The Democratization Movement as Seen through Music: “March for the Beloved”

Narrative

“Im eul wihan haengjingok” (March for the Beloved) is a protest song composed in 1981 by Kim Jong-ryul with lyrics written by Baek Gi-wan for the [박기순_윤상원_영혼결혼식|posthumous wedding]] of democracy activists Yun Sang-won (1950-1980) and Bak Gi-sun (1957-1978). Yun and Bak were both members of the Deulbul (Wildfire) Night School, a pro-democratization social activist youth group that sough to help laborers. Bak, who lead group’s formation, died of accidental carbon monoxide poisoning in 1978 at the young age of 22. Two years later, Yun would go on to lead the May 18 Democratic Uprising, becoming a martyr for the democracy movement. The following year, a posthumous wedding was held for them by their friends and associates, so that they would not be alone in the afterlife. Notably, the song was composed at the house of the novelist Hwang Sok-yong (1943-), known for his work Oraedoen jeongwon.