5.18광주항쟁의 의미
<<#327 News Focus>
May 18: What Does It Mean to You?
Seeing May 18 from Today’s Perspective
By Jo Hye-min, Tribune Reporter
The 3rd annual May Music Festa was held on May 11th at Main Stadium of Chonnam National University (CNU). Every May, there are a variety of events to commemorate the May 18 Democratic Uprising around Gwangju. However, local residents, especially students, have little interest in such memorial events. Young generations’ disinterest in the May 18 seems to be attributed to busy school life for career and employment preparation, and their lack of historical awareness. It means that the spirit of the uprising has not embedded in their daily lives. If so, what is the spirit of the May 18 that we should keep in mind?
Professor Hong Sung-heup, who is the director of the CNU May 18 Institute said, “Nowadays, neoliberalism has influenced people’s way of thinking or mindset, so labor markets have become flexible. It makes a group atmosphere where it is easy to sort out a person with a lack of the cooperative spirit. Such an atmosphere makes people feel alienated. During the May 18 era, back in the 80s, many people in Gwangju helped each other and made an effort to achieve the same goals.” According to him, the spirit of May 18 can be defined as a sense of community, participation and humanity. We can therefore say that May 18 is a symbol of the cooperative spirit in a group of people for democracy and freedom.
The May 18 Uprising started with about 600 CNU students who threw rocks at the special warfare brigade of Chun Doo-hwan’s military junta who occupied Gwangju and Jeollanamdo Province on May 18, 1980. What is the present meaning of the uprising to CNU students in 2013? Under the theme of “Screaming of May that Shout Again”, the CNU General Student Council (GSC) is preparing commemorative programs including rice ball sharing and May 18 pilgrimage to the May 18 National Cemetery. The purpose of these memorial events is to remind CNUians about the uprising that happened 33 years ago and to keep its spirit in their daily lives. Yang Gun-jae, vice president of the GSC, said, “In fact, we have limited time to promote students’ interests in the May 18 Commemorative Preparation Committee, but more students than expected paid attention to this program. 22 students participated in it and want to know more about May 18.” Meanwhile, several CNUians have volunteered at the May 18 Memorial Foundation and realized the true meaning of the uprising for democracy in the modern history of Korea. Jeong Ji-su (Senior, Dept. of English Lang. and Lit.) said, “I wanted to know more about May 18 because the study materials about the uprising are always same. By participating in voluntary activities operated by the foundation, I have learned more about May 18.”
Jung Dea-seung (Sophomore, School of Business Administration) said, “Most young generations were not educated about Korean history well, nor do they know about historical events like the May 18 Uprising. Such activities organized by the GSC are expected to improve students’ level of history knowledge.” And Hong Eom-ji said, “The historical awareness of Korean college students has decreased as years passed, but they have enjoyed some ceremonial events like a popular singer’s concert for May 18. I hope CNUians participate actively in various events in commemoration of May 18.” Park Guen-won (Dept. of Sociology, Doctoral Degree) said, “We would better to think of the May 18 Uprising not just as a past incident but a civil society campaign. If so, we can understand more values of May 18.”
Recently, we have encountered a variety of different genres about May 18 with inclusion of webtoons, movies, dramas and novels, which encourage people especially the youth to remember and practice the spirit of the May 18 Democratic Uprising. As a result, more people have interests and participated in ceremonials of May 18 than before. Director Hong said, “CNUians have a complex about their region and are so absorbed with employment-related issues, which makes them indifferent to May 18. The number of students who take a May 18-related class is decreasing. CNUians should know May 18 is not just a political event and keep in mind the cooperative spirit of community the uprising represented.” What is the meaning of May 18 to you? We should always remember Gwangju citizens on this day.
조혜민 기자
jhm6153@naver.com