President Lee Jae Myung stressed the importance of defending democracy Sunday as he marked the anniversary of a 1960 pro-democracy civil uprising that led to the ouster of Korea’s first President Rhee Syng-man. In an address on the 66th anniversary of the “April 19 Revolution,” Lee likened people’s resistance during the 1960 uprising to former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law bid in 2024, saying 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 Korea to overcome the cold night of insurrection in December 2024,” Lee said at the April 19th National Cemetery in northern Seoul, which holds the remains of those killed in the uprising. Lee highlighted the need to safeguard democracy, saying, “Only then can we prevent anti-democratic forces from taking away our freedom again and trampling on the precious daily lives of our people.” “The military boots of dictatorship dig into the cracks of inequality and poverty
