May 18Memorial Foundation to shed light on historical injustices

“2024 May 18International Forum : The Future of Memory, Commemoration, and Solidarity” (Aug. 29-30)

On August 29, the May 18 Memorial Foundation will host the “May 18 International Forum 2024: The Future of Memory, Commemoration, and Solidarity”. The second annual May 18 International Forum will discuss the importance of remembering and commemorating the May 18 Uprising and explore new possibilities for solidarity in the present and future.

“Professor Namhee Lee (UCLA), who contributed to the establishment and development of early Korean studies in the U.S., and Professor Emeritus Dongchun Kim (Episcopal University) will deliver the keynote sessions on “The Politics of Time and the Transformation of Remembrance into Liberation” and “Refracting and Meaningfulizing Memory and Commemoration,” respectively. Professor Lee points to the narrative changes brought about by political liberalization and the rise of aggressive neoliberalism in Korean society since the 1990s, suggesting that these changes have led to negative attempts at historical intentions. Dr. Kim emphasizes that the memory and commemoration of state violence is refracted and transformed in the interpretation and representation of perpetrators, victims, and society, and that this refraction of memory and commemoration can go beyond mere differences in interpretation and lead to extreme political confrontation.

Following the keynote presentation, the two professors will engage in a conversation that will encompass the themes of the 2024 May 18 International Forum. Dr. Namhee Lee will propose an alternative poetics of remembrance that acknowledges and compensates for past suffering and continues unfinished struggles, while Dr. Dongchun Kim will discuss the need to ensure victims' access to justice, expand freedom of speech and expression, revitalize public forums, and promote political democratization and civic engagement to address extreme political confrontation.

Two sessions in the afternoon will provide insights into attempts to institutionalize the scattered memories of May 18 as commemorations, thereby seeking solidarity with minorities who remain outside the law. A plenary discussion will provide a space for dialog between citizens and researchers.

In the 'Thematic Session 1: Institutionalization and Power of Memory' moderated by Professor Jeong Soo-nam (Chonnam National University), ▲ Professor Shin Hyun-kyung Kim (Seoul Women's University) will analyze the problems of official memory formation in Korean society through the process of outsourcing comfort women's memory. Park Kyung-seop (May 18 International Research Institute, May 18 Memorial Foundation) will critically examine the process and effects of the veteranization of the May 18 Movement and discuss the internal and external conflicts involved.

In the 'Thematic Session 2: Connecting Memories, Expanding Solidarity' moderated by Prof. Joo Yeon Bae (Sogang University), Dr. Kang Na-young (Chonnam National University) will revisit the meaning of social death through solidarity and mourning work in Gwangju in May 1980 and the Sewol ferry disaster in 2014. Shim Ah-jung (Independent Research Activist) discusses Korean society's diverse experiences of the Vietnam War through the issue of mourning, and Kenji Yamamoto (Hokkaido University of Education) explains the historical background of the forced removal of Koreans and forced labor in Hokkaido, emphasizing the need for memory inheritance and the expansion of solidarity in current Japanese society.

A general discussion moderated by Prof. Youngjin Lee (Kangwon National University) will include questions and answers from each session's speakers and the audience.

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The plenary discussion, moderated by Prof. Young Jin Lee (Kangwon National University), will be a dialog between the speakers of each session and the audience, with questions and answers.

“May 18 International Forum 2024: The Future of Memory, Commemoration, and Solidarity” will explore how memory and commemoration of the past can be linked to the present, and serve as an important opportunity to enhance the potential for social solidarity and reconciliation.

The May 18 Memorial Foundation will continue to revisit the meaning of memory and commemoration from a variety of perspectives and explore practical ways to build a better democratic society.

- Event Overview

1) Name: 2024 May International Forum: The Future of Memory, Commemoration, and Solidarity

2) Date : August 29, 2024, 10:00 ~ 18:00

3) Venue: Daedong Hall, May 18 Memorial and Cultural Center

Inquiries: Sijin Kang, May 18 International Institute (062-360-0574, ksj@518.org)