5/18 Gwangju Democracy Movement

Today marks the 30th anniversary of the beginning of the Democracy Movement in Gwangju. In 1980, in the midst of the switch from one military dictatorship to another, democracy movements started throughout South Korea. Mass demonstrations for reform evolved into a people's takeover of the government in Gwangju on May 18th. The government responded with force and a violent confrontation between the people of Gwangju and the military ensued for ten days. Estimates for the casualties rates vary wildly from the hundreds to the thousands as information about the incident was suppressed.

Gwangju however was not forgotten forever. In 1997, 17 former government officials including two ex-presidents were convicted for their roles in the response to the uprising; the two presidents were later pardoned. This incident is also one source of anti-Americanism in South Korea as there seems to be some controversy about whether American officials approve the use of force against the Korean public. The Gwangju Movement was even featured in one of the all time classic Korean dramas Sandglass which depicted reenacted scenes from the incident at a time when many did not know what had happened. Below are some pictures that came up on a google search. You can also check out these films: The Petal (1996), Peppermint Candy (2000), or more recently May 18 (2007).