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Gwangju Uprising: The Rebellion for Democracy in South Korea
The essential account of the South Korean 1980 pro-democracy rebellion
On 18th May 1980, student activists gathered in the South Korean city of Gwangju to protest the coup d’état and martial law government of General Chun Doo-hwan. The security forces responded with unmitigated violence, and over the next ten days hundreds of students, activists and citizens were arrested, tortured and murdered. The events of the uprising shaped over a decade of resistance to the repressive South Korean regime, and paved the way for the country’s democratisation in the 1990s.
The subject of right-wing conspiracy and controversy in South Korea, the texts of Gwangju Uprising survived in underground circulation and were recently republished. This fresh translation by Slin Jung of the original text, compiled from eye-witness testimonies, forms a gripping and full account of both the events of the uprising and the political situation which preceded and followed the violence of those days.
With a preface by Hwang Sok-yong which situates the uprising in its longer-term local and international context. The resulting volume is an unrivalled account of the movement for democracy and freedom in South Korea in the tumultuous period of the 1980s dictatorship. A vital collection for those interested in East Asian contemporary history and the global struggle for democracy.
On 18th May 1980, student activists gathered in the South Korean city of Gwangju to protest the coup d’état and martial law government of General Chun Doo-hwan. The security forces responded with unmitigated violence, and over the next ten days hundreds of students, activists and citizens were arrested, tortured and murdered. The events of the uprising shaped over a decade of resistance to the repressive South Korean regime, and paved the way for the country’s democratisation in the 1990s.
The subject of right-wing conspiracy and controversy in South Korea, the texts of Gwangju Uprising survived in underground circulation and were recently republished. This fresh translation by Slin Jung of the original text, compiled from eye-witness testimonies, forms a gripping and full account of both the events of the uprising and the political situation which preceded and followed the violence of those days.
With a preface by Hwang Sok-yong which situates the uprising in its longer-term local and international context. The resulting volume is an unrivalled account of the movement for democracy and freedom in South Korea in the tumultuous period of the 1980s dictatorship. A vital collection for those interested in East Asian contemporary history and the global struggle for democracy.
560 pages, Paperback
Published April 26, 2022
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About the author
Hwang Sok-yong
75 books337 followersHwang Sok-yong (황석영) was born in Hsinking (today Changchun), Manchukuo, during the period of Japanese rule. His family returned to Korea after liberation in 1945. He later obtained a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Dongguk University (동국대학교).
In 1964 he was jailed for political reasons and met labor activists. Upon his release he worked at a cigarette factory and at several construction sites around the country.
In 1966–1969 he was part of Korea's military corps during the Vietnam War, reluctantly fighting for the American cause that he saw as an attack on a liberation struggle.
In 1964 he was jailed for political reasons and met labor activists. Upon his release he worked at a cigarette factory and at several construction sites around the country.
In 1966–1969 he was part of Korea's military corps during the Vietnam War, reluctantly fighting for the American cause that he saw as an attack on a liberation struggle.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 15, 2025
Insanely impressive historical doc! I will say though, for the purpose of being a book given out at a museum, it is incredibly dense. Would sometimes drag through.
However, it's a very thought provoking example of resistance and the price of it. And how the state will continue to resist acknowledging a massacre decades in the future.
However, it's a very thought provoking example of resistance and the price of it. And how the state will continue to resist acknowledging a massacre decades in the future.
February 21, 2024
Important but not really a book for reading as such. This catalogues in great detail the extraordinary uprising in this city in 1980 against the rightwing dictatorship of Chun Doo-hwan, which put Gwangju in the control of armed students and factory workers for several days, before being crushed with extreme violence. The book, first published as samizdat in 1985, was designed to outline precisely what happened, who shot who and when, and was aimed at the (then official, now more culty and online) claims that it was incited by North Korea, was just rioting, etc etc. It does this well, but if you don't know much about the context of the ROK under the dictatorships of Park and Chun, you'd be quite lost as to how and why all this happened in the first place, and it becomes essentially a list of atrocities. There are I assume books in Korean that give a wider history of the events, and maybe Verso should translate them sometime too.
June 8, 2023
Gwangju Uprising: The Rebellion for Democracy in South Korea deserves all the accolades and awards! This is an excellent account of a complicated and multi faceted event. It serves as great reference book of democracy's struggles under an authoritarian military regime. The book's use of multiple sources of information provides credible and verifiable facts concerning the protests in Gwangju South Korea in 1980. For me, an ignorant one, of the episode, I found the level of detail overwhelming. However, the detailed chronology of events and participants is absolutely necessary for accountability. May the dead and survivals have peace. A huge sense of gratitude to the media, journalists and others who risked their own lives to document the uprising. A free press is so important to all peoples regardless of their style of governance.
February 23, 2024
Rounding my ratings up to 5🌟 because from the deepest, sincerest part of my heart, this book deserves it. The amount of research, fact checking, reviewing etc that went into this,,, I can't even begin to fathom.
Plus the fact that Hwang Sok-yong and the late Na Byeong-sik were imprisoned in the efforts of getting this book—and the truth—out to the general public is just so enraging to me.
Getting back to the book. It's not an easy read, which is why my actual rating is 4.5🌟. At parts it can feel so dry but at others the testimonies were so harrowing and emotional it's almost impossible to continue reading. It took me awhile to finish reading this for that very reason (and because this book is pretty long too, of course).
It's not something I can easily go back to but I feel so fortunate to have even found out about this book's existence especially considering all the methods used (and still being used) to suppress and silence those who so much as try to have an honest conversation about the Gwangju Uprising.
Plus the fact that Hwang Sok-yong and the late Na Byeong-sik were imprisoned in the efforts of getting this book—and the truth—out to the general public is just so enraging to me.
Getting back to the book. It's not an easy read, which is why my actual rating is 4.5🌟. At parts it can feel so dry but at others the testimonies were so harrowing and emotional it's almost impossible to continue reading. It took me awhile to finish reading this for that very reason (and because this book is pretty long too, of course).
It's not something I can easily go back to but I feel so fortunate to have even found out about this book's existence especially considering all the methods used (and still being used) to suppress and silence those who so much as try to have an honest conversation about the Gwangju Uprising.
December 28, 2025
A very intersting read, that I devoured. The sacrifice that the students, the blue collar workers, and every single civilian that was murdered in Gwangju, should inspire us and make us look to what privilege democracy is, and how it must be defended.
March 25, 2025
“Gwangju Uprising” by Hwang Sok-yong, Lee Jae-eui and Jeon Yong-ho isn’t the book for readers who know little about South Korea. It is a book written primarily for Korean readers and, I dare say, for those who are personally related to the events described. It doesn’t contextualise the Gwangju Uprising or explain clearly the events that led to pro-democracy student protests at that time.
Gwangju Uprising was a several days long uprising, started non-violently by students in May 1980, who demanded democracy and removal of the military dictator Chun Doo-hwan from power. In South Korea it is known as May 18 Democratization Movement. Very quickly soldiers and paratroopers from the Republic of Korea Special Warfare Command started shooting at people, brutally beating thousands of protesters and ordinary citizens of all ages, using bayonets, torturing, sexually harassing and indiscriminately killing many, also farmers and residents of villages near Gwangju who happened to be on the roads in those days. Official number of people killed is not know but it is estimated that as many as around 2,000 people were killed within just a few days, before the uprising was suppressed.
The authors of the book list meticulously every single event, no matter how minor, minute by minute, in many parts of the city. They mention the fate of hundreds of people as the large part of the book is based on personal testimonies. The attention to detail and accuracy are impressive but the tone is more of objective reporting. I didn’t expect the book about the Gwangju Massacre to be so devoid of emotion but I believe it was necessary. All authors were directly involved in the uprising and I imagine that this style of writing was least affecting their own mental health and helping them process their trauma instead.
Despite it being neutral in tone, it was a harrowing read. So many lives cut short unnecessarily, so much suffering, so much pain that is haunting Koreans until this day. “Gwangju Uprising” is paired well with “Human Acts” by Han Kang and the novella “There a Petal Silently Falls” by Ch’oe Yun.
Gwangju Uprising was a several days long uprising, started non-violently by students in May 1980, who demanded democracy and removal of the military dictator Chun Doo-hwan from power. In South Korea it is known as May 18 Democratization Movement. Very quickly soldiers and paratroopers from the Republic of Korea Special Warfare Command started shooting at people, brutally beating thousands of protesters and ordinary citizens of all ages, using bayonets, torturing, sexually harassing and indiscriminately killing many, also farmers and residents of villages near Gwangju who happened to be on the roads in those days. Official number of people killed is not know but it is estimated that as many as around 2,000 people were killed within just a few days, before the uprising was suppressed.
The authors of the book list meticulously every single event, no matter how minor, minute by minute, in many parts of the city. They mention the fate of hundreds of people as the large part of the book is based on personal testimonies. The attention to detail and accuracy are impressive but the tone is more of objective reporting. I didn’t expect the book about the Gwangju Massacre to be so devoid of emotion but I believe it was necessary. All authors were directly involved in the uprising and I imagine that this style of writing was least affecting their own mental health and helping them process their trauma instead.
Despite it being neutral in tone, it was a harrowing read. So many lives cut short unnecessarily, so much suffering, so much pain that is haunting Koreans until this day. “Gwangju Uprising” is paired well with “Human Acts” by Han Kang and the novella “There a Petal Silently Falls” by Ch’oe Yun.
December 7, 2022
A late contender for my favorite book of the year. This famous all encompassing account of the events in Gwangju in May 1980 has recently been released in English for the first time. It presents in graphic and intense detail the demonstrations against the martial law in Korea and the subsequent military crackdown leaving over 200 civilians dead. This one of the most important moments in Korean history but yet is almost unknown by us in the west. Epsically in this modern age were South Korea's hyper capitalist success and export of cultural products are filled with references to this Era, its important to learn the history it comes out of. From Bong Jon Ho and Park Chan Wook to squid game and BTS. The gwanju uprising cast a shadow over Korean society were an activist cultural still gleams inspiration from it and fights for justice.
January 14, 2023
Detailed account of South Korea's fight for democracy. Courageous protestors up against the indiscriminate brutality, violence, and killings committed by the military, which was ordered by Chun Doo-hwan.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews