This lesson looks at the time period from 1996 to the present day, examining the prosecution of the masterminds of the Kwangju uprising and the subsequent events of the Kwangju struggle.

A. Prosecution of coup leaders, 1996-7

Roh Tae Woo and Chun Doo-hwan, ex-presidents and masterminds of the massacre were arrested on corruption charges in November 1996. Shortly after their arrest, President Kim Young Sam abruptly commanded his party to enact the special law passed in 1995 to punish the coup masterminds, naming it 'Right the Wrongs of History Campaign'. However, the law was incomplete: it did not have provisions for reparations, many of the decorations the army officers of the Kwangju massacre had received were not stripped, those who took up arms in self-defence during the uprising remained ex-convicts and state-produced history textbooks did not refer to the Kwangju uprising as a proud moment in the tradition of democracy.

The trial for the Kwangju massacre finally began on 11 March 1996. Although neither Chun nor Roh admitted to giving the orders for the killing of so many civilians, the court sentenced them on the basis of their responsibility as military and state leaders; in November, Chun was sentenced to death, while Roh was sentenced to lifetime imprisonment.

On 16 April 1997 however, the Supreme Court revised the penalties, sentencing Chun to life imprisonment and Roh to 17 years. This was a painful blow to the citizens of Kwangju, which was felt more strongly when the two ex-leaders were pardoned in 1998 by Kim Dae-jung, the leader of the democratic movement who was elected president in 1997. Kim was a 'son of Cholla' (the province of which Kwangju was the capital) who had been sentenced to death through a military tribunal during the regime of Chun Doo-hwan in 1980.

During the trial of Chun and Roh and even after their sentencing, the commemorations activities in Kwangju continued. In 1996, for the first time, a group of youth from different parts of the world visited Kwangju and participated in the International Youth Camp on Peace and Democracy organised by Kwangju Citizens' Solidarity (KCS). They took part in the memorial ceremony held by the family members and citizens at the Mangwoldong cemetery on May 17 as well as the official ceremony on May 18. The evening gathering to commemorate the uprising in front of the Provincial Hall along Kumnam Avenue drew over 100, 000 people on May 17. 

In May 1997, a new national cemetery was built and inaugurated adjacent to the Mangwoldong cemetery. Most of the Kwangju uprising victims were moved from Mangwoldong cemetery to the new cemetery. A symbolic monument was built in the new cemetery to honour the victims. The commemoration activities took place in both cemeteries. Foreign correspondents that had covered the Kwangju uprising in 1980 revisited Kwangju and joined the commemorations. They shared their experiences during a conference organised by the KCS. May 18 was declared a national commemorative day in Korea. In 1997, a ten-member citizens' committee formed by the Kwangju City Administration consisting of prominent academics and social figures published ten volumes of comprehensive documentation entitled 5.18 Kwangju Democratic Movement Material. Each volume consisted of about 700 pages and the material included stories, witness testimonies, proceedings of the National Assembly's special committee investigation into the uprising, newspaper articles and so forth.

B. Implications of Kwangju

One of the remarkable factors of the Kwangju uprising was the 'Kwangju spirit' that was consistently referred to throughout the struggle for truth and justice by victims' family members and other citizens. This spirit not only let the uprising of 1980 encompass the entire city, but it also ensured that future generations would remember the fight of Kwangju and continue it. The fight was continued and eventually led to the establishment of democracy in South Korea, the prosecution of those behind the massacre of Kwangju and the acknowledgement of the Kwangju uprising as a fight for democracy. However, the spirit of Kwangju does not end here. According to those who have been fighting since 1980, South Korea still has some way to go. And thus, the spirit of Kwangju is continued, both within and outside Korea. Not only does this help South Korea and Kwangju in their own understanding and actualization of human rights and democracy, but it also helps others in Asia and elsewhere to learn from the lessons and sacrifices of Kwangju and apply them to their own situations.

For instance, in May 1998, a large group of prominent human rights activists from Asia visited Kwangju and participated in the 'International Conference to Commemorate the Kwangju Uprising and to Declare the Asian Human Rights Charter - A People's Charter', which was co-organised by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) and the KCS. This marked a new era of inspiration, whereby the Kwangju spirit gave hope to those struggling to restore genuine democracy and rule of law throughout Asia. The commemoration events took place with the participation of Kwangju victims' families, local and regional human rights activists and South Korean government leaders.

In May 1999, for the first time, family members of the victims of democratic movements and enforced disappearances from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Philippines and East Timor visited Kwangju and met the family members of the victims of the Kwangju uprising. They took part in commemorative activities with the Kwangju mothers and fathers who had lost their children, forging a new link between the victims of the Kwangju uprising and the victims of other tragedies in Asia.

These visits by family members of the victims of disappearances from various Asian countries to Kwangju continue to this date. Inspired by the Kwangju spirit and the monument erected for the Kwangju victims, Sri Lankan activist Jayanthi Dandeniya who lost her fianc?and two brothers during state-sponsored disappearances in Sri Lanka in the late 1990s, initiated the construction of a monument for the disappeared in Sri Lanka. The inauguration ceremony of this monument in February 2000 was attended by Chung Su-man, the chairperson of the May 18 Uprising Bereaved Families Association. From then onwards persons from Kwangju annually attend the commemoration activities at the monument in Sri Lanka, in some instances even sponsoring the event.

Jayanthi Dandeniya was also a recipient of the innovative Gwangju Prize for Human Rights in 2003. This prize was established in 2000, during the 20th anniversary of the Kwangju uprising, to award those individuals or groups who had made great contributions to the values of universal human rights, democracy and peace - the values embodied in the Kwangju spirit - be they within South Korea or outside. This prize is another significant example of the sharing of the Kwangju spirit throughout the region.

Within South Korea itself there are also many things being done to ensure that future generations understand and participate in the Kwangju spirit. For instance, there are annual events targeted at teaching school children the value of human rights, peace and democracy, such as speech and art competitions as well as a peace pilgrimage (to Kwangju). There are also education programs for teachers about the Kwangju uprising. Similarly, the May 18 Academy was established to conduct trainings and workshops for human rights activists from Kwangju and other areas. Koreans living abroad have also been invited by the May 18 Memorial Foundation to visit Kwangju and participate in workshops on the Kwangju uprising and democracy in Korea. Other organizations in Kwangju including the May 18 Memorial Foundation and Kwangju Citizens' Solidarity have been sending Kwangju youth to various Asian countries as interns to share the Kwangju spirit and to learn from the experiences of particular countries.

The sharing of the Kwangju spirit has increasingly led to victims of various violations, in and outside of Korea, drawing from the Kwangju experience to rebuild their movements. In May 2004, family members of the victims of the civilian massacres during the Korean War attended the International Peace Camp in Kwangju and attempted to do the same. Prior to this there had been increasing links between the activists of Kwangju and Cheju, Pusan and Masan. In 1948 there was a large scale massacre in Cheju. It has been officially established that between 25, 000 - 30, 000 civilians were killed, while unofficial figures estimate the death of between 50, 000 - 60, 000 civilians. The victims were stigmatized for many years and until recently it was impossible to even speak out about the atrocity. It was only when activists began to link the Cheju massacre to the Kwangju uprising that victims were able to come forward. Today the Cheju massacre is commemorated and the campaign carries on with the inspiration of the Kwangju uprising. Similarly, there had been a popular uprising in Pusan and Masan commonly known as the Pu-Ma uprising of 1979. However, the spirit of the uprising was not sustained as it was in Kwangju. Now activists from Pusan and Masan are trying to learn from the Kwangju spirit. All this speaks to the universality of the Kwangju experience, highlighted by the five principles set out to resolve the Kwangju issue, which can be used by victims of many massacres and movements throughout Asia and elsewhere.

C. Questions For Discussion

1. How did the prosecution of the leaders of the uprising come about? How significant was this in the Kwangju struggle, as well as the struggle for democracy?
2. What is your opinion of Chun and Roh being granted pardon? Are you aware of other instances where perpetrators of human rights violations have been given amnesty? How does this reflect on society?
3. Discuss how the following actions share the Kwangju spirit:
   a. the International Youth Camp on Peace and Democracy in 1996
   b. the declaration of the Asian Charter in 1998
   c. family members of victims of various movements throughout Asia taking part in commemoration activities in 1999
   d. the establishment of the 'Gwangju Prize for Human Rights'
   e. the construction of the monument for the disappeared in Sri Lanka
   f. the sending of Kwangju youth as interns to various Asian countries
   g. the various educational programs for children in South Korea regarding human rights
4. In your opinion, what is the most important lesson to be learnt from the Kwangju experience regarding civil society and human rights? How can this lesson be applied in your own particular context?