Rising of Kwangju

The rising of Kwangju makes to reference to the demonstrations coeds and trade-union which took place in the town of Kwangju (South Korea) in May 1980, in reaction against the state of siege set up by the general Chon You-hwan the shortly after the assassination of the president Park Chung-hee in 1979.

Events

May 17th, 1980, the extension to the province of Kwangju of the state of siege, into force with Seoul, results in arrests of politicians in this bastion of the opposition and the closing of universities.

May 18th, 1980, the army kills several of the 5.000 civil and student demonstrators come to protest against the closing of the Jônnam university. The protests extend and the government reinforces military manpower, while the college of the city is closed.

May 20th, the town hall is taken by the demonstrators. Transmitting station KBS is occupied by the demonstrators. Whereas rising extends to other cities from the area the 21, Kwangju is insulated on May 22nd and besieged start to arm itself. A demonstration brings together 150.000 participants on May 23rd.

May 27th, the South Korean army enters the city and starts a repression successors in title officially two hundreds died, and to several thousands according to the defense organizations of the human rights.

Consequences of rising

The annual demonstrations to point out military repression will become the point of rallying of the opponents. Seven years later, in 1987, the demonstrations to commemorate rising and to protest against the massacres then made by the army will mark the beginning of the process of democratization in South Korea.

In addition, the declaration of the president Jimmy Carter with the South Korean government, on May 23rd, 1980, to restore the order seemed a support of the United States for the military regime then in place, and nourished the feelings anti-American in South Korea.

Literary and cinematographic accounts

The rising of Kwangju inspired by the writers and the Korean scenario writers.

The news of the novelist Choe Yun " Over there, without noise, fall a pétale" is the account of the wandering of an young girl traumatized after the death of his/her brother, killed by the police force, and out of her mother.

The scenario writer Chang Son-u took as a starting point the news of Choe Yun in his film of 1995 " The pétale".

In 2006, Im Blood-soo (author of " The president' S last bang") adapt the novel of Hwang Sok-yong " The old man jardin" , presented in preview to the 8th festival of Asian film of Turns.

Source: Patrick Maurus, " Mornings not very calm and always assoiffés" , in " Le Monde diplomatique" , February 1997, p. 19.

Bibliography and sources

HYUNG Jeong-im, " Student movements in South Korea " , Harmattan, 2005

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