THIS MONTH IN KOREAN HISTORY - June 2025

Written By Korean Culture Center KCC

Protests in June 1987 were met with violent crackdowns and teargas in Seoul

JUNE DEMOCRATIC UPRISING

By Sharon Stern

Students occupy the Seoul US Cultural Center on May 23, 1985. Photo by 전민조

June 10 marks the 38th anniversary of the beginning of what is known as the June Uprising, the June Democracy Movement or the June Democratic Struggle.  In Korean, the event is called 6월 민주 항쟁 or June Democratic Uprising, so, sort of a combination of the English terms.  The event or, rather, series of events, took place between June 10 – 29, 1987.  This was the beginning of true democracy in South Korea.  Last month, we covered the Gwangju Uprising that took place in 1980.  It would take another seven years of protests and bloodshed before the seeds of true democracy sprouted and began to flourish.

The South Korean government tried to use force to suppress the Gwangju Uprising, but their brutal and bloody response served as a catalyst for more and more groups of students, labor unions, religious groups to organize and continue pushing back at the government throughout the 1980s.  Other countries’ suppressive dictatorial regimes were also receiving pushback from citizens and they all helped to inspire each other.

As we covered in the article about the History of Korean Presidential Elections, in 1972, President Park Chung-hee, after a self-coup to dissolve the government, implemented the Yusin Constitution, which began the Fourth Republic and arranged for presidential elections by an electoral college and not by popular vote.  Despite crackdowns, student, labor and religious protests continued:

On May 23, 1985, students occupied the United States Information Service (USIS – a US government agency devoted to propaganda) in Seoul, demanding an apology for the US complicity in the Gwangju massacre.  This led to similar protests.  On May 3, 1986, student demonstrations in Incheon occupied the offices of the ruling Democratic Justice Party.

Rep. Kwon In-sook of the Democratic Party of Korea is holding a press conference at the National Assembly in 2024

In June of 1986, labor organizer Kwon In-sook went to a police station in Bucheon to address accusations of falsifying documents.  She had lied about having a university education in order to get a factory job and help organize laborers into a trade union.  She had also been charged with taking part in a violent demonstration.  She was sexually abused at the police station.  Kwon filed charges against the government for the abuse, the first of their kind.  Because sexual abuse was (to some still is) seen in Korea as the woman becoming dirty, tainted, untouchable, not to be spoken of and therefore not allowing the woman the right to live, her suit against the government was truly ground breaking.  She went on to become a feminist scholar, but her abuse motivated further protests against the government.  An attempted protest against her abuse in July was blocked by thousands of police.

Park Jong Chul

On January 13, 1987, Park Jong-chul, the president of the student council of linguistics at Seoul National University, was detained by the police.  The police tortured him using waterboarding and he died of asphyxiation at the Nam Yeong-Dong anti-communist office on January 14.  His death and the fact that he had been tortured caused an eruption of protests around the country.  On February 7, protests over Park Jong-chul’s death brought confrontation with the police in different cities across the country.  On March 3, the 49th day after his death and the day believed by Buddhists to be when he would reincarnate, protesters gathered at Jogyesa Temple in Seoul.  On April 13, President Chun issued a statement saying that he would not amend the constitution to provide for direct elections, but pass power to another military leader triggering more protests.  On May 18, during the commemoration of the Gwangju Massacre at Myeongdong Cathedral in Seoul, the Catholic Priests Association for Justice publicly announced cover ups about Park’s death and announced plans for mass demonstrations June 10.

On June 9, 1987, the day before the mass protests were to take place, student groups were preparing for the June 10 demonstrations.  At Yonsei University, Lee Han-yeol was hit in the head by a tear gas canister, fired by the police, as he cried, “End the dictatorship!”  His photograph was widely distributed and he became a symbol for protests that followed.  He died of his injuries on July 5.  A massive protest and memorialization was held July 9 at Yonsei University and over a million people attended.  A witness who was at the July 9th memorial has a site with photos that he took.

A colorized version of the photograph taken by Tony Jeong outside of Yonsei University after Lee was hit in the back of the head with a tear gas canister

On June 10, 1987, President Chun had planned to name Roh Tae-woo as his successor.  The government became more and more restrictive, trying to stop any public dissent.  Thousands of people were arrested in the days leading up to June 10.  Chun’s announcement was supposed to take place at 6 pm.  Violent clashes between protestors and police occurred throughout the day.

In the evening, students who had been protesting in front of City Hall in Seoul fled from the police and took refuge in Myeongdong Cathedral, which had become a major center for religious opposition to the government, especially after the May 18 memorial, denouncing police cover up in the death of Park Jong-chul.  They began a sit-in on the inside of the cathedral.  Priests announced that they would put themselves on the front line to keep the police from entering the building.  The sit-in lasted until July 15, when the police said that they would not arrest protestors leaving, which they did not, and this was seen as a victory.

President Chun made his announcement about the plans for Roh to succeed him, but an average of 100 mass protests in cities all across the country began and didn’t stop.  Clashes and protests continued with millions of people taking to the streets.  The government continued to threaten violence against the protests.  On June 19, the acting Prime Minister, Lee Han-key, in a televised address threatened extraordinary measures if the protests didn’t stop, while President Chun mobilized more troops.

On June 29, Roh Tae-woo finally issued the June 29 Declaration announcing an amendment to the constitution to provide for direct presidential elections, the guarantee of competitive candidates for president, the amnesty of political prisoners, the restoration of freedom of the press and other measures.  There is still debate as to whether this concession was a response to the protests, fear of international press with the upcoming 1988 Olympics to be held in South Korea or simply a political strategy to get Roh into power as the next leader of the country or some combination of all of those things.  In December of 1987, Roh was elected president by popular vote, which was the first presidential election by popular vote in South Korea’s history.  This was the beginning of true democracy in South Korea.  Democracy is always a work in progress.  It is critical to study its beginnings, nourish its present and cultivate its future.

Kwon In-sook, Park Jong-chul, Lee Han-yeol – these are names that you should know and that need to be remembered.  Kwon In-sook is still alive and very active in feminist rights, whose narratives factor actively into the discussion of the Anti-Discrimination Law waiting to be passed.  There is a memorial museum to Lee Han-yeol on the Yonsei University campus.  A museum dedicated to human rights has opened on the site where Park Jong-chul was killed, near the Namyeong subway station.

Citizens and students filling the square in front of City Hall to commemorate the death of Lee Han-yeol; July 9, 1987

People read newspaper extras carrying the news of the June 29 Declaration by Roh Tae-woo in this June 29, 1987, file photo in Myeong-dong, Seoul. (Herald DB)

Further reading:

Videos and Podcasts

Books

Films and Dramas

  • 1987: When the Day Comes - 2017

    Amazon Prime Video (rentable), YouTube (rentable)

    We’ve featured this film already  The film starts with the death of the student Park Jong-chul and the cover up by the police.  Despite the Police Commissioner’s attempt to have the body cremated, an autopsy takes place.  The autopsy results are leaked to the press.  The Police Commissioner tries to have two detectives take the blame, but this information also gets leaked by a prison guard to activists.  The guard’s niece reluctantly gets pulled into seeing evidence of the Gwangju Uprising and other atrocities and eventually joins the protest movement.

  • The Six Day Fight in Myong Dong Cathedral - 1997

    This is a documentary that is not currently streaming to keep your eyes open for.

Korean Culture Center KCC
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