By Henry Scott-Stokes, Jai-eui Lee, Dae Jung KimThe Kwangju Uprising that occurred in May 1980 is burned into the minds of South Koreans in much the same way that Tiananmen is burned into the minds of contemporary Chinese. As the world watched in horror following the assassination of President Park Chung Hee, student protesters were brutally suppressed by the military and police led by strongman Chun Doo Hwan. Kim Dae Jung, the current president of South Korea, was imprisoned and sentenced to death during this period.This book recreates those earth-shaking events through eyewitness reports of leading Western correspondents on the scene as well as Korean participants and observers. Photographs, detailed street maps, and dramatic woodblock prints further illuminate the day-to-day drama to keep this atrocity alive in the conscience of the world.

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The Kwangju Uprising: Eyewitness Press Accounts of Korea's Tiananmen
By Henry Scott-Stokes, Jai-eui Lee, Dae Jung KimContributor Henry Scott-Stokes, Jai-eui Lee, Kim Dae JungPublished by M.E. Sharpe, 2000ISBN 0765606364, 9780765606365239 pages

Review(s): In May 1980 the South Korean army deliberately and with extreme brutality massacred hundreds of unarmed civilians un the city of Kwangju. The victims were protesting military rule in the country and asking for democracy. High U.S. government officials knew of this slaughter, did nothing to prevent if, and then tried to cover up what they had condoned. The Americans included President Carter, who wanted desperately to prevent another 'Iran'; Bill Clinton's former secretary of state, Warren Christopher, who relayed Washington's orders to Seoul; the current U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Richard Holbrooke, who in 1980 was assistant secretary of state for East Asia; General John Wickham, the American military commander in South Korea who controlled movements of the South Korean army; and U.S. Ambassador William Glysteen, who gave the green light to the Korean militarists to attack Kwangju. None of them has ever been asked to account for these acts.

The American news media collaborated in the almost total cover-up of these crimes against humanity. Perhaps this book will begain to bring American responsibility for the Kwangju massacre into the open. Chalmers Johnson, author of Blowback: The Costs and Consequences of American Empire

The book has an introduction by the current Korean President Kim Dae Jung, Cholla's favorite son, who was sentenced to death during the rebellion. Illustrated with the woodblock prints of Hong Sung Dam, it is the most comprehensive international account so far of Kwangju and its aftermath, with accounts from foreign and Korean journalists as well as participants. Daily Yomiuri, Tokyo

This book leaves us with a sense of hope that democracy has prevailed and that the efforts of the many who died in Kwangju in the name of democracy, peace and freedom were not in vain. The Japan Times

Scott-Stokes and Lee have assembled a collection of reports that constantly speak to one another despite their distinct viewpoints. The end result is a solid, vivid, and informative portrayal of the Kwangju Democratization Movement. The Korea Society Quarterly

The indelible images engraved in the hearts and minds of the foreign and Korean press who witnessed the uprising and the massacre of hundreds of young people leap out in each essay of this collection. ... This book provides an excellent record of the impact of the events on both Korean and foreign observers. The Kwangju Uprising is interesting not just to followers of the Korean peninsula, but also to journalists and journalism students, since it records the personal reactions of journalists who covered this seminal event. ... The book is also a useful contribution to the debate about U.S. accountability for atrocities around the world. Korean Quarterly

... essential for understanding the impact American policy can have on ordinary Koreans. ... belong[s] in any serious Korean studies collection. The Journal of Asian Studies

Scott-Strokes and Lee have assembled a collection of reports that constantly speak to one another despite their distinct viewpoints. The end result is a solid, vivid, and informative portrayal of the Kwangju Democratization Movement. Acta Koreana Vol. 5, No. 1

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