A popular uprising against an authoritarian regime in Korea may sound like something from the realms of fiction, given the untouchable nature of the current regime in the northern part of this artificially split peninsula after 65 years of repression and thought control there. But such an uprising did, in fact, take place, on the 18th May 1980, in Gwangju, Jeollanam-do province - in South Korea.
Having known nothing about this part of modern South Korean history before arriving in Gwangju itself, I am only able to relate some basic knowledge that I learnt at its May 18 Cultural Center and through some brief reading afterwards. For an informed history, turn first to the home page of the May 18 Memorial Foundation.
After the Korean War ended in 1953, South Koreans lived under a succession of repressive military dictatorships, led firstly by Syngman Rhee, who was installed by the U.S. at the outset of the Cold War, and later Park Chung-hee. Following Park's mysterious death in 1979 at the hands of his own intelligence chief, another general, Chun Doo-hwan, seized power. The citizens of Gwangju had had enough.
The largest-scale protests against military rule since liberation from Japan followed. In May 1980 the army moved into Gwangju with orders to put down the uprising, resulting in days of violence and bloodshed. The death toll is disputed, but at least 144 people, mostly young students, are said to have been killed. The reprisals against the leaders of the insurrection were brutal, with many tortured and imprisoned. An indelible mark was left on the mindsets of a generation of well-educated Koreans, and in 1992 a civilian president was elected for the first time.
Gwangju's own Kim Dae-jung, a dissident during the era of military rule, was elected in 1997, by which time the constitution had been changed so that presidents may only serve one five-year term. One of Kim's biggest contributions to South Korean politics was his 'Sunshine Policy', a policy of accepting the regime in the North for what it is and attempting to improve bilateral relations and understanding between the two Koreas. This culminated in a historic summit between Kim Dae-jung and Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang in 2000. Then, the Bush administration's concept of the 'axis of evil' and stern position on North Korea's nuclear programme helped put a halt to progress.
In Gwangju today the May 18, 1980 uprising is marked by a park and a number of memorial statues. Underneath one such memorial is a cool circular room containing a statue of a woman holding a child and two plaques. One plaque lists the names of the victims; the other is a mural featuring the South Korean flag, tanks and armoured vehicles of the oppressors; and a large soldier's boot - reminiscent of the famous quote in Orwell's 1984.
Having known nothing about this part of modern South Korean history before arriving in Gwangju itself, I am only able to relate some basic knowledge that I learnt at its May 18 Cultural Center and through some brief reading afterwards. For an informed history, turn first to the home page of the May 18 Memorial Foundation.
After the Korean War ended in 1953, South Koreans lived under a succession of repressive military dictatorships, led firstly by Syngman Rhee, who was installed by the U.S. at the outset of the Cold War, and later Park Chung-hee. Following Park's mysterious death in 1979 at the hands of his own intelligence chief, another general, Chun Doo-hwan, seized power. The citizens of Gwangju had had enough.
The largest-scale protests against military rule since liberation from Japan followed. In May 1980 the army moved into Gwangju with orders to put down the uprising, resulting in days of violence and bloodshed. The death toll is disputed, but at least 144 people, mostly young students, are said to have been killed. The reprisals against the leaders of the insurrection were brutal, with many tortured and imprisoned. An indelible mark was left on the mindsets of a generation of well-educated Koreans, and in 1992 a civilian president was elected for the first time.
Gwangju's own Kim Dae-jung, a dissident during the era of military rule, was elected in 1997, by which time the constitution had been changed so that presidents may only serve one five-year term. One of Kim's biggest contributions to South Korean politics was his 'Sunshine Policy', a policy of accepting the regime in the North for what it is and attempting to improve bilateral relations and understanding between the two Koreas. This culminated in a historic summit between Kim Dae-jung and Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang in 2000. Then, the Bush administration's concept of the 'axis of evil' and stern position on North Korea's nuclear programme helped put a halt to progress.
In Gwangju today the May 18, 1980 uprising is marked by a park and a number of memorial statues. Underneath one such memorial is a cool circular room containing a statue of a woman holding a child and two plaques. One plaque lists the names of the victims; the other is a mural featuring the South Korean flag, tanks and armoured vehicles of the oppressors; and a large soldier's boot - reminiscent of the famous quote in Orwell's 1984.
