Forty years ago today, in the city of Gwangju, South Korea, civilians took to the streets to protest the brutal military dictatorship. This uprising met violent suppression — the 5/18 movement is often referred to as the Gwangju massacre — and these events have maintained a relentless hold on my mind for years.
Gwangju is also my father’s hometown, although he never talked about it. I’ve been trying to find a way to write about Gwangju from a personal and political perspective, and today, I can finally share my latest essay:
From Haunting to Healing: On the Gwangju Uprising and ‘Human Acts’
It’s the first installment of a new column that I’ll be writing about the 1980 Gwangju uprising. I hope you’ll give it a read on the 40th anniversary of this movement.
In South Korea, where it’s already Tuesday, many of the commemorative events had to be scaled back because of Covid-19, so I hope that I can do a small part in spreading awareness about this landmark moment in the country’s fight for democracy. For more about Hannah Bae, check out her website here.