The official English lyrics to the song “Marching for our Beloved, which has been making the headlines recently, was translated in 2014 by English literature professor Robert David Grotjohn of Chonnam National University, in joint efforts with Gwangju Cultural Foundation and Gwangju International Center. The song was first written in the ’80s for a spirit wedding of activist Yoon Sang-won who died in the Gwangju Democratic Uprising on May 18, 1980, and his beloved Park Gi-soon, who had passed away a couple of years before him due to carbon monoxide poisoning. She was a labor rights activist. Over time, the song has taken on a symbolic meaning, representing and assuaging the grief of those who died fighting for their democratic rights in the May Uprising. It had been the cause of conflict between progressives and conservatives, with the latter reluctant to designate it as the official anthem for the May 18 ceremony.
Credits: The Korea Herald, Commemorative Event Committee for the May 18 People's Uprising
Marching for Our Beloved
The official English lyrics to the song “Marching for our Beloved, which has been making the headlines recently, was translated in 2014 by English literature professor Robert David Grotjohn of Chonnam National University, in joint efforts with Gwangju Cultural Foundation and Gwangju International Center. The song was first written in the ’80s for a spirit wedding of activist Yoon Sang-won who died in the Gwangju Democratic Uprising on May 18, 1980, and his beloved Park Gi-soon, who had passed away a couple of years before him due to carbon monoxide poisoning. She was a labor rights activist. Over time, the song has taken on a symbolic meaning, representing and assuaging the grief of those who died fighting for their democratic rights in the May Uprising. It had been the cause of conflict between progressives and conservatives, with the latter reluctant to designate it as the official anthem for the May 18 ceremony.
Credits: The Korea Herald, Commemorative Event Committee for the May 18 People's Uprising
http://khnews.kheraldm.com/view.php?ud=20160517000757&md=20160520004324_BL
http://518people.org/bbs/content.php?co_id=page3