The May 15, 1980 Gwangju uprising and massacre where thousands were killed by the military regime that declared martial law, backed by the U.S., is vivid in the minds of Koreans today.
Yesterday, tens of thousands of people protested for and against the dismissal of Yoon for his December 2024 martial law attempt in that very Gwangju plaza of the 1980 uprising.
The protest yesterday was initiated at first by the far-right, calling for a mass Christian prayer event in support of Yoon.
Those pro Yoon far-right, pro-militarist, anti-communist, anti-immigrant protesters were met with those fighting for democracy and against fascism.
Police separated the for and against protests so they would not come into contact with each other.
The history of the 1980 Gwangju uprisings and massacres was suppressed for decades by the government itself due to its own role. It is only because of people’s movements to remember and document that the truth is now widely shared and commemorated.
Yet, we are witnessing far-right jingoism that distorts national pride into a dangerous idea of “purity” through despoiling Gwangju’s history.
Gwangju is a place where democracy fought against far-right authoritarianism. The far-right trying to use it as their speaking ground is treachery and desecration.
There is a saying, “Korean democracy grows through the blood of Gwangju,” 한국 민주주의는 광주의 피를 먹고 자란다, which refers to how the democracy struggles of the Gwangju 1980 uprisings are the roots of Korea today.
I cannot even being to express how profound the history of Gwangju is in our entire understanding of resistance in Korea.
The very real struggle for democracy that is happening in Korea today is at once breathtaking and a reminder of what we are truly fighting for. Remember true history. Remember Gwangju. We fight for our ancestors that wanted to free our people.
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