Acting Prime Minister Choi Kyoung-hwan called for a fight against corruption Monday as South Korea marks the 35th anniversary of a pro-democracy movement.
“The long-accumulated corruption and irregularities should be uprooted while a new culture of change and innovation should be created for all sectors of our society,” Finance Minister Choi Kyoung-hwan said in a speech in Gwangju.
Choi, concurrently the deputy prime minister, is serving as the country’s acting No. 2 leader following the resignation of Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo last month over a bribery scandal.
“Upholding the spirit of the May 18 movement, the country should leap to an advanced society by one more step,” Choi said, referring to the democratization movement.
On May 18, 1980, Gwangju citizens rose up against then military junta leader Chun Doo-hwan, who took power after the assassination of then-President Park Chung-hee, the father of incumbent President Park Geun-hye, the previous year, resulting in the death of hundreds of protesters. (Yonhap)
