Overview

Theme : Challenges and Prospects in the Study of Regional Democratic Movements

Date : June 9, 2023 (Fri), 14:00 ~ 17:30

Venue : Seoul Global Center International Conference Hall

❍ General discussion topics: Suggestions from regional research institutes on the role and function of 5‧18 international institutes, etc.

General Information : https://518.org/nsub.php?PID=0302&page=&category=&searchText=&searchType=&action=Read&idx=17

□ Recommendations

"Research independence and stability should be considered together"

❍ Independence is the lifeblood of research, and if the stability of the research base is maintained within the foundation, it will be much easier to spread the results of research.

❍ When researchers are located within the foundation, they can easily combine with various existing projects of the foundation and create new research areas.

"Making the best use of the current situation would be the first option"

❍ As a presidential campaign promise, the 5‧18 Institute is already political from the start and will inevitably be controversial. It is inevitable that there will be constant battles over the organization's permanence, budget, and management.

❍ In this case, we believe that the preferred alternative is to make the best of the situation rather than looking for limitations in the given environment.

"Propose the role of a hub for solidarity and networking among related research organizations"

❍ 5‧18 seems to have been a case where a dedicated body was organized more quickly than other democratic movement events. Supported the idea of the 5‧18 International Research Center to disseminate research findings between regions and internationally.

❍ Consideration should be given to operating a national and international network based on the 5‧18 Research Center.

❍ We would like to see a place where related research organizations can come together by discovering future-oriented and universal topics rather than localized topics.

+ Transcript of the discussion will be uploaded later

❍ Inquiries: +82 062-360-0572, nohsy12@518.org