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The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG), together with the Gwangju Metropolitan Government (GMG), will be holding the Oh-wol Peace Festival for the 40th anniversary of the May 18 Democratic Uprising under the slogan of “Spring of Seoul, Light in Gwangju.” This commemorative festival will be an online event without an on-site audience in line with social distancing for the prevention of the spread of COVID-19 to gain sympathy not only from Koreans but also global citizens.

The festival will be the first memorial event to commemorate the May 18 Democratic Uprising jointly organized by Seoul and Gwangju. The slogan was excogitated and decided as “Spring of Seoul, Light in Gwangju” to connote the development of the democratic movement that started in Busan and Masan, spread throughout Seoul in 1980, and led to the May 18 Democratic Uprising in Gwangju.

The Oh-wol Peace Festival will comprise 11 programs to shed light on the meaning of the May 18 Democratic Uprising and to commemorate its 40th anniversary through various art genres including literature, dance, music and film.

Modeling after the Daedong Spirit of the May 18 Democratic Uprising that empowered people to share the pain and comfort each other as they deeply suffer, Seoul has plans to soothe the hearts of people who are going through tough times.

○ “Daedong Spirit” is the spirit of humane relationship, solidarity to share the pain, and dedication and sacrifice for others amongst the people of Gwangju who shared rice balls together and spent all their efforts to save the injured through blood donation during the May 18 Democratic Uprising.

Furthermore, the SMG announced that the city recognizes the May 18 Democratic Uprising as a general history of the Republic of Korea, not an event limited to some region and some people, and wants to impart the spirit beyond Korea’s borders.

Major programs include: ▴ Nationwide and Worldwide May 18 Democratic Uprising, a relay video message celebrating Oh-wol Peace; ▴Sharing International Trends on Democratization and Peace for the 40th Anniversary of the May 18 Democratic Uprising, an international conference; ▴ KBS Open Concert “Spring of Seoul, Light in Gwangju” to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the May 18 Democratic Uprising; ▴ Oh-wol Musical, Concert and Dance, performances to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Uprising; ▴ Oh-wol Recital, a public reading of May 18 literature; ▴ Cine Gwangju 1980, a film festival to commemorate the May 18 Democratic Uprising; ▴ Why Was I Shot?, a special documentary; ▴ Beyond and Beyond: Courage to Tell the Truth, a special exhibition to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the May 18 Democratic Uprising; and ▴ the Seoul Memorial Ceremony of the 40th anniversary of the May 18 Democratic Uprising.

You can find more details for each program of the Oh-wol Peace Festival on the website of the following platforms. Even if you miss the live broadcast, you can still watch the contents through VODs posted on May 18 TV afterward.

○ Oh-wol Peace Festival (5·18 TV): www.518seoulspring.org
○ NAVER TV: tv.naver.com/518seoulspring
○ TBS TV (YouTube): http://j.mp/MyLoveTB
○ 5·18 TV (Instagram): www.instagram.com/5.18tv
○ ‘Cine Gwangju 1980’ 5·18 Film Festival: cineg1980.kr

May 18 TV Schedule for Oh-wol Peace Festival

□ Websites for live streaming and regular updates
○ Website of Oh-wol Peace Festival (May 18 TV): www.518seoulspring.org
○ Naver TV: tv.naver.com/518seoulspring
○ TBS TV (YouTube): www.instagram.com/5.18tv
○ Website of 5·18 Film Festival ‘Cine Gwangju 1980’: cineg1980.kr

May 18 TV Schedule for Oh-wol Peace Festival