Kwangju Uprising

Between May 18 and 27, 1980, nearly a quarter of a million people participated in the largest political uprising in the history of the Korean peninsula. Although brutally repressed and initially unsuccessful in bringing about democratic reform in South Korea, the Kwangju Uprising, once called, “Korea's Tiananmen,” is considered the pivotal moment in the South Korean struggle for democracy.

The roots of the Kwangju Uprising can be traced back to the student movement in April 1960 that removed Rhee Syng-man from the presidency. The American-educated Rhee, who became the first president of the newly formed Republic of Korea (South Korea) in 1948, following the end of nearly 4 decades of Japanese occupation, grew continuously more oppressive and presided over some of the worst domestic massacres of the Korean people. The removal of Rhee led to a brief period of civil rule with Yun Pos-on as the president until Park Chung-hee led a military coup in 1961, placing himself as the chairman of the Supreme Council for National Reconstruction. While Yun Pos-on remained in office, Park became the real power in South Korea. In 1963, under pressure from the Kennedy administration, South Korea reestablished a civilian government with Park elected as president.

Following a narrow reelection victory in 1967 against Yun Pos-on, and again in 1971 against Kim Dae-jung, Park declared a state of emergency and suspended the constitution. In the following year, he introduced the Yusin Constitution, dramatically increasing presidential powers and making himself a virtual dictator and using the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA) to quench political opposition. Given the dictatorial powers granted to Park under the Yusin Constitution, he easily won reelection in 1972 and 1978.

On October 26, 1979, Park was gunned down by Kim Jae-gyu, then director of the KCIA. Kim testified at this trial that he assassinated Park in an attempt to [Page 812]end his dictatorial rule and bring democracy to South Korea. Rather than the freedom expected, Park's assassination led to a power void filled by Chun Doohwan who took control of the South Korean military through an internal coup. Once in power, Chun persuaded the new president, Choi Kyuh-ha, to name him as the chief of the KCIA.

Tied to a rope, arrested students are led away by ROK Army soldiers on May 27, 1980, following a raid by troops in the riot-torn city of Kwangju. Army troops regained complete control of Kwangju from anti-government demonstrations early on May 27.

Source: Photo: © Tony Chung/Bettmann/CORBIS.

The situation in South Korea escalated in early May 1980 when labor activists, students, and opposition leaders began a series of nationwide protests against military rule and began calling for democratic elections. By May 17, protests were dying down in most parts of the country in response to the declaration of martial law, the closure of the National Assembly, and Chun's threat of the military force to crack down on protesters. However, in Kwangju, a city with a long history of political opposition and a simmering grievance toward the Park regime, thousands of students continued to protest.

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