Political Repression in South Korea - Gwangju Democratization Movement, Jeju Uprising (Paperback)

Chapters: Gwangju Democratization Movement, Jeju Uprising. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 28. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: The Gwangju Democratization Movement (Hangeul:, Hanja: ) or simply Gwangju Uprising refers to a popular rebellion in the city of Gwangju, South Korea from May 18 to May 27, 1980. During this period, citizens rose up against government and took control of the city. In the course of the uprising, insurgents took up arms, but were ultimately crushed by the ROK Army. The event is sometimes called 518, in reference to the date the uprising began. The events of May 1980 were not a deliberate plot by the ROK government to massacre innocent civilians in South Cholla Province. Nor was the U.S. involved in the incident. Given the extent of the insurrection, the death toll was remarkably low: a fact that reflects the ROK government's efforts to minimize casualties. Those who continue to distort what happened at Kwangju should have their motives questioned. They seem determined to prevent the wounds from healing and to drive a wedge between the U.S. and the Korean people. During 1980s, the incident was represented in official reports as a rebellion inspired by Communist sympathizers. But after civil rule was reinstated, the incident received recognition as an effort to defend democracy from military usurpation. Therefore, so called Kwangju Democratization Movement. However, there are claims supporting the official report. In South Korean media several North Korean refugees, including former Korean People's Army (KPA) members, claimed that the rebellion was truly supported by special KPA agents. In 1997, former presidents Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo, as well as 17 others, were convicted and subsequently pardoned for their "connections with the December 12, 1979 cou...More: http: //booksllc.net/?id=692884