The Gwangju Massacre refers to the atrocities comitted in the city of Gwangju, South Korea from May 18 to May 27, 1980. This article is about Gwangju Metropolitan City in South Korea. ... May 18 is the 138th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (139th in leap years). ... May 27 is the 147th day (148th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 218 days remaining. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ...

After the Coup d'état of December Twelfth (1979) in Seoul, General Chun Doo-hwan declared martial law on May 17, 1980 to suppress student demonstrations around the country. The next day, students in Gwangju protested at the gate of Chonnam National University against the closing of the university, when armed forces blocking the university responded with violent means. After the incident, students moved into the downtown area and an even larger demonstration was held, which was met by the use of force including gunfire that caused some fatalities. On May 20, enraged protesters burned down the MBC local station which misrepresented the students' reasons for protesting. By May 21, some 300,000 people had joined the protest against the General's power; weapons depots and police stations were looted of their weapons and the civil militias, known as the Citizen Army, beat back the armed forces. With all routes leading in and out of the city blocked by armed forces, the city effectively became a commune, and a civilian body was formed to maintain order and conduct negotiations with the government. Although order was well maintained, a number of negotiations to resolve the situation failed to achieve any results. On May 27, airborne and army troops from five divisions were inserted and defeated the civil militias in the downtown area in only 90 minutes. Up to this day, a total of 20,000 soldiers are located in Gwangju, which only has a population of approximately 740,000. The Coup détat of December Twelfth or the 12/12 Incident was a military coup détat taken place on December 12, 1979 in South Korea. ... This page refers to the year 1979. ... Seoul (서울, â–¶ (help· info)) is the capital of South Korea (the Republic of Korea) and is one of the most populous cities in the world, located in the northwestern part of the country on the Han River. ... Chun Doo-hwan (Korean hangul: 전두환; hanja: 全斗煥; revised: Jeon Duhwan; McCune-Reischauer: Chŏn Tuhwan; born 18 January 1931) was a Korean military officer and the President of South Korea from 1980 to 1988. ... Martial law is the system of rules that takes effect (usually after a formal declaration) when a military authority takes control of the normal administration of justice. ... May 17 is the 137th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (138th in leap years). ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... This article is about Gwangju Metropolitan City in South Korea. ... Chonnam National University Korean name Hangul: 전남대학교 Hanja: 全南大學校 South Korea. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... 20 May is the 140th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (141st in leap years). ... MBC (Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation) is one of three major national South Korean television and radio networks. ... May 21 is the 141st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (142nd in leap years). ... May 27 is the 147th day (148th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 218 days remaining. ...

For the period of Chun's reign, the incident was officially regarded as a rebellion inspired by Communist sympathisers. But after civil rule was reinstated, the incident received recognition as an effort to restore democracy from military rule. The government made a formal apology for the incident, and a national cemetery was established for the victims. This article is about communism as a form of society and as a political movement. ...

Some commentators believe that the United States was partly responsible for the massacre, alleging that some of the units involved in the incident could have been mobilised only with the approval of the US. Under the Status of Forces Agreement, however, the government had only to notify the US military that it was mobilizing those units. Rumors continued to spread, however, and the US State Department was reluctant to forcefully address. Suspicions surrounding US involvement continue to be one source of anti-Americanism in South Korea.

The death toll of the 1980 Gwangju Massacre has been subject to considerable dispute. The official investigation by the civilian government in the 1990s found the number of civilians confirmed dead to be 207. [1] In addition they found 987 "Other Casualties" who suffered substantial injury. However, a BBC report indicated that these numbers may be conservative. [2] Estimates prepared by dissident groups during the period of military government rule, and opposition parties in the late-1980s such as the Peace and Democracy Party, claimed that one to two thousand had died. [3] However, detailed information about the identities of the dead has not been provided to back up these claims. The 1990s decade refers to the years from 1990 to 1999, inclusive, the last decade of the 20th Century. ... Corporate logo of the British Broadcasting Corporation The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is the national public service broadcaster of the United Kingdom (see British television). ... The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive. ...

See also

• Coup d'état of December Twelfth

The Coup détat of December Twelfth or the 12/12 Incident was a military coup détat taken place on December 12, 1979 in South Korea. ...

External links

• Questions possible U.S. complicity in the Gwangju Massacre
• Details the lingering legacy of the Korean massacre