Gwangju Uprising: The Rebellion for Democracy in South Korea
Translated by Slin Jung
About
On May 18, 1980, student activists gathered in the South Korean city of Gwangju to protest General Chun Doo-hwan's coup d'état and martial law. The security forces responded with unmitigated violence. Over the next ten days, hundreds of students, activists, and ordinary citizens were arrested, tortured, and murdered. The events shaped over a decade of resistance and ultimately became the catalyst for South Korea's transition to democracy. This essential account draws on firsthand testimony, declassified documents, and the combined authority of writers who lived through and studied the uprising. The narrative moves from the streets to the hospitals to the clandestine meetings where citizens decided, hour by hour, whether to resist or retreat. The definitive record of the ten days that changed South Korea — and a reminder of what democracy costs when it must be taken rather than given.
