Anniversary of the Kwangju Uprising

Pyongyang, May 18 (KCNA) -- The Kwangju Popular Uprising in May of 1980 was the resistance unprecedented in history as it recorded a brilliant page in the history of anti-U.S., anti-fascism movement, says Rodong Sinmun Wednesday in a bylined article.

The uprising taught a bitter lesson that it is impossible to achieve independent development and progress of society and national reunification as long as there are foreign aggressors violating the independence of the Korean nation and fascist dictators trampling down upon democracy, the article says, and goes on:

The Kwangju popular uprising was put down but it dealt a heavy blow at the U.S. imperialists and their stooges' fascist ruling system and greatly inspired the south Korean people in their movement for independence, democracy and reunification and the world oppressed people in their national liberation struggle.

Though several decades have passed since the uprising, the south Korean people are still groaning under the outside forces' military occupation and the fascist dictatorial rule of the pro-U.S. conservative forces.

The reality goes to prove that it is impossible to realize the desire for independence, democracy and reunification unless the moves of the U.S. and the treacherous acts of its lackeys, south Korean sycophants and traitors, are frustrated. The people from all walks of life in south Korea should dynamically turn out in a mass struggle against outside forces and traitors by inheriting the staunch fighting spirit displayed by the Kwangju uprisers while shedding blood in their patriotic struggle, ardently hoping for an independent, democratized and reunified new society. This is the call of the times and demand of the national history.

Minju Joson in a signed article calls upon the south Korean people to intensify the struggle to build an independent and democratized new society free from sycophancy towards the U.S. and fascist dictatorship and build a reunified country by inheriting the indomitable fighting spirit of the Kwangju uprisers. -0

Pyongyang, May 18 (KCNA) -- 31 years have passed since all-people resistance was waged in Kwangju of south Korea against the U.S. imperialists' colonial domination and the military dictatorial forces' fascist rule.

The desire for independence, democracy and reunification mounted high among the south Koreans entering the 1980s. Much upset by it, the south Korean military fascist forces proclaimed the "emergency martial law" across south Korea, mercilessly arrested and executed core members of student movement organizations, progressive professors and democratic figures of various strata. They also banned all the political activities and enforced pre-check of publications.

Enraged by this, youth and students and citizens of Kwangju took to the street on May 18, 1980, chanting the slogans "Repeal emergency martial law!" and "Abolish the Yusin system!"

The uprising turned into the massive resistance in a moment with workers, farmers, officers, religionists and other people in Kwangju and its surrounding areas involved. It developed into the armed resistance from May 21.

The resistance forces pushed the "martial forces" into the suburbs, turned Kwangju City into "liberated area" and organized the self-defensive armed ranks to carry on brave and organized struggle.

With this as a momentum the stronger spirit of anti-"government" struggle flared up in the different parts of south Korea and 17 cities and counties joined the uprising in South Jolla Province alone.

The resistance forces failed to attain their goal owing to the puppet forces who committed brutal suppression armed with lethal means at the instigation of the U.S. imperialists. The Kwangju Popular Uprising, however, set off the fierce storm of anti-U.S. independence and the anti-fascist democratic movement in south Korea.

The uprising which was brilliantly recorded in the anti-U.S., the anti-fascist and democratic movement calls upon all the south Koreans of various strata to the struggle to judge the present regime which turned the south Korean society into the theater of the fascist suppression and an area with poor human rights record under the active patronage of the U.S. -0-