The Kwangju Uprising: Shadows Over the Regime in South Korea

The Kwangju uprising of May 1980 began as a protest against Chun Doo Hwan's emerging military rule and grew into a full-scale popular rebellion that included people from all strata of society. When Black Beret paratroopers were dispatched to break up the early protests, public outrage forced them to withdraw. Chun, by pulling regular army troops from the Seoul area, was able to re-invade the city and crush the revolt. estimates of deaths range from 191 to over 2,000. Chun and his generals continue to blame the event on "impure elements" and communist influence, but Korean citizens have never forgiven them for using guns on their own people. Chun's political legitimacy has been crippled by Kwangju, and the opposition has used it effectively as a rallying point. U.S. policy also has been affected, for Koreans remember that the troops Chun used to crush the Kwangju uprising were part of the U.S.-Korean joint defense structure technically under the command of the U.S. general in Seoul. U.S. acquiescence in the use of military force in Kwangju has stimulated rising anti-Americanism in South Korea and poses problems for the future of the alliance. This interdisciplinary study is the first to present a balanced view of this emotion-laden event and its continuing impact on Korean politics. The book includes an eyewitness account by an anthropologist, a literary assessment, and a historian's analysis of recent interviews with the two top U.S. officials on the scene, Ambassador William Gleysteen and General John A. Wixckham.