The 40th anniversary of a relatively unknown massacre - Part 3
There are between 10,000 and 15,000 soldiers in an infantry division. On May 26, 1980 there were reportedly five divisions of troops about to enter Gwangju and re-take the city from the demonstrators who had seized it. The following day it took less than three hours for the military to take control of the city.
The question is, what did the U.S. government know about the events in Gwangju after the uprising began on May 18, 1980?
Tim Shorrock obtained previously classified documents that proved the Carter Administration knew of South Korean contingency plans to use military forces against pro-democracy demonstrators BEFORE the Gwangju uprising.
The previously mentioned Richard Holbrooke, then the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs in the Carter Administration was very involved in the U.S. handling of the crisis in South Korea. He was in the White House Situation Room on May 22, 1980 when a meeting was held concerning the Gwangju Uprising. Mr. Shorrock was able to obtain a previously classified summary of that meeting. "...the first priority is the restoration of order in Kwangju by the Korean authorities with the minimum use of force..."
That brings us back to the size of an infantry division. Imagine trying to move two divisions, 30,000 soldiers from the DMZ to Gwangju. That is a distance of nearly 200 miles. How many vehicles does it take to move 30,000 men? A lot. So how is it that General Wickham and his staff could not know that this movement was taking place. It would not go unnoticed by U.S. military personnel in the EMZ. EMZ is a bit of a joke. While the official DMZ is in fact demilitarized, the area south of the DMZ is one of the most heavily militarized areas in the world. Hence the term "Extremely Militarized Zone."
The rebellion was put down but it damaged the Chun Doo-hwan regime. In 1996, Chun was tried and convicted of Leading an Insurrection, Conspiracy to Commit Insurrection, Taking Part in an Insurrection, Illegal Troop Movement Orders, Dereliction of Duty During Martial Law, Murder of Superior Officers, Attempted Murder of Superior Officers, Murder of Subordinate Troops, Leading a Rebellion, Conspiracy to Commit Rebellion, Taking Part in a Rebellion, Murder for the Purpose of Rebellion and sentenced to death. But the death sentence was commuted by then-President Kim Young-sam at the urging of Kim Dae-jung. The same Kim Dae-jung who had been imprisoned as a dissident by Chun. Oh yes, at the time, Kim Dae-jung was President-elect.
The Gwangju Uprising didn't have an iconic image to make it well-known. I like this particular image today. It is the 5-18 Memorial Park in Gwangju.
The question is, what did the U.S. government know about the events in Gwangju after the uprising began on May 18, 1980?
Tim Shorrock obtained previously classified documents that proved the Carter Administration knew of South Korean contingency plans to use military forces against pro-democracy demonstrators BEFORE the Gwangju uprising.
The previously mentioned Richard Holbrooke, then the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs in the Carter Administration was very involved in the U.S. handling of the crisis in South Korea. He was in the White House Situation Room on May 22, 1980 when a meeting was held concerning the Gwangju Uprising. Mr. Shorrock was able to obtain a previously classified summary of that meeting. "...the first priority is the restoration of order in Kwangju by the Korean authorities with the minimum use of force..."
That brings us back to the size of an infantry division. Imagine trying to move two divisions, 30,000 soldiers from the DMZ to Gwangju. That is a distance of nearly 200 miles. How many vehicles does it take to move 30,000 men? A lot. So how is it that General Wickham and his staff could not know that this movement was taking place. It would not go unnoticed by U.S. military personnel in the EMZ. EMZ is a bit of a joke. While the official DMZ is in fact demilitarized, the area south of the DMZ is one of the most heavily militarized areas in the world. Hence the term "Extremely Militarized Zone."
The rebellion was put down but it damaged the Chun Doo-hwan regime. In 1996, Chun was tried and convicted of Leading an Insurrection, Conspiracy to Commit Insurrection, Taking Part in an Insurrection, Illegal Troop Movement Orders, Dereliction of Duty During Martial Law, Murder of Superior Officers, Attempted Murder of Superior Officers, Murder of Subordinate Troops, Leading a Rebellion, Conspiracy to Commit Rebellion, Taking Part in a Rebellion, Murder for the Purpose of Rebellion and sentenced to death. But the death sentence was commuted by then-President Kim Young-sam at the urging of Kim Dae-jung. The same Kim Dae-jung who had been imprisoned as a dissident by Chun. Oh yes, at the time, Kim Dae-jung was President-elect.
The Gwangju Uprising didn't have an iconic image to make it well-known. I like this particular image today. It is the 5-18 Memorial Park in Gwangju.
posted by me at 5:12 AM
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