Jeong Seong-ho calls for May 18 spirit to be enshrined in constitution on Charter Day

Justice Minister Jeong Seong-ho said the spirit of the May 18 pro-democracy movement should be reflected in the constitution, marking the 78th Constitution Day on Friday.

Writing on Facebook, Jeong said: "Just as new wine must be put in new wineskins, the time has come to prepare a new constitution that fully captures the changed spirit of the times and the will of the people." He added that he hoped "the ruling and opposition parties, together with the people, will pool their wisdom to build a new constitutional order — beginning with enshrining the spirit of the Buma Democratic Uprising and the May 18 pro-democracy movement in the constitutional preamble — that will enrich the lives of citizens."

Jeong said it was "the second Constitution Day since the launch of the people's sovereignty government," adding that "the constitutional order and the daily lives of citizens are being restored rapidly." He also said "the ringleaders of the insurrection are facing justice, and the democracy index, which had fallen, rose 19 places — from 41st in 2024 to 22nd last year."

In May, when a vote on a constitutional amendment bill — which would have included the May 18 spirit in the preamble — fell through after the People Power Party boycotted the proceedings, Jeong criticized the move as "uncooperative in a way that is hard to accept."

When controversy erupted over Starbucks Korea's "May 18 Tank Day" marketing campaign, Jeong said that "if the ruling and opposition parties had agreed on the constitutional amendment and it had cleared the National Assembly, an immoral outrage like Starbucks' 'Tank Day' could never have been dreamed of."

"May 18 Tank Day" was the name Starbucks Korea gave to a tumbler promotion it held on May 18, 2026. The campaign drew criticism for evoking the tanks deployed by martial law forces in Gwangju during the May 18 pro-democracy movement and for trivializing that historical tragedy through marketing.