This year is the 30th anniversary of the May 18 Gwangju Democratic Movement. Civilian fighters struggled until the 27th of May 1980, the last day of the Movement. Local market merchants supported them by providing food despite poor living conditions. Now all of them are in their midlife. They live normal lives as citizens of Gwangju but the memory of the Gwangju Democratic Movement influences them still. Before the Movement, they were just young boys and girls of poor familie...more

This year is the 30th anniversary of the May 18 Gwangju Democratic Movement. Civilian fighters struggled until the 27th of May 1980, the last day of the Movement. Local market merchants supported them by providing food despite poor living conditions. Now all of them are in their midlife. They live normal lives as citizens of Gwangju but the memory of the Gwangju Democratic Movement influences them still. Before the Movement, they were just young boys and girls of poor families but full of dreams. Martial law was proclaimed and Gwangju was surrounded by soldiers. But Gwangju's people formed an autonomous community with civilian fighters. This is a very precious memory for all of them because the community was formed by their own will, even in the worst situation. At that time they were totally isolated from the outside world, without activists who were leading democracy movements in Korea. Who they are, what they did, didn't matter at all. Their lives reveal the desperate situation which made them civilian fighters of the May 18 Democratic Movement.less