Excavation begins to find bodies of slaughtered protesters
Workers excavate an old prison site in Gwangju, Monday, to search for bodies of protesters who are believed to have been killed and buried in secret during the military junta’s bloody crackdown on a pro-democracy movement in 1980. / Yonhap
By Yi Whan-woo
Excavation began, Monday, to find the bodies of those who are believed to have been killed and buried in secret on the grounds of an old prison in Gwangju during the military junta’s bloody crackdown on a pro-democracy movement in 1980.
The high-profile excavation project, however, was suspended a few hours after it began after uncovering four water pipelines in the suspected burial site, according to the May 18 Memorial Foundation which is leading the project.
The foundation said the pipelines were believed to be built and buried in 1999 as part of maintenance work for the prison, which was relocated in October 2015.
The foundation said it is studying how the pipelines were built there and whether construction workers found any bodies at the time.
Meanwhile, a team of excavators hired by the foundation searched for the remains in a thorough manner, using hand tools as they do in finding archaeological assets.
“The workers dug about 10 centimeters of land one layer at a time using a small shovel and other hand tools. They then used strainers to sift out ground dirt whenever something worth paying attention was discovered,” a foundation official said.
The foundation had a drilling machine standing by as well to support the excavators if necessary.
The Gwangju District Prosecutors’ Office is expected to open investigation into the past accordingly if any remains are found.
The foundation and the prosecution are discussing which side should be in charge of identifying the remains.
The foundation said it expects to take about 15 days to locate the exact burial site.
The prison was used as a base for paratroopers who were dispatched to put down the protest.
According to military documents on the Gwangju Uprising, the site was also where 28 protesters died after being captured and detained there. Among them, 11 of their bodies have been found so far.
A fact-finding team led by the foundation concluded in October that the farm within the compound of the prison was used as a secret burial site, after conducting a relevant investigation under the government’s approval.
A previously search for the missing victims took place from 1997 to 2009. But the prison was excluded.
Eighty-two protesters are on the official record of missing persons from the uprising. Only the remains of six have been found, identified through genetic analysis and returned to their families.