VOL.69/2024.04

 

[Into the Book ⑤]

Human Acts, One Step Closer to a Painful Memory

Historical Sites of the May 18 Democratic Uprising in Gwangju Metropolitan Area

 

2023.12.04

 

 

 

Some memories don’t heal. Rather than fading away over time,
the memory remains, and everything else slowly wears away.

 

 

Han Kang’s novel published in 2014, Human Acts (Changbi Publishers), which won the Man Booker Prize in 2016, tells the story of the Gwangju May 18 Democratic Uprising* through the eyes of several characters. Even though more than 40 years have passed, Gwangju is a city that still remembers and mourns the pain of the May uprising in 1980, when citizens and university students stood up for democracy. The novel narrates the events of the ten days from May 18, 1980, through six characters. The writer focuses on individual emotions and pain, not political or social debates, so you can feel the pain as vividly as if you were there. The writer revealed that she felt a great deal of emotional aftermath because she was able to capture the pain of Gwangju Metropolitan City, where she spent her childhood. We went in search of the symbolic places of the May 18 Democratic Uprising that appear throughout Human Acts.

* May 18 Democratic Uprising: A democratic movement in South Korea, May 18-28, 1980, led by the people of Gwangju, demanding the establishment of a democratic government, the removal of the neo-military forces, and the end of martial law.

 

 

The history of democracy in the 5.18 Democracy Square

 

 

Think of the cold trigger. Think of the warm finger that pulled it.
Think of the eyes aimed at me. Think of the man who ordered the shot.

 

 

One of the most iconic scenes of the May 18 Democratic Uprising was when martial law forces fired at citizens gathered in front of the Jeollanam-do Provincial Government Office. In Chapter 1 of Human Acts, the scene is described in detail as Dong-Ho runs away in extreme fear as his friend Jeong-Dae is hit by a bullet. Exposed to the hail of bullets, citizens laid down in the square in front of the old government office and on the streets of Geumnam-ro, unable to get up.
Although the Jeollanam-do government has been relocated to Muan-gun, the related buildings remain at 5.18 Democracy Square in Dong-gu, Gwangju. The former government building and annex, where the citizen army was based, as well as the Sangmugwan building, where the bodies of the victims were temporarily placed, remain, and are currently being restored to their original state. The square also features a fountain and clock tower that symbolize the May 18 Democratic Uprising. At the time, the fountain was draped with a giant Korean flag, and people filled the square to resist the martial law forces. Jürgen Hinzpeter, a reporter for the German public broadcast NDR, who was the first to report on the events in Gwangju, emphasized the importance of the clock tower, saying, “The clock tower symbolizes the beginning of democracy and freedom, so it should be protected as a witness for future generations.”

 

 

Right next to the square is the Jeonil Building, which provides an observation deck overlooking the 5.18 Democracy Square. It was the first office building in Gwangju, a symbol of the former government office square, and the largest building in Gwangju when it was established in 1968. You can see the former government building, Sangmugwan, fountain, and clock tower from the rooftop observation deck. The Jeonil Building was recognized for its historical value when 245 bullet holes from helicopter gunshots were found on the 10th floor. It is now preserved as a cultural space, observation deck, and democracy movement exhibition hall.

 

 

5.18 Archives exhibits UNESCO Memory of the World archives

 

 

I fight, and I fight alone, every day.
I fight the shame of being alive. I fight the fact that I am human.
I fight the idea that death is the only way to escape that fact.

 

 

About 200 meters along the main road from the Jeonil Building is the 5.18 Archives, where you can learn more about the May 18 Democratic Uprising. Here, various records and materials related to the May 18 Democratic Uprising are stored and displayed. In particular, the importance of the 5.18 Archives, which preserves citizens’ statements and manifestos, medical records, and U.S. declassified documents, was heightened when the May 18 Democratic Uprising was added to the UNESCO Memory of the World list in 2011.
While we may not have personally experienced the May 18 Democratic Uprising, we all owe it to ourselves to remember the event that symbolizes the growth of democracy in South Korea. The 5.18 Archives also offers exhibitions and experiences for visitors on four floors, with permanent exhibitions on the first through third floors and the May 18 Democratic Uprising VR room on the basement floor. In the exhibition hall, you can look at the records left by citizens, such as draft articles and statements, and the UNESCO listing process. In the VR experience room, you can directly experience the heat of the time by virtually boarding hot air balloons and taxis with VR devices.

 

 

Currently, a total of 29 historical sites related to the May 18 Democratic Uprising have been selected in Gwangju Metropolitan City, and markers have been installed to commemorate and preserve their historical significance. The first historical site marker is located at the main gate of Chonnam National University, considered the starting point of the May 18 Democratic Uprising. The marker stone here is larger than the others to commemorate the beginning of the uprising, and documents the students’ resistance to the martial law forces in detail. Other historical sites can be found throughout the city, including Chonnam National University Hospital, where the wounded were treated, the former Gwangju Munwha Broadcasting Building, Namdong Catholic Church, and the former site of the 505 Security Force.

 

 

Yangnim Historical and Cultural Village, the beginning of Gwangju’s modern history

 

Once you have had sufficient time to explore the May 18 Democratic Uprising, visit Yangnim Historical and Cultural Village in Yangnim-dong, Nam-gu. This cultural village marks the beginning of Gwangju’s modern history and is a popular tourist destination in Gwangju Metropolitan City, with modern heritage sites scattered throughout.
Yangnim Historical and Cultural Village has been a popular place to live since the Joseon Dynasty, as it is supported by ridges leading to Sajik and Yangnim Mountain, and the Gwangju Stream flows in front of it. It is famous for being the home of the five richest men in Gwangju, and you can see old-fashioned Korean-style hanok houses everywhere. Later, in the early 20th century, Western missionaries such as Eugene Bell and Owen gathered and opened churches, schools, and hospitals, leading the trend of modernization. The combination of traditional cultural properties, modern buildings, and current cultural and business spaces creates a unique atmosphere in Yangnim Historical and Cultural Village. The Lee Jang-Woo House, a traditional upper-class house in the early modern era, and the Owen Memorial Hall, commemorates Owen and his grandfather, who were martyred while serving as the first missionaries in Jeollanam-do, are also must-see buildings. Established in 1914, the Owen Memorial Hall has two floors of gray brick and a wooden interior. It was designed to be used as a cultural space, with seats on the first floor and balconies on the second floor. There are records of many operas, concerts, and plays being performed there, as well as being used as a place of worship.

 

 

Human Acts is a heartbreaking history of the people of Gwangju and a tribute to the democratization process that we must remember. In her introduction, the writer expressed her hope that “more young people and young readers, will read this book.” This may be the reason why she painstakingly wrote the story of Gwangju, which has been gradually forgotten over the past 40 years. Visit the historical sites related to the May 18 Democratic Uprising in Gwangju Metropolitan City, where you can encounter the pain and memories of that day.

 

 

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Written by Kim Gyu-Sung