Gwangju Massacre - Definition and Overview

After the Coup d'état of December Twelfth (1979) in Seoul, South Korea, General Chun Doo-hwan declared martial law on May 17, 1980.

Students in Gwangju were protesting the closing of Chonnam National University, so General Chun sent in paratroopers to beat back the students. On the 20th of May, protesters burned down the MBC studio after they misrepresented the students reasons for protesting. By the 21st, some 300,000 people had joined the protest against the General's power; weapons depots and police stations were looted of their weapons and the Citizen's Army beat back the forces of the military. On the 27th of the month, General Chun sent in paratroopers and soldiers from five divisions and defeated the Citizen's Army in 90 minutes. About two-hundred and fifty Gwangju citizens were killed in the days of protest, and although the army was victorious at the end of violence, the massacre and the Citizen's Army that rose in those nine days led to movements that chipped away at military power, bringing in some resemblance of an elected civil government.

The death toll of the 1980 Gwangju Massacre has been subject to considerable dispute. The official investigation by the civilian government in the 90s found that 207 civilians could be confirmed slain. [1] (http://www.518.org/html/2_condition.asp) In addition they found 987 "Other Casualties" who suffered substantial injury. However, a BBC report indicates that these numbers may be conservative. [2] (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/752055.stm) Estimates prepared by dissident groups in the period of military government and opposition parties in the late 80s such as the Peace and Democracy Party claimed one to two thousand were dead. [3] (http://gshin.chonnam.ac.kr/cnu518/4documents.htm) However, detailed information about the identities of the dead has not been provided to back up these claims.

See also

• Gwangju
• Coup d'état of December Twelfth

External links

• US Involvement in the Kwangju Massacre (http://www.kimsoft.com/korea/usknew.htm)

Example Usage of Massacre