INVESTIGATION RESULTS OF GWANGJU UPRISING

[Anchor Lead]

A committee for investigating the May 18 pro-democracy movement was launched a year ago. Based on the testimonies of some 200 people, the committee has revealed at least 18 more cases of civilian massacres committed the military junta.

[Pkg]

A "Restricted access" sign on the road. The entrance to a tunnel is blocked by a military truck. On May 21, 1980, the military closed all roads connecting Gwangju to other regions. A committee investigating the May 18 pro-democracy movement has obtained testimony proving the military junta opened fire on passing vehicles. At least 18 cases of civilian massacres have been detected. The victims include a newlywed couple.

[Soundbite] Song Seon-tae(Head of committee investigating May 18 pro-democracy movement) : "We have testimony validating that military troops shot and killed a newlywed couple in a car that was passing by the prison."

The bodies of 55 civilians killed during the so-called Gwangju blockade operation have not been found. The committee believes they had been buried somewhere.

[Soundbite] Song Seon-tae(Head of committee investigating May 18 pro-democracy movement) : "We are investigating a group that was presumably in charge of taking care of dead bodies."

The committee is trying to confirm the allegation about the infiltration of North Korean special operation troops. It has found that testimony from Chung Myung-un, a member of North Korean special forces who claimed he directly infiltrated Gwangju, turned out to be groundless. He apologized to Gwangju residents. Since its launch in May 2020, the committee has obtained testimonies from more than 200 members of the military junta and analyzed 720,000 pages of historic documents. More soldiers who served under the martial law at the time are coming forward with their testimonies. However, high-ranking officers are refusing to testify or apologize.