Widow of German reporter Jurgen Hinzpeter to visit Seoul

Edeltraut Brahmstaedt, the widow of German journalist Jurgen Hinzpeter, who exposed the tragedy of the Gwangju Democratization Movement in May 1980 to the world, will be visiting Seoul Aug. 8. Brahmstaedt will watch “A Taxi Driver,” a movie based on the true story of her late husband, set for release Wednesday.

“A Taxi Driver” is about taxi driver Kim Sa-bok who takes the German reporter Jurgen Hinzpeter into Gwangju in the midst of the democratization movement occurring in the city. Kim is recounted as a courageous taxi driver who was fulfilling his duty to take his passenger to the destination, not knowing Hinzpeter was a journalist.

Hinzpeter was a correspondent to Japan when he heard on the radio what was going on in Korea. He immediately headed to Gwangju to cover the story. Hinzpeter was the first and only journalist to report on the event, in the face of restrictions on the press by the dictatorial gov- ernment. He filmed the event as a documentary broadcasted under the title “South Korea at Crossroads” through which the historical movement became known to the world. He later received the second Song Gun-ho Award from the Hankyoreh newspaper in 2003 for his contributions to helping the country’s democratization movement be known. Song Gun-ho is a former Dong-A Ilbo journalist who founded the liberal newspaper Hankyoreh in 1988.

The late Hinzpeter is known to have been delighted at the news of the production of the film. He was said to have requested in his will to be buried in Gwangju. Articles of his body including hair and nails were enshrined in the 5.18 cemetery in Gwangju when he died last May.

At the time, Brahmstaedt who visited Korea to participate in the memorial service said, “My husband was a righteous person who always sought justice. We thank the Gwangju people for upholding my husband’s wish to be buried here. He would be proud and thankful.”