German journalist who covered Gwangju Uprising dies
Jurgen Hinzpeter
Jurgen Hinzpeter, a German journalist who filmed and reported the May 18 Gwangju Uprising in 1980, died Jan. 25. He was 79.
According to the May 18 Memorial Foundation, Hinzpeter died in his hometown of Ratzeburg, northern Germany, after a long illness.
Hinzpeter was a cameraman at the German public broadcaster ARD's studio in Tokyo at the time of the Gwangju Uprising. He flew to Gwangju and filmed the horrors of the massacre. More than 2,000 people were killed then under the military dictatorship of former President Chun Doo-hwan.
Hinzpeter received the Song Kun-ho Journalism Prize in 2003 for his efforts.
According to Hinzpeter's wishes to be buried in Gwangju, some of his remains will likely be buried in a grave in the city’s Mangwol-dong.
When Hinzpeter visited Gwangju in 2005, he left nail clippings and hair in an envelope, kept by the May 18 Memorial Foundation. It will discuss with Gwangju City how to bury these remains.
The May 18 Memorial Foundation will send a team of Korean-German delegates to comfort the bereaved family.