Gwangju after 40 years
On Saturday I was asked to serve as a judge for the May 18th commemoration student speech contest in English, for middle and high school students of Gwangju. As a judge I was not prepared for the power of the speeches that I heard.
The students of Gwangju spoke of how the event, 40 years ago, has impact on their lives today. Many of them thanked their ancestors who fought and died so that they can enjoy freedom and democracy today.
I was struck over and over with the memory that I have of honoring my ancestors and older generation that fought in World War II so that “we can have freedom and democracy today” — parallel ideas from a younger generation in a different land.
The sentiments the students expressed were powerful without being emotional. To them, 40 years ago is more than 20 years before they were born. They have no reason to remember the Gwangju Democratization Movement except that they have been taught by their parents and teachers.
One student said she knew nothing about it until a few years ago when her father took her to the Memorial Park and Cemetery and she said she learned things she had had no idea of previous to that visit.
One of the more noteworthy speeches started out, metaphorically: “I will tell you about my own life. I suffered child abuse, severely. It hurt and damaged me. I couldn’t talk about it. Finally, when I tried to talk about it, I was told to be quiet and just deal with it, for it was my fault anyway, I was told. It has been painful for me to be alone in my suffering. My name is Gwangju.”
Several students, on the brighter side of the story, spoke with pride that the Gwangju Democratization Movement as of 2011 has been recognized by UNESCO’s Memory of the Word Register — the same honor given to Hangeul, the Joseon Royal Annals and several other milestones of Korea’s history.
Many of the students told the outline of the story — that Park Chung-hee had been assassinated and the people, tired of the military government, were looking forward to the restoration of democracy, only to find another military government takeover by Chun Doo-hwan. Chun was blamed repeatedly for sending in the soldiers who started to club, then bayonet, then shoot the innocent citizens.
Several students spoke of the “rice balls” that the women of Gwangju prepared to support the demonstrators on the front lines. They spoke of the solidarity of the citizenry, and the orderliness of the city during the time when the army was driven out. One student said there was not one report of theft, looting or any other crimes.
A few students bravely said they would have liked to fight for democracy, that that is their heritage. But one candid student spoke of her aunt who lived through the time and locked herself and her family in their house and put blankets up to cover the windows so no one would think anyone was home. That student confessed that she would not have the courage to fight the way the other students claimed, that she would have hid in her room. But she admitted the bravery of the students who would fight.
Several students commented on the current COVID-19 situation and said that if their ancestors had the courage to fight for democracy, then we today can fight our way through the difficulties of this pandemic. And indeed, the pandemic was present at the contest — it was held online! Each student delivered their speech from their home, and we judges were remote as well — I was the farthest away in America.
I was thoroughly impressed with the patriotism and commitment to democracy and freedom on the part of the students. But my question is: How much is Gwangju still a divisive issue in Korea? I know some interaction I’ve had with friends from the Gyeongsang area in recent years is not the same as what I heard in Gwangju. Is the Gwangju Democratic Movement recognized by UNESCO but ignored or denied or refuted in other parts of Korea?
Is the boy named Gwangju, who said he was abused as a child, still denied recognition as a victim of abuse? Or, here on the 40th anniversary — I can’t believe it’s been that long; I remember it like it was yesterday — is the Democratization Movement recognized by all sectors of Korea and serving as a point of patriotic fervor for everyone?