President Lee Jae-myung bowed before the bereaved families and persons of merit at the 66th anniversary ceremony of the March 15 Uprising held at the National 3·15 Democratic Cemetery in Masan, South Gyeongsang Province, on Saturday.
"As the President representing the Republic of Korea, I offer my sincere apology and words of comfort to the bereaved families of the March 15 Uprising victims who suffered great pain at the hands of state power," Lee said, bowing his head in apology.
This marked the first official government apology for the March 15 Uprising, in which 16 people were killed by police gunfire.
It was also the first time a sitting president attended the ceremony since the event was designated a national memorial day in 2010. Before the designation, former President Kim Dae-jung was the only sitting president to attend.
"The March 15 Uprising that began here in Masan sparked the April 19 Revolution across the nation and ultimately brought down what seemed to be a powerful dictatorship," Lee said in his commemorative address.
He added that "the spirit of March 15, which has continued through the Busan-Masan Uprising, the May 18 Democratic Uprising, the June Democratic Struggle, the Candlelight Revolution, and the Revolution of Light, has become our guiding example that lifts the nation in times of crisis."
"The lesson March 15 left in our history is clear: there is no democracy that comes by itself, nor democracy that is preserved by itself," Lee emphasized. "The power to complete democracy comes not from laws and institutions themselves, but from the earnest aspirations, will, and actions of the sovereign people."
Lee also referenced the December 3 martial law incident involving former President Yoon Suk-yeol.
"Just as the citizens and students of Masan bravely faced guns and swords with their bare bodies, the people of Korea today also blocked martial law troops with their bare bodies on the winter night of December 2024," he said.
"With firm solidarity and high sovereign consciousness, they proudly demonstrated to the world an unprecedented 'resilience of democracy' in world history," Lee continued. "Just as March 15, 1960 did, December 3, 2024 will also be recorded as the day when the wisdom of popular sovereignty defeated the ambitions of some for permanent rule—a day that created a spring of hope beyond the winter of despair."
The president also emphasized honoring persons of merit and bereaved families.
"We will find, award, record, and honor even one more person of merit who participated in the March 15 Uprising and April 19 Revolution," Lee said. "The more we repay sacrifices for the nation and community with appropriate treatment, the stronger Korea's democracy will become, and the spirit of harmony, coexistence, and consideration will shine even brighter."