In 1980, there was a pro-democracy at Gwangju. At first, it was a formal protest, but the army shot a gun at the people. Because they shot, many people died and were hurt. People became so angry, which made a big protest. However, the protest was cracked down. In the process of the crackdown, they were not treated as humans. They were hit by the soldiers, and some people who were buried in secret were found.

▲ People were gathering to protest

The cause of Gwangju pro-democracy was Chun Doo-hwan. That time, the nation was confused, and he used such situation. He seized power in a coup. He thought that he could be a president easily, but it was his fault. Gwangju citizens could not allow this situation. They loved democracy, and they also looked for a way to recover it. They gathered at Jeollanamdo Provincial Office to demonstrate. The demo was not violent, but soldiers shot them. Then, the demo became bigger, and they also began to fight with the soldiers. However, they were cracked down.

▲ `New York Times` wrote an article of Gwangju pro-democracy

After the pro-democracy, there were many dead and hurt people. Dead or missing people were about 200, and hurt people were about 4300. We could not get accurate statistics because there were many missing people. Nowadays, many missing people were found. They were buried in secret at Gwangju prison, and research staffs found them. President Moon Jae-in has promised to get to the truth and has ordered a special probe. The attention of Gwangju pro-democracy too much increased. One of the reasons is the movie, 'Taxi Driver'. The movie is about Gwangju pro-democracy.

▲ They are students to protest

Gwangju pro-democracy was an accident which occurred 37 years ago. However, nowadays, it was not brought a matter to light. Former President Chun Doo-hwan is also contradicting about Gwangju pro-democracy. He said that the did not order to fire. We should inquire into the actual state of things. Gwangju pro-democracy gained a foothold to grow democracy. Because of their sacrifice, we can live happily. We need to think their achievements and be thankful for them.

Nov. 11th, by 백종원