Gwangju Uprising Records

[Anchor Lead]

A first official report has been made public with local police officers' testimonies from the 1980 pro-democracy uprising in Gwangju. According to the report, it was a fabricated record that civilians had armed themselves before government forces opened fire at protesters during the movement.

[Pkg]

This record was drawn up shortly after the May 18th pro-democracy uprising in Gwangju by the National Police Headquarters, a predecessor of the current National Police Agency. It shows that civilians first stole weapons from Nampyeong Police Station at 1:30 p.m. on May 21st, 1980. However, it contradicts the military's previous claim that government forces had to open fire to defend themselves in line with a situation report by the Jeonnam Provincial Police Agency. That report said citizens stole arms from the Bannam and Nampyeong police stations at 8 a.m. and 9 a.m., respectively, on May 21. Upon revealing the official document, the Jeonnam Provincial Police Agency said that the report obtained by the military at the time would have been distorted and fabricated. As evidence, it noted that the Chinese characters spelling out the Jeonnam Provincial Police Agency are spelled incorrectly, but sounds like the original pronunciation. Local police officers who were in service during the uprising also testified that the security situation had been stable, going against the military junta's claim that Gwangju was in disorder shortly before the pro-democracy movement erupted. The Jeonnam Provincial Police Agency published the first new official report on the uprising with newly found records and testimonies from local police officers.

[Soundbite] Kang Seong-bok(Chief, Jeonnam Prov. Police Agency) : "The report was published in order to identify what was going on during that time and to find the truth."

Following in the steps of the Defense Ministry, the police are also taking utmost efforts to find the truth behind the Gwangju uprising.