Oral history i n Korean society has been a t the center of the politics of memory concerning modern and contemporary history. The 5.18 memory is a main example of coun ter-memories that have been incorporated i n to the official history. 5.18 oral testimonies from personal recollections formed a collective memory which became a counter-memory against the military government’s official memory. This article seeks to situate 5.18 memory in the context of the flow of Korean society’s struggle of memory and illustrates the features of politics of memory. It also reconstructs the transitional process of the community of 5.18 memory to the commemorative community since the 1990s. While doing so, it deals with the problems and conflicts accompanied by the institutionalization and localization of 5.18 memory. It argues that the 5.18 community of commemoration should become a community of record by constructing the oral archives of 5.18. Oral testimonies of 5.18 community of memory have been scattered in several local institutes which need to be catalogued and serviced through the oral archives including various and multiple voices of the 5.18 participants. Lastly, it suggests that the 5.18 community of memory should overcome the problems of institutionalization and localization, and make an effort to consolidate other communities of memory against state violence, marching toward the memory solidarity.