Gwangju Uprising: the Rebellion for Democracy in South Korea
Hwang Sok-yong, Slin Jung (translation), Lee Jae-eui, Jeon Yong-hoOn May 18, 1980, student activists gathered in the South Korean city of Gwangju to protest the coup d’état and the martial law government of General Chun Doo-hwan. The security forces responded with unmitigated violence. Over the next ten days hundreds of students, activists, & citizens were arrested, tortured, & murdered. The events of the uprising shaped over a decade of resistance to the repressive South Korean regime & paved the way for the country’s democratization.
This fresh translation by Slin Jung of a text compiled from eyewitness testimonies presents a gripping and comprehensive account of both the events of the uprising & the political situation that preceded & followed the violence of that period. Included is a preface by acclaimed Korean novelist Hwang Sok-yong.
Gwangju Uprising is a vital resource for those interested in East Asian...
Hwang Sok-yong was born in 1943 & is arguably Korea’s most renowned author. In 1993, he was sentenced to 7 years in prison for an unauthorised trip to the North to promote exchange between artists in the two Koreas. Five years later, he was released on a special pardon by the new president. The recipient of Korea’s highest literary prizes, he has been shortlisted for the Prix Femina Etranger & was awarded the Emile Guimet Prize for Asian Literature for his book At Dusk.