LETTER FROM THE EDITOR - VOL. 12

In a scene from the hybrid-documentary Keurida - Eun Byoul Oh visits the Sewol Ferry Memorial in Mokpo, South Korea

KCCNYC Monthly - May 2025
By Eun Byoul Oh

Last year on May 16th, I landed in Korea to work on Keurida, a hybrid documentary.  It was my first time back to Korea in 12 years, and we headed to Gwangju as soon as our team got out of Incheon International Airport. We headed to the city with an invitation to the 44th 5.18 Gwangju Uprising commemoration, a commemoration held each year on May 18.  It was my first time going to Gwangju despite my ties to the city, and I was quite honored that I was going to the sanctuary of Korean Democracy to attend the ceremony.

I recall that on the highway to Gwangju, I thought about my Great Uncle (my Halabeoji 할아버지), who was raised in Gwangju.  He was very fond of his city.  He left South Korea right before the mass killing in the city in 1980, so he did not talk about the incident often, but I know that all the political ideas that I had inherited from him were heavily influenced by the incident.

When we got out of our minivan, we were greeted by gentlemen who showed us the city.  We went to several parts of the city where the Gwangju Uprising took place in 1980.  Every corner of the city was getting ready for the ceremony and the city felt almost spiritual, and solemn at the same time. It was quite an emotionally overwhelming  experience. 

Eun Byoul Oh with Kim Seung-pil, the son of the ‘Gwangju Taxi Driver’ Kim Sa-Bok

I vividly remember the warm sunlight and the fresh wind on the day of the ceremony.  The sky was clear and it was a nice day, and I thought to myself that it was a nice day to talk about those who are still living in our memories.  I remember walking up to the cemetery where I got to meet families of the victims and the survivors of the incident. I was able to meet the son of the real life figure who was portrayed in the movie A Taxi Driver. 

Listening to them talking about the victims made my heart heavy, but somehow I felt a sense of solidarity that was built over a long period of time.  It was a feeling of hope rather than sadness, and I learned that the people of Gwangju continued to help the people who went through similar losses.  The ceremony was like a ritual of remembrance:  the 4.16 Sewol victim families were gathered; disability activists from SADD were there; and many other social advocacy groups were sharing their stories of loss and what they believe in.  I thought about the power of memories and celebration.

What I saw was that Gwangju was the sacred ground of Korean Democracy, and visiting Gwangju truly changed something inside of me.  I felt empowered realizing how many groups supporting each other can help organizations move forward to fulfill their mission.  In fact, the experience of Gwangju, and participating in Seoul Pride in June of last year, caused me to initiate the newsletter project—to facilitate a space to uplift news of other organizations, and their work along with memorialization of Korean history and culture. 

Han Kang, who spent her early years in Gwangju, said in her Nobel Prize Lecture the following lines:

Can the present help the past? 

Can the living save the dead?

What we saw through the December 3rd declaration of martial law and the impeachment of Yoon definitely shows us one thing.  The deceased victims of Gwangju and their families, and those of us who remember the tragic incident will continue to save the living.  The memories of Gwangju saved Korea yet again as a Korean congressman has said in his speech to the Congress. I believe the message of Gwangju speaks not only to Koreans, but also to anyone who is resisting against authoritarian regimes or wars.

Students rallying protestors in Gwangju, 1980

As our team celebrates the 12th volume of the newsletter, we have brought you the memories of Gwangju in our pieces.  KCCNYC has been celebrating the Gwangju Uprising every May in many ways.  Many of our students would remember how the Starter class covers the long history of Korean Democratization from the 1980s.  Further, the images and memories of Gwangju also coincide with the recent December 3rd martial law declaration, which we talked about at the beginning of almost every class this semester.  The hybrid documentary Keurida, which is a long term project for KCCNYC and production company Adventure We Can, will bring the message of Gwangju onto screens, weaving it into the narrative of Korean identity.

For this year, we are commemorating and remembering Gwangju in a new way as well. On May 18, KCCNYC will celebrate the monuments of the Gwangju uprising this month by reading the Nobel Prize Winning novel, Human Acts by Han Kang in our Monthly Dosan Hakdang Book Club.

We just wrapped up our Spring Semester, and we look forward to meeting new students and returning students in our early summer session.

Before I finish this month’s Editor’s notes, I want to wish everyone Happy Parents’ Day, and Happy Children’s Day.  I also want to extend my sincere gratitude to everyone on the newsletter team, who makes it possible for KCCNYC to bring the monthly stories. 

With Solidarity and Love, 

Eun Byoul Oh