Archbishop Simon Ok Hyun-jin officiates the Mass to commemorate the 44th anniversary of the May 18 democracy movement at the May 18 Memorial Cathedral in Namdong, Gwangju on May 17. (Photo courtesy of Gwangju Archdiocese Public Relations Office)
A Catholic archbishop, civil society groups and victims have questioned the "distortion of historical facts" on the Gwangju Uprising in a newly published report by a South Korean government-appointed panel.
“Why are there still so many people who distort the historical truth when those who survived the events of [May 18-26, 1980] at Gwangju remember them so vividly," said Archbishop Simon Ok Hyun-jjn of Gwangju.
During his homily at the 44th anniversary Mass commemorating the pro-democracy uprising, the prelate said many people have problems with the report. The May 17 Mass was held at the Namdong Cathedral.
Kee Woo-sik, a spokesperson for the Pan-Municipal Task Force for the Defense of the Spirit of May Day, alleged that the report “uncritically collected distorted statements” and called for it to be discarded.
“The report excluded the views of the victims, the citizens of Gwangju, and only included the claims of the perpetrators, the special forces troops,” Kee said.
A statement from the Gyeonggi-do Public Interest Activity Support Center said civil society groups and victims pointed to the lack of public hearings and proper investigations.
“The report goes so far as to exonerate the perpetrators of the massacre and sexual crimes against the citizens of Gwangju,” said the statement on the center's website.
The May 18 Democratization Movement Truth Commission was set up in 2018. Its website said it aimed to “disclose human rights violations, such as civilian casualties, injuries, and sexual violation in Gwangju.”
It also focused on finding secret burials, missing people, and conducting investigations with the participation of the citizens – including the victims and perpetrators.
The Gwangju Uprising was a pro-democracy public uprising against the military dictatorship of the army general Chun Doo-hwan.
Chun had usurped power after the assassination of President Park Chung-hee on Oct. 26, 1979, and ruled South Korea under martial law until 1988.
Protesters from Chonnam University started the Gwangju movement and faced heavy crackdowns from government forces. Many protesters were killed, injured, or raped.
Enraged by the violent attacks, hundreds of citizens of Gwangju joined the protests and attempted to resist the aggression by robbing armories and police stations.
The military government retaliated with a brutal response, and it is believed about 600 people were killed during the massacre.
The military regime blamed communists and their sympathizers for the rebellion.
Father Jo Jung-hoon, chair of the Jeongpyeong Committee, issued a statement urging the immediate scrapping of the military and police damage report that distorts the May 18 democratization movement.
He called for compiling a comprehensive report that lists the problems with the commission report and demanded a re-investigation.
**This is a translated and edited version of the report which was first published by the Catholic Times of Korea on May 20, 2024.
