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People lay down red roses to honor the victims of democracy protests in Myanmar during a memorial held in Gwangju on Saturday, in line with the Burmese custom of remembering the dead with red flowers. (Yonhap News)

The people of Gwangju laid down red flowers to honor the victims of democracy protests in Myanmar.

Myanmar-Gwangju Solidarity, a group composed of the May 18 Memorial Foundation and other civic groups in Gwangju, held a memorial for the victims in Myanmar at the May 18 Democracy Square, in the city’s Dong (East) District, on Saturday. Participants in the rally called for Myanmar’s democratization.

March 27 was when the Burmese launched a nationwide campaign of resistance against the Japanese colonial government in 1945. Myanmar’s military junta has designated March 27 as Armed Forces Day, but the people of Myanmar refer to it as Resistance Day.

During the rally, the May 18 Memorial Foundation released a letter sent to the citizens of Gwangju by Min Ko Naing, the recipient of the 2009 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights.

Min Ko Naing is a leading figure in the Burmese democracy movement. He was imprisoned for 15 years for his role in the 8888 Uprising against the Burmese military in 1988. He was then sentenced to 65 years in prison for taking part in the Saffron Revolution in 2007, which Buddhist monks led, but he was released in 2012.

Myanmar-Gwangju Solidarity, a group composed of the May 18 Memorial Foundation and other civic groups in Gwangju, holds a memorial for the victims in Myanmar at the May 18 Democracy Square, in the city’s Dong (East) District, on Saturday. (Yonhap News)

“Myanmar has seen a series of bloody struggles, in 1962, 1969, 1974, 1975, 1988, and continuing in the present day. The people of Myanmar are prepared to gladly lay down their lives for democracy,” Min Ko Naing wrote in his letter.

“The people of Myanmar have learned a lot from Koreans’ fight for democracy, including the Gwangju Uprising on May 18, 1980, and have been greatly encouraged by that fight. Just as true friends reach out a helping hand when times are tough, the Korean people’s support has been a major source of strength for us.”

As part of the memorial service Saturday, a soliloquy was performed about Kyal Sin, also known as Angel, a 19-year-old woman killed in the democracy protests in Myanmar. Along with the service, Myanmar-Gwangju Solidarity honored the spirits of those killed in Myanmar with wreaths of red roses, in line with the Burmese custom of remembering the dead with red flowers.

In one corner of the plaza, members of the May Mothers’ House and students from Gakhwa Middle School and Singwang Middle School held a fundraiser for the people of Myanmar, giving donors homemade soap and packs of candy.

Gwangju is also working on a video version of the song “March for the Beloved” to communicate the city’s solidarity with the people of Myanmar. Footage was taken of 99 leading figures in Gwangju — including the mayor, Lee Yong-seop; religious figures representing the Catholic, Protestant, Buddhist, and Won Buddhist communities; and leaders of groups representing people with disabilities, organized labor, women’s rights, and schools — singing the song in the May 18 Democracy Square on Wednesday.

In the video, the first verse of “March for the Beloved” is sung in Korean and the second verse in Burmese. A media cooperative called Chalna and local film directors and musicians hope to complete the video as early as this week.

Myanmar-Gwangju Solidarity plans to post the video on YouTube and other video sharing websites to promote interest in and solidarity with Myanmar.

By Kim Yong-hee, Gwangju correspondent

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