The May 18 Democratic Uprising's three major associations—the Bereaved Families Association, the Injured Association, and the Merit Recipients Association—along with the May 18 Memorial Foundation, have urged prosecutors to immediately appeal an appellate court ruling that acquitted a user who posted online describing the May 18 movement as a "riot."

In a joint statement issued today (October 21), the organizations stated that they cannot accept the court's narrow interpretation of spreading falsehoods regarding May 18 under the premise of the constitutional value of freedom of expression. They argued that the Supreme Court must determine whether the expression constitutes a mere opinion or the assertion of false facts.

They went on to emphasize that describing the citizens' resistance against the new military junta's treasonous acts as a "riot" inverts the subjects of violence and resistance, adding that the court must examine the context in which the expression was used and its impact on victims and their bereaved families.

They also noted that distortion and mockery of the May 18 uprising are appearing across various domains such as the internet and YouTube, and are even spreading as a socio-cultural phenomenon. They stated that the judiciary must make a strict judgment by comprehensively considering the impact that historical distortion will have on society.

On October 16, Criminal Appeals Division 2-3 of the Daegu District Court overturned a lower court's sentence of a 1 million won fine against a man in his 40s—who had described May 18 as a "riot" on the internet site Ilbe Storage—ruling that the remark was an expression of personal opinion rather than the assertion of false facts, and acquitted him.

(Photo provided by May 18 Democratic Uprising Archives, Yonhap News)