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5/18/2019

The Gwangju Incident (May 1980): how to get the story told

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This is the second in a series of blogs by Paul Courtright who is on a personal revisit in Korea.

The Seoul sky was tinged with Mongolian dust on May 4th when my plane touched down.  It was good to be back.  
​
Settling into my hotel in Seoul I figured that I would have a few days here to see friends, talk to students at Yonsei and Heart to Heart Foundation, and start the process of diving back into Korean language—the first goal of my three weeks here in Korea. 

The second goal of my time in Korea was to be back in Gwangju to make sure I had accurately captured the sounds, smell and feel of the place in my book.  I’m about two-thirds the way through my second revision of a memoir of 13 days around the Gwangju Incident and my plan is to have it ready for publication at the end of the year.  

Was I in for a shock! Within the first couple days I learned two things: [1] the story of the Gwangju Incident has not been captured. There is no accepted narrative of all that happened.  [2] The Gwangju Incident has become a politically contentious issue.  

Unbeknownst to me, the news media has been clamoring for stories about the event.  Although it was not part of my plan, when I arrived colleagues asked if I would talk to the media.  Three interviews (two newspaper and one TV) have been completed and it looks like there might be more down the line.  I have found it hard to say “no.”  

How to tell the story?   There is no single story.  The Gwangju Incident happened over a number of days, involved thousands of people, and covered an area much bigger than Gwangju.  No single person could witness it all.  The only way that the Gwangju Incident can be told is by capturing the stories of hundreds, if not thousands, of people in Gwangju as well as the surrounding towns. Damyang to the north and Naju to the south both have to contribute.  I can only tell my story—it is just one small piece of a much bigger story. 

More than once I heard that the stories of foreigners in Gwangju are critical—because foreigners are “considered objective”.  I don’t know how true that is. I have to admit that I was profoundly shocked that the military would kill civilians.   

President Moon has requested the establishment of a bipartisan (or non-partisan) commission to do a deep dive and compile the full story of the Gwangju Incident.  If this can be successfully undertaken then there is some chance that that, by the time of the 40th anniversary in May of 2020, the next steps to healing the old wounds can begin.  I am hopeful.
    

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  • Welcome
    • O'Donnell Distinguished Friend of Korea Award - >
      • Call for Nominations - closed
      • 2024 Honoree - Jon Keeton
      • 2023 Honoree - Donald Mosley
      • O'Donnell Award - previous honorees >
        • Photos of O'Donnell Honorees
    • Remembering Rosalynn Carter
    • Peace Corps - an essay by G. Krzic
    • A Simple Prayer - a musical tribute
    • Remembering in the time of COVID-19
    • Photos and Videos >
      • Photo Gallery: Biwon in Winter
      • Video Gallery
      • Photo Gallery: Arriving in Korea
      • Photo Gallery: TB Program in Korea
      • Photo Gallery: Road Show 1981
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Reflections on Service
    • Statement on diversity and respect
    • Board of Directors
    • 2023 Annual Report >
      • Annual Reports - 2022 & earlier
    • Honorary Membership
    • KOICA/World Friends Korea
    • FOK Blog
    • Past Annual Meetings >
      • 2018 Annual Meeting >
        • 2018 annual meeting - slide show
      • 2017 Annual Meeting >
        • 2017 annual mtg photo gallery
      • 2016 Annual Meeting >
        • 2016 annual mtg photo galllery
      • 2015 Annual Meeting >
        • 2015 Annual Mtg Photo Gallery
  • Resources
    • FoK Webinars - 2023 >
      • FoK Webinars - 2022 >
        • FoK Webinars - 2021 >
          • 2020 Webinars
          • Korean Studies and Peace Corps Volunteers
    • Korea Times column
    • Newsletters >
      • Yobosayo - June 2020
      • Yobosayo - Nov 2019 >
        • Suggestions for further reading
      • Yobosayo - March 2019
      • Yobosayo - May 2018
      • Yobosayo - November 2017
      • Yobosayo - April 2017
    • News about Korea
    • News Sources
    • Korean Cultural Treasures
    • Korean Food >
      • Dining Out in North America: Korea Style
    • Blogs of Interest
  • Events
    • 2024 Annual Meeting video
    • Sept 11 2024 webinar
    • 2023 Annual Meeting - video
    • 2022 Annual Meeting - video
    • 2021 Annual Meeting - video
    • 2020 Annual Meeting - video
    • Revisit Trips >
      • Impressions of the revisits
      • Slide Show - Korea, Then and Now
    • 2018 Reunion - LA >
      • In Remembrance - A Tribute
    • Upcoming Events - Universities
    • Upcoming events: KEI & Korea Society
    • Upcoming events: Korean Cultural Centers - DC, NYC & LA
  • Projects
    • Paths of Grass and Stone
    • Project Bridge - Youth Ambassadors
    • USC Archives - PC Korea
    • The Korean Transformation
    • FOK Publication -- "Through Our Eyes"
    • The Museum Project >
      • Exhibit opening
      • Museum Slide Show
      • Video -- MOU signing & volunteer interviews
      • Seoul in Sept 2016
  • Recent News
  • Support
    • Join us
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    • Join offline
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    • Give the gift of membership
    • Zazzle - Peace Corps Korea Store
  • Contact
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