Pro-democracy Movements
After the Korean War, South Korea was ruled by successive authoritarian and military governments. For decades, the government suppressed political expression and took violent actions on protestors. Dissidents and ordinary citizens were arrested, imprisoned, and tortured if they were deemed suspicious by the authorities.
Democracy has persevered in Korea through coup d’etats, authoritarian regimes, and political repression.
After millions of citizens united in a series of protests called the June Struggle, the first truly democratic elections were held in 1987.
On March 15th, 1960, President Rhee Syngman was reelected for the 4th time in a rigged election. Protests broke out in the city of Masan in response and a high school student was killed by the police. The discovery of the body sparked larger protests in Seoul which led to Rhee’s resignation. The protests cemented Masan’s reputation as one of the centers of the pro-democracy movement in Korea. Today, visitors can visit the memorials located along the path of the protesters.
Rhee’s republic was succeeded by a series of authoritarian regimes and military leaders. In the 70s and 80s, government detention facilities were built specifically for the purpose of detaining and torturing political activists in the name of anti-communism. The most prominent and infamous facility in Seoul is currently being converted into the Democracy and Human Rights Memorial Hall.
In 1980, the military response to pro-democracy protests in Gwangju resulted in the killing of many civilians. The Jeonil Building, where protestors took shelter, was converted into a memorial museum in 2020. Now named Jeonil Building 245, this memorial honors the democratic spirit of the protestors during the Gwangju Uprising.
In discourses on modern Korea, Korea’s miraculous economic growth is highlighted while the struggle against despots and political oppression often takes a backseat. Nonetheless, the persistent pro-democracy movements played an important role in shaping the country. At the memorials and museums, visitors can gain a more complete understanding of Korea.