Gwangju is famous for 2 things: the student uprising and a valley of monasteries that have like a thousand Buddha monuments, as illustrated in the painting below.
The May 18th uprising is possibly the only Asian student movement that has successfully instated a democratic government, a particularly progressive democratic government that really institutionalised the human rights agenda. People from across Asia gather in the city of Gwangju every year to pay their respect to what are known as the "martyrs" for the democracy movement in this country. The idea is to keep the spirit of the uprising alive and to spread the spirit throughout the region.
In more recent years, many activists use the occasion to protest a variety of issues, particularly the neoliberal agenda and globalisation at large. The May 18th Memorial Foundation is funded by the government of Korea and so activists will use the opportunity to place their demands to the authorities, because in an indirect way the Foundation is really a government institution. There are further grievances associated with victim compensation for families of those involved in the student uprising, as well as a view that the Foundation spends too much money and effort doing regional solidarity work, which is viewed as unnecessary by some.
And finally, this piece looks at other democracy movements and seeks to look at the commonalities. In Asia particularly, the question "is this your freedom?" is an important rhetoric we need to adopt as a mantra really. We're advancing economically, but regressing shamefully in terms of build strong democratic institutions and entrenching long lasting democratic culture. Is our democracy movement strong enough? Does it even exist? I'm here in Gwangju to be inspired and rejuvenated.
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