May 18th National Cemetery

 

     I remember the first time I researched the city of Gwangju and reading this:


"Gwangju is best known for the Gwangju Massacre of May 18, 1980, in which at least 207 (or far higher depending on whom you ask) students were killed by army forces suppressing a pro-democracy demonstration."
   
  Not necessarily the claim to fame that I would have thought to advertise, but after visiting the May 18th National Cemetery and learning a little more, I now have a better understanding of what this event meant for the city. It meant that after this moment, Gwangju became the forefront of the democracy movement in South Korea. The people of the city are proud of the uprising and tend to be at the forefront of any political upheaval in the country. There certainly is a bit of an underlying progressiveness to the city of the Gwangju, as they focus heavily on the arts and constantly striving for modernity amidst a fading traditionalist austerity.

    The park itself contained many sculptures and monuments dedicated to the uprising, as well as an underground exhibition hall that displays all the names of the students who lost their lives. There was also a walking path that lead up the top of a hill, where you are then able to climb a three-story pagoda and take in some wider views of the city. It was our first real opportunity to see the expansive city from above as we begin to familiarize ourselves with different areas of the city. And with semi-blue skies and autumn coloured leaves that have yet to fall, it was the perfect day for some afternoon exploration.