First Lady Kim Hye-kyung Invites 'May Mothers' to Blue House, Presents Statice Symbolizing 'Everlasting Remembrance'

Luncheon meeting held at Sangchunjae
Also became tearful while commemorating former director Ahn Seongrye
May Mothers: "Please take an interest in documenting our life stories and establishing a May 18 Women’s Memorial Hall"

First Lady Kim Hyegyeong invited 18 “May Mothers,” who carry the pain of the May 18 Democratization Movement, to the Blue House on Oct. 26. She fulfilled a promise made during her visit to Gwangju in June 2025 to host them in Seoul, 1 year and 4 months later. Attendees said that the elderly May Mothers were passing away and asked her to support efforts to document their life stories and build a May 18 Women’s Memorial Hall.

First Lady Kim Hyegyeong poses for a commemorative photo with attendees before a luncheon meeting at the Blue House on Oct. 26, 2026, with current and former executives of Oweol Eomeonijip. Yonhap News

Ahn Gwi-ryeong, deputy spokesperson for the Blue House, said in a written briefing that First Lady Kim had held a luncheon meeting with current and former executives of the May Mothers’ House at Sangchunjae in the Blue House. The May Mothers’ House is an incorporated association founded in 2006 by women who directly participated in the May 18 Democratization Movement or have worked to restore the honor of family members who were arrested or killed.

First Lady Kim waited for the attendees in front of Sangchunjae. When their vehicle arrived, she waved and welcomed them, saying, “Mothers, please come quickly.” She then bowed deeply and handed each attendee a bouquet of statice, a flower symbolizing “eternal remembrance.” During the commemorative photo, she offered her chair to one attendee and stood for the picture herself.

In her welcoming remarks, First Lady Kim said, “When I visited Gwangju in June last year, I greeted you and promised to host you in Seoul. Only now have I been able to keep that promise.” She then became tearful while mentioning that Ahn Seong-rye, the former director who had warmly welcomed her during her visit to Gwangju last year, had passed away at the end of 2025. First Lady Kim said, “I am deeply sorry that I could not host you sooner,” and wished the deceased peace.

She added, “Just as the May 18 mothers said to the April 16 mothers, ‘I know your anguish,’ ‘Stay strong,’ and ‘Do not fall,’ I pay my deepest respect to the noble lives and spirit of the mothers, who have always embraced the wounds of our society.”

Lee Chun-hee, director of the May Mothers’ House, said, “The mothers’ lives hold not only memories of 1980, but also the spirit of struggle with which they resisted military dictatorship and defended democracy, human rights, and peace.” She asked for support to document the life stories of survivors and build a tentatively named “May 18 Women’s Memorial Hall.”

Mrs. Kim Hye-kyung enters with attendees at a luncheon meeting for current and former executives of the May Mothers' House, held at the Blue House on Oct. 26, 2026. Yonhap News

The issue of distortion of the history of the May 18 Democratization Movement also came up during the closed-door meeting. Jung Hyun-ae, the former director, said, “Even now, when I think of the events of May 18, my heart trembles and I find it difficult to sleep,” and asked that distortions and disparagement of historical facts be corrected.

Choo Hye-seong, an auditor, recalled that in 2017, when Lee Jae-myung was mayor of Seongnam, he visited a sit-in site at the former Jeollanam-do Provincial Office, where protesters were demanding that the building be preserved in its original state, and spent the night there. “I cannot forget President Lee, who said, ‘I’ll take a shift before I leave,’ and then actually stayed up all night at the sit-in site,” Choo said.

Having learned that many of the attendees did not have personal photographs, the Blue House also arranged for them to be photographed one by one in the main courtyard. After the meeting, First Lady Kim personally saw the attendees off, saying, “I hope you stay healthy for a long, long time, so we can meet again.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.