Korean Studies
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The Kwangju Uprising: Eyewitness Press Accounts of Korea's Tiananmen, edited by Henry Scott-Stokes and Lee Jai Eui. Armonk, New York: M.E. Sharpe 2000. 232 pages + Index. (ISBN 0-7656-0637-2).
Reviewed by Luc Walhain
Bowling Green State UniversityAs a reflection of the democratisation of South Korean society and the prevailing détente between the two Koreas, South Koreans have been venturing open criticism of their previous governments' wrongdoing. The most outstanding example involves the Kwangju massacre orchestrated by the Chun Doo-hwan junta in May 1980. Several Korean works on this topic have been for sale in bookstores, but Henry Scott-Stokes and Lee Jai Eui's The Kwangju Uprising is amongst the first contributions in the English language. (See also recent books by the two highest-ranking U.S. officials in South Korea at the time of the Kwangju uprising, Ambassador William H. Gleysteen's Massive Entanglement, Marginal Influence: Carter and Korea in Crisis and General John A. Wickham's Korea on the Brink: From the '12/12' Incident to the Kwangju Uprising, 1979-1980 .) The Kwangju Uprising consists of a collection of accounts by reporters who witnessed the brutal events of Kwangju. Half of the testimonies are from foreign correspondents, German, French and American, while the other half is from Korean reporters.
Besides these poignant accounts, the book contains a number of maps of downtown Kwangju showing the progression of the conflict, and several pages of rather explicit photographs. The editors, Scott-Stokes and Lee, were both in Kwangju at the time of the events, the former as a New York Times correspondent, and the latter as a spokesman of the Kwangju student militants. Lee was also a major contributor to the clandestine publication of the notorious Kwangju Diary in 1985 (published in 1999 by the UCLA Asian Pacific Monograph Series). Like the other contributors of this book, both found themselves in the middle of the "Kwangju Rebellion," as it was termed by the Chun government.
All that the Korean press could release during the events was the state of chaos in Kwangju, the presence of "rioters" or "hooligans," and the spectre of North Korea. As a result, most Koreans were unaware of the ordeal of the Kwangju people who held a rancour against the Korean press. Only a handful of foreign reporters who were there could have their stories published abroad, but all was over well before the foreign news could make any impact in Korea.
This book is thus important for various reasons: first, it gives Korean reporters the opportunity to tell stories they did not or could not publish in May 1980 because of severe press censorship. Some of them express remorse and guilt for risks they did not take, and for failing in their duties. They were so shocked by what they witnessed in Kwangju that they could not bring themselves to talk about it until now. This book may encourage other witnesses to come forward and testify. Secondly, the accounts present such similar facts and sentiments, though from different perspectives, that it leaves no doubt they draw an accurate (if still incomplete) picture of events. All the reporters were appalled by the random and blind brutality employed by the army (Kim Chung Keun calls it "human hunting," p. 9). They did not see "rioters" or "hooligans," but civic consciousness and outraged citizens who defended themselves against indiscriminate aggression. Thirdly, exposing the events of what is now referred to as the "Kwangju Democratisation Movement" may have a cathartic effect on the Kwangju people who suffered the pains of repression, as well as the concealment of facts. As Gebhard Hielscher suggests, "True reconciliation can come only after the whole truth has been revealed" (p. 61). One of the goals of this book is to soothe the wounds left by the Kwangju massacre. According to the editors, it does not intend to bring people to the bar of justice.
Besides this humanitarian quality, this work invites further exciting research on such figures as the two fascinating student leaders, Yun Sang Won and Chun Ok Ju. Both displayed extraordinary resolve, courage, and intelligence. Interestingly, Yun, the students' main spokesman, was mentioned by several foreign reporters but seemed to be unknown to the Korean side, both press and military.
In the epilogue, the editors present theses to explain why the Kwangju massacre happened, why Chun Doo-hwan came to power, and why the paratroopers acted in such an outrageous manner. Although very insightful, these theses are slightly disconnected from the press accounts. Nevertheless, this in no way tarnishes the inspirational effort of this book to heal wounds and provide information about the Kwangju events. Scott-Stokes and Lee have assembled a collection of reports that constantly speak to one another despite their distinct viewpoints. The end result is a solid, vivid, and informative portrayal of the Kwangju Democratisation Movement.
Citation:
Walhain, Luc 2000
Review of Henry Scott-Stokes and Lee Jai Eui, eds., The North and South Korean Political Systems - A Comparative Analysis (2000)
Korean Studies Review 2000, no. 12
Electronic file: http://koreanstudies.com/ks/ksr/ksr00-12.htm
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