Solidarity with the Struggle of the South
Korean People
The May 2000 Bulletin of CILRECO, the International
Liaison Committee for Reunification and Peace in Korea, carries an article on
the 20th anniversary of the popular insurrection in Kwangjou, South Korea. In
reproducing the article below, WDIE expresses its solidarity with the
struggle for freedom, democracy, sovereignty and reunification in South
Korea.
MAY 2000: On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of
the popular insurrection in Kwangjou (May 1980) and its fierce repression, let
us show our solidarity with the South Korean democratic forces fighting for
democracy, sovereignty and reunification.
The sequence of tragic events:
December 1979: Even though the fictitious government exists
until May 1980, the army is the one which holds the power, martial law is
declared in South Korea, and all those who call for democratisation arrested;
May 15-16, 1980: Students demonstrate in Seoul, most
of other universities throughout the country join in as well as workers in
cities, they all demonstrate against the dictatorial regime and martial
law, they call for democratisation and an end to repression;
May 17: General Djeun Doo Hwan, head of the KCIA,
supported by the most fascistic elements within the regime, seizes power after
a military coup;
May 17-18: In Kwangjou, students demonstrate,
they want Djeun Doo Hwan to leave, army ripostes with extreme violence. In
Seoul, the National Assembly is occupied by the army, people demonstrate, the
police fire shots, many demonstrators are killed;
May 15-20: Popular protest is growing ever
stronger throughout South Korea, and most of all in Kwangjou, where the
people, indignant about the "student hunt" by paratroopers and their
cruelty, join the students;
May 21: The insurrection in Kwangjou, a true popular
uprising forces the army to leave town, the "commune" of Kwangjou is
created, it will last a week and will spread to other cities;
May 24: The American General Wickham, commander of
the join American-South Korean troops, with the implicit approval of the
American government that supports the South Korean junta, authorises them to
use the troops under his command to "maintain order";
May 21: At dawn, the town of Kwangjou is surrounded
by thousands of soldiers, including the special units of paratroopers,
reinforced by hundreds of armoured vehicles, including 120 tanks;
May 21-27: After the attack, days of horror follow,
with manhunt, exaction, massacres and atrocities against the entire population
without any distinction. People are crushed by tanks, machine-gunned at
point-blank range, clubbed to death, women are raped and hanged, some have
their breasts cut off, people are buried alive, and those arrested are
subjected to horrifying tortures. More than 2,000 men, women and children are
massacred by the army rabble;
May 27: In the evening, "American order"
rules over Kwangjou, but the repression will continue for weeks throughout
South Korea. The military junta hopes to silence once and for all those
aspiring to democracy, sovereignty and reunification of the country.
The spirit of Kwangjou lives on. Over the years, it has
become a symbol of the struggle for freedom, democracy, sovereignty and
reunification in South Korea.
May 2000: CILRECO calls upon all progressive forces
world-wide to voice their solidarity with the struggle of the South Korean
people between the May 15 - 28, and in particular to:
— intensify, during that period, their
action against the human rights violations in South Korea, in favour of the
liberation of all jailed patriots, return to the North of "long-term
non-converted prisoners of conscience", and the abolishment of all
repressive measures and laws;
— demand that the South Korean authorities adopt a
policy of independence, encouraging dialogue for reconciliation and
reunification.
