The May 18 Memorial Foundation () is a prominent organization based in the city of

Gwangju Gwangju (; ), formerly romanized as Kwangju, is South Korea's list of cities in South Korea, sixth-largest metropolis. It is a designated Special cities of South Korea, metropolitan city under the direct control of the central government's Home ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

, with a view to commemorate and develop the spirit of struggle and solidarity of the

Gwangju Uprising The Gwangju Democratization Movement, also known in South Korea as May 18 Democratization Movement (), was a series of student-led demonstrations that took place in Gwangju, South Korea, in May 1980, against the coup of Chun Doo-hwan. The upr ...

, also known as the May 18 Democratic Uprising and May 18 Gwangju Uprising. The organization was founded in 1994 by the May 18 victims, Gwangju citizens, overseas Koreans and Korean nationals, who believe in promoting the May 18 spirit to respect the sacrifice of the victims, strengthen

democracy Democracy (from , ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which political power is vested in the people or the population of a state. Under a minimalist definition of democracy, rulers are elected through competitiv ...

of modern Korea and to stand in solidarity with the democratic struggles in

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

and beyond.

Background

About the background and context of establishing the foundation, its website page reads: "May means a sacrifice for us rather than an unhealed wound. May is history that is to be remembered not only for the victims of the May 18 Democratization Movement but also for all citizens in Korea. In addition, people need to learn the May Spirit from a realistic perspective in order to spread the Spirit to the world. In this respect, the May 18 Memorial Foundation was established to do various projects related to the May 18 Democratization Movement such as commemorative, scholarship, research, culture, and publication projects." The organization also helps promote and protect democracy, human rights and peace building regionally and internationally.

Major Achievements

Asian Declarations on Rights to Justice, Peace and Culture

In May 2018, Asian Declarations on a right to justice, a right to peace and a right to culture were announced in the city of Gwangju by the May 18 Memorial Foundation along with

Asian Human Rights Commission The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is an independent, Non-governmental organization, non-governmental body that promotes human rights in Asia and mobilizes Asian and international public opinion to obtain relief and redress for the victims ...

. These declarations, also known as the "Gwangju Declarations" were made to commemorate the Gwangju pro-democratic movement of 1980. According to The Korea Herald article written by Praveen Kumar Yadav, international intern at the May 18 Memorial Foundation, "The main objective of bringing about the Gwangju Declarations was to identify the gaps and challenges in addressing human rights violations in Asia, and to suggest effective measures to resolve the problems. The declarations are added to the Asian Human Rights Charter: A People's Charter 1998."

'Asian Human Rights Charter: A People's Charter 1998

In May 1984, Asian Human Rights Charter: A People's Charter was promulgated in the city of Gwangju with a joint effort of Hong Kong-based Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) and the May 18 Memorial Foundation. The Asian charter was inspired from the great struggles for democracy and freedom in Asia, including the struggles of the Gwangju citizens in 1980.

Gwangju Human Rights Prize

The Gwangju Prize for Human Rights is a regular award given by the May 18 Memorial Foundation to recognize "individuals, groups or institutions in Korea and abroad that have contributed in promoting and advancing human rights, democracy and peace through their work." The award is intended to commemorate the spirit of the May 1980 Gwangju Democratization Movement (also known as "518" for its 18 May start), in which pro-democracy citizens battled soldiers in protest of the military reign of

Chun Doo-hwan Chun Doo-hwan (; 18 January 1931 – 23 November 2021) was a South Korean politician, army general and military dictator who served as the fifth president of South Korea from 1980 to 1988. Prior to his accession to the presidency, he was the cou ...

. This prize, that carries a cash award of

USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introduced the U.S. dollar at par with the Spanish silver dollar, divided it int ...

50,000 has been provided since 2000. Here is the list of the winners of the Gwangju Prize for Human Rights. Father Nandana Manatunga from Sri Lanka bagged the latest Gwangju Prize for Human Rights for his and team's struggle that has helped secure convictions against perpetrators of rape and torture.

List of Gwangju Prize for Human Rights Laureates

References

{{Reflist Gwangju Uprising