518 Memorial Cemetery

(Hangul: 광주 민주화운동, Hanja: 光州民主化運動) refers to a popular uprising in the city of Gwangju, South Korea from May 18 to May 27, 1980. During this period, citizens rose up against Chun Doo-hwan's military dictatorship and took control of the city. In the course of the uprising, citizens took up arms to defend themselves, but were ultimately crushed by the South Korean army. The event is sometimes called, simply, 5.18, or 518.

There is no exact death toll of the 1980 Gwangju Uprising. "Official" figures released by the Martial Law Command put the death toll at 144 civilians, 22 troops and 4 police killed, with 127 civilians, 109 troops and 144 police wounded. Individuals who attempted to dispute these figures were liable for arrest for "spreading false rumors".

According to the May 18 Bereaved Family Association, at least 165 people died between May 18 and 27. Another 65 are still missing and presumed dead. 23 soldiers and 4 policemen were killed during the uprising, including 13 soldiers killed in the friendly-fire incident between troops in Songam-dong. Figures for police casualties are likely to be higher, due to reports of several policemen being themselves killed by soldiers for releasing captured rioters.

According to the 2007 Korean movie May 18 (Hwaryeohan hyuga), directed by Kim Ji-hun, "the incident resulted in 207 deaths, 2,392 wounded, and 987 missing people, but the exact number of casualties has been subject to considerable dispute. Members of the military government were indicted with rebellion but the culprit of ordering open fire against the citizens has yet to be identified".

Source: Wikipedia

I have a penchant for historical event as well as historical places. I have seen the movie "화려한 휴가 " about this uprising, and i cant help but feel proud for these people. I paid the memorial site a visit and took some photos using my Canon EOS 50D dSLR.

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