Gwangju Democratization Movement

Gwangju Democratization Movement

This uprising is also considered a massacre because it was silenced by the South Korean Army. Citizens of South Korea rebelled against Chun Doo-hwan’s militaristic dictatorship. On May 18th, students rallied at Chonnam National University to protest its closing. This protest quickly became a riot once soldiers tried to control the crowd. Many students were brutally beaten and shot at by the soldiers. The death toll is not accurate but estimations go up to as high as the 2000 range. There are still people not accounted for. A national cemetery and day of commemoration was established in 2002. To get a sense of how massive these rallies were, below are pictures of protesting citizens gathered in the city. http://518.org/_data/picture_photo/60-90--9.1.jpg Photo Courtesy of Peterathon Blog http://i.ytimg.com/vi/2p5g7QuijhA/0.jpg Photo Courtesy of tradercurrencies.com

Citation: Geunsig, Jeong. “A Historical Review of Gwangju Democratization Movement: Its Development and Historical Significance.” The May 18 Memorial Foundation 27 October 2008. 