Author Date

2025-06-09

Degree Name

BA

Department

History

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Defense Date

2025-06-09

Publication Date

2025-06-09

First Faculty Advisor

Kirk Larsen

First Faculty Reader

Richard McBride II

Honors Coordinator

Mark Christensen

Keywords

Kwangju democratic movement, South Korea, Korean democracy, Chun Doo Hwan, commemoration

Abstract

On May 18, 1980, the Kwangju Uprising took place in Kwangju, a city in the Chŏlla province of South Korea. Though it was initially a student demonstration against Chun Doo Hwan’s martial law, it grew to involve thousands of Kwangju civilians who united to fight against vicious paratroopers and Chun’s unjust rule. After nine days, state troops recaptured Kwangju and arrested the remaining demonstrators. Years later, as a response to popular demand, the South Korean government compensated victims and began celebrating May 18 as a turning point for democracy in the nation. The institutional memory of the Kwangju Uprising has a clear agenda as opposed to the individual memory of Kwangju victims. My research examines the similarities and differences between the institutional memory and the individual memory of the Kwangju Uprising. In this paper, I maintain that institutional memory focuses on a celebration of democracy while individual memory focuses on personal grief that was amplified because of the political and social pressure.

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