That day the Taegu District Court passed a verdict of "not guilty" on those of die-hard conservative organization who insulted the uprising, the statement said.

It accused these ruffians of sparking off big furor by posting on websites articles alleging the May 18 Kwangju resistance was staged at the instruction and wire-pulling of "leftist" forces and "special unit of the north".

The verdict made by the court is an illegal one and a challenge to the movement for democracy, it charged. It is as good as driving nails into the hearts of the participants in the resistance and bereaved families.

The statement condemned the "government" authorities for shielding the conservative forces that defamed the honor of the participants in the uprising.