ShinchunYuThe June Uprising and the Democratization in South Korea
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Transcript of ShinchunYuThe June Uprising and the Democratization in South Korea
Gwanju Human Rights Folk School 2004
The June Uprising and the Democratization in South Korea
Presented by Shichun Yu
(Writer, Former member of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea)
1. Before the May Uprising in 1987
After its liberation from the Imperialist Japan in 1945, South Korea adopted the
American political system and culture without much mediation. In 1948, the new
Republic of Korea organized the Constitutional Assembly and promulgated its
constitution. The constitution is the supreme law of a nation that regulates the
organization and management of the state, and the basic rights and freedom of the
people, which cannot be infringed with any of its subordinate laws and regulations.
As the Cold War system was built in the middle of the 20th century, the Korean
peninsula was divided into two states in the North and the South and witnessed a hostile
and exhausting war between them. During the Korean War, about 1 million citizens
were killed in South Korea.
The pro-American, anti-communist dictatorship of Lee Seungman was brought
down by the student movement in 1960; a year later, however, the legitimate
government was overthrown by the far-right military coup that took an anti-communist
line. The Park Jeonghee military regime, despite its economic achievement, is
evaluated to have solidified the fascist system for his life-long seizure of power. The
democratization movement against Park Jeonghee’s dictatorship was carried out only by
the students and some intellectuals of the time. Any critical thoughts and writings
against the military dictatorship were enough to imprison the students and intellectuals
for a long time. The Park Jeonghee regime, however, collapsed not because of the
exterior attack but because of the interior disruption. Park Jeonghee was shot to death
by one of his inferiors in October, 1979.
In 1980, the South Korean people had what they called “the spring of Seoul”
and expected the democratization of the political system. The people’s wish, however,
was overridden as some of the Park Jeonghee’s inferiors seized the political power again
through a military mutiny. It was in this context that the people’s uprising took place in
Gwangju, Jeollanam-do Province. The city of 700,000 people was totally cut off from
the rest of the country, and carried out its sublime uprising against the martial army.
The uprising, however, was put down in ten days, leaving great number of victims.
At the cost of Gwangju citizens’ life, the military regime succeeded to seize the
Gwanju Human Rights Folk School 2004
political power. It, however, had to put up with the resistance of the students and the
people who required the truth of the Gwangju Uprising. Their struggle against the Jeon
Duhwan regime also cost a great number of life. More than 10,000 students were
imprisoned, but they continued their struggle through extreme actions such as burning
themselves. Students could not organize student unions, and those laborers who tried to
organize labor unions were fired by their companies or imprisoned. The Jeon Duhwan
regime suppressed them with cruel torture and violence. Many became the victims of
suspicious deaths or torture resulting in death. The general public, however, did not
heard of these cases, as most of the media and the press, which cooperated with the
military regime for the enlargement of their companies, kept their silence.
In January, 1987, a university student died while being investigated and
tortured. This case was exposed through the media luckily, and there were proofs to
demonstrate his death resulted from torture. The police tried to cover up the fact and
this made the people even angrier. The religious figures of the society such as Catholic
and Christian priests, ministers and Buddhist monks held prayer meetings and instigated
the public rage. The general public in South Korea finally recognized the violence of
the military regime. Besides, as the military regime professed to transmit the political
power amongst the military figures, the resistance of the public grew even bigger.
The constitution of the Republic of Korea originally adopted the direct
democracy according to which the people elect the president directly. The military
authority, however, changed this system and elected the president by themselves in a
gymnasium. The public and the opposition parties led by figures such as Kim Daejung
and Kim Yeongsam started to carry out the movement to restore the constitution to the
original state. As the opposition parties had won the 13th general election in 1985, they
were assured of the support from the people. The opposition parties, the
democratization movement activists, and the university students around the country
shared the recognition that the military regime could be withdrawn through their
collective struggle.
2. The Birth of the National Movement Headquarters for Democratization, the
Leadership of the June Uprising
All the democratization movement organizations and the opposition parties got
together and established a large-scaled joint organization against the military regime in
May, 1987. Each had slightly different notions and lines, but shared the goal to restore
the constitution to its original state.
Gwanju Human Rights Folk School 2004
It was an unprecedented scene that members of different fields including the
religious society, the working class, the cultural sector, the juridical society, the medical
society, and the women’s movement field, from the senior members of the opposition
parties, such as Kim Daejung, to the student representatives, gathered together to form a
joint organization. This gathering has the historical significance as “the largest
solidarity for the smallest goal.” The constitutional amendment to restore the direct
election system is a rather small goal from the viewpoint of the entire history of the
Korean reformative movements; for this goal, however, gathered the largest group of
people. It is also significant in that the joint organization formed its leadership before
launching on their struggle around the nation, unlike the former movements.
The National Movement Headquarters took the spirit of the March 1 Movement
in 1919 with which the entire nation resisted against the Imperialist Japan. Through the
demonstrations across the country led by the National Movement Headquarters, the
Korean people made their rage over the university student’s death resulted from torture
known to the world. They also clearly delivered their will to have a direct presidential
election.
More than 30 cities with universities and colleges turned into huge
demonstration sites. The people attacked the press companies, the servants of the
power, as well as the local police stations, and burned the police cars. Despite the
severe suppression with tear bombs, the guerilla demonstrations were continued. When
the defense line of the police was brought down, the military regime seriously
considered to proclaim martial law, as they had always done to cope with the
demonstrations against the dictatorship.