President Lee Jae-myung stressed the importance of defending democracy at the 66th anniversary of the April 19 Revolution. Speaking at the April 19th National Cemetery in northern Seoul, he compared the 1960 people's resistance to former President Yoon Suk-yeol's 2024 martial law attempt, saying the public's outcry toppled an arrogant regime. He urged safeguarding democracy against anti-democratic forces.
President Lee Jae-myung addressed the 66th anniversary of the April 19 Revolution on April 19, 2026, at the April 19th National Cemetery in northern Seoul. He likened the people's resistance during the 1960 uprising to former President Yoon Suk-yeol's 2024 martial law bid, stating that "the loud cry of the people helped topple an arrogant and unjust regime."
"It was the spirit of the April 19 revolt, which ended the ruthless dictatorship and was rooted in the Constitution of the Republic of Korea, that enabled South Korea to overcome the cold night of insurrection in December 2024," Lee said. He warned that "the military boots of dictatorship dig into the cracks of inequality and poverty and justify the destruction of democracy," emphasizing that politics' responsibility lies in people's livelihoods.
Lee vowed to pass on the "democracy of freedom, equality, unity and solidarity" deeply etched in the Korean people's DNA to a brighter future. He offered condolences to the families of students and civilians killed in the uprising and pledged to remember their sacrifice.
The April 19 civil revolt was triggered by public anger over vote rigging in the presidential election under the Rhee Syng-man government. Nationwide student protests peaked on April 19, with hundreds of demonstrators killed or wounded in clashes with armed police. The uprising forced Rhee to step down after 12 years in office.
