Kwang‐Ju Uprising (Korea)

Also known as the 5.18 Kwang‐ju people's struggle (Kwang‐ju minjung hangjaeng), the Kwang‐ju massacre, or officially as the 5.18 Kwang‐ju democratization movement (5.18 Kwang‐ju minjuhwa undong), the Kwang‐ju uprising refers to the Kwang‐ju citizens' ten‐day resistance to the newly emerging military leadership of South Korea from 18 to 27 May 1980. The uprising was first triggered by the military's brutal repression of what might have been an ordinary demonstration, and evolved into an armed resistance and a brief period of self‐governance analogous to the Paris Commune of 1871. In the end, the uprising was put down by special army units, producing many casualties. The Kwang‐ju uprising served as a turning point in the pro‐democracy movement and left a deep imprint on South Korean politics and society. With the establishment of electoral democracy in 1987, the uprising gained official recognition as a democratization movement and is commemorated every year.