Gwangju democratization movement
Remembering Gwangju
I traveled to Gwangju after reading Han Kang’s Human Acts, translated into English by Deborah Smith. The novel, about the massacre of civilians in May 1980 by the military government, is told through the perspectives of various characters: a high school student named Dong-Ho who volunteers to identify corpses,
Resurgence of a South Korean Democracy Anthem
“A passionate oath to march our whole lives, leaving neither love nor reputation nor name. Our comrades are gone; only a fluttering flag remains. Let us stand firm until a new day comes.” This year, the solemn melody of “March for the Beloved” reverberated majestically at the national memorial ceremony
The Victim Cosplay of A Former Dictator
Chun Doo-hwan, an infamous military dictator of South Korea, isn’t new to self-denial. For years, he has denied involvement in the Gwangju Democratization Movement — or Gwangju Uprising, as conservative skeptics like Chun call it. In his recent memoir, a massive trilogy spanning 2,000 pages, Chun is once