Gwangju’s Lingering Wounds #

The wound from a soldier’s strike is long gone from Jang Sang-nam’s head, yet she can still trace its outlines. “Here, with the butt of a rifle,” she recalls, pointing to her right temple. “This eardrum was burst. I still can’t hear.”

Her injury dates back 44 years when Gwangju, a midsize city in southwest South Korea, became the epicenter of a violent student-led democracy uprising. This rebellious march began a day after South Korea’s military ruler declared martial law nationwide. Paratroopers invaded Gwangju, brutally beating, stabbing and indiscriminately firing upon citizens of all ages. The crackdown left hundreds dead or missing.

This week, President Yoon Suk Yeol reignited memories when he declared martial law for the first time since those turbulent days. Outrage resonated sharply in Gwangju, where the scars of past resistance remain fresh.

In the decades since, amidst South Korea’s rapid transformation, Gwangju has committed to preserving the memory of the bloodshed. The events of May 1980 are enshrined as a pivotal moment in the nation’s path toward democracy.