"(Notice) Translated by AI. Please note that there may be translation errors." 

Seminar Commemorating the 45th Anniversary of the May 18 Democratization Movement:

“Current Status and Challenges of Secret Burials, Missing Persons, and Enforced Disappearances by State Power”

- Calling for Attention to Truth-Finding for Victims of State Violence - - May 27, 2025 (Tue) 11:00–17:00, Jeonil Building 245, 8th Floor Multipurpose Auditorium -

The May 18 Memorial Foundation (Chairman Won Sun-seok) will host a seminar on Tuesday, May 27, starting at 11:00 AM, to commemorate the 45th anniversary of the May 18 Democratization Movement.

Hosted by the May 18 Memorial Foundation and co-organized with the Jeju 4·3 Peace Foundation, the seminar is themed “Current Status and Challenges of Secret Burials, Missing Persons, and Enforced Disappearances by State Power.” It aims to call for public and academic attention to the truth-finding process for victims of state violence.

The seminar consists of three sessions exploring the status of secret burials, missing persons, and enforced disappearances across various historical tragedies, including the May 18 Democratization Movement, civilian massacres during the Korean War, the Yeosu-Suncheon 10·19 Incident, and the Jeju 4·3 Incident. Through these discussions, the event seeks to emphasize the necessity of public discourse and legislation to uncover the truth of past history and restore the honor of the victims.

• Session 1: “Excavation of Secret Burials and Investigation of Missing Persons Cases from the May 18 Democratization Movement”
• Session 2: “DNA Testing and Integrated Data Management for the Identification of Remains from State Violence”
• Session 3: “Investigation of Enforced Disappearances of Civilians by State Power and Prevention of Recurrence”

The sessions aim to establish a direction for permanent investigations and ensure the continuity of projects to locate missing persons, particularly for cases previously determined as “unable to be clarified” by the May 18 Democratization Movement Truth Commission.

Key participants include Park Sun-joo, Professor Emeritus of Archaeology and Art History at Chungbuk National University, who has long been involved in the excavation and forensic identification of remains; No Yong-seok, Professor at Pukyong National University and author of The Socio-Cultural History of State Violence and the Excavation of Remains; and Lee Gyu-yeon, Adjunct Professor at KAIST and the creator/host of the JTBC investigative program Lee Gyu-yeon’s Spotlight.

Won Sun-seok, Chairman of the May 18 Memorial Foundation, stated, “I hope this seminar serves as an opportunity to realize that identifying the locations of those secretly buried or missing remains a critical task for truth-finding, as seen through the cases of the May 18 movement and other instances of state violence.”