David Dolinger granted Gwangju honorary citizenship in recognition of 5.18 role

David Dolinger receives an honorary citizenship award in Gwangju, May 14. Courtesy of Jack Greenberg

GWANGJU — On May 14, the city of Gwangju conferred honorary citizenship on David Dolinger (Im Dae-eun), a former U.S. Peace Corps volunteer who played a critical role during the Gwangju Uprising that began on May 18, 1980. The recognition is one of the highest civic honors Gwangju can bestow, and it is an exceedingly rare one for a foreign national who directly participated in the city’s darkest and most defiant chapter, one that led the way to democratic freedom.

“I have been applauded for what I did in May of 1980 and in subsequent years concerning 5.18, Korean human rights and Korean democracy,” Dolinger told the audience at the ceremony. “But I have not done enough and I will never be able to do enough. I wish I had been smarter, braver, more aware and a little more of everything.”

A poster for the special exhibition "Witness Beyond Borders" at Gwangju's Jeonil Building / Courtesy of Jack Greenberg

Dolinger’s recognition is part of a broader, years-long effort to reframe the Gwangju Uprising not merely as a local or national event, but as one with international resonance. On May 2, a new special exhibition titled "Witness: Beyond Borders" opened at Jeonil Building 245, a 10-story structure on Geumnam-ro built in 1968 that once housed Jeonil Broadcasting and the Jeonnam Ilbo. The building, which still bears bullet marks from helicopter gunfire by martial law troops, was saved from demolition thanks to civic groups committed to preserving its historical significance. It reopened in 2020 as a public memory site. The exhibition, which runs through March 2026, highlights the contributions of three foreigners — Dolinger, Jennifer Huntley and Rev. Arnold Petersen (Bae Tae-seon) — who remained in Gwangju during the violence, defying evacuation orders from the U.S. Embassy, which blamed the instability on rioting and looting — a narrative that Dolinger disputed based on his own observations.

In 1978, Dolinger, then in his 20s, was stationed in Yeongam County, South Jeolla Province, as a Peace Corps volunteer. “Forty-five years ago, I was working in the health center as a TB control worker,” he reflected in his lecture. “My biggest concern was traveling to a wedding the coming weekend, and I had no idea how within a few days my life was going to change.”

As the situation escalated, he chose to return to Gwangju, not knowing that some 20,000 martial law troops were flooding into the city. Inside the South Jeolla Provincial Hall, he assisted in monitoring martial law radio transmissions in case attack orders were made in English. He also served as an interpreter, mediating between the militia and the foreign press, helping convey the words of movement leaders, such as Yoon Sang-won, to an international audience.

The former South Jeolla Provincial Office is under restoration in Gwangju, May 14. Courtesy of Jack Greenberg

Dolinger’s Quaker faith, grounded in values of peace, justice and service, profoundly shaped his outlook and commitment to engagement, guiding his actions during the uprising and inspiring his ongoing advocacy for human rights.

“During that fateful time 45 years ago, because of the citizens of Gwangju … because of the people here in Gwangju … who were standing up for democracy, justice and human rights, I was never afraid,” he said. “I was accepted as part of a large family, a community of people with a mission, a cause and who were taking care of each other.”

Dolinger recalls that Yoon and his comrades were willing to die for what they believed in: that Korea deserved democracy. “In many ways,” Dolinger said, “Gwangju was where I was born, where I became a human being.” He reflects today that few people in his own country would be willing to lay down their lives for such a cause.

Dolinger knew that foreign correspondents trying to report on the uprising risked being misled by translators on the KCIA’s payroll and could not uncover the truth on their own. Determined to counter misinformation, he later submitted his testimony and documentation about the atrocities that took place to the United Nations, helping bring international awareness to the violence committed under martial law, a commitment he has continued in the decades since. His account of what he witnessed was later published in "Called by Another Name: A Memoir of the Gwangju Uprising," co-authored with Korea Times contributor Matt VanVolkenburg.

Dolinger was forced out of the Peace Corps due to his activities in Gwangju but remained in Korea, working as an English instructor on a U.S. military base while continuing to dispatch news on Gwangju via military mail. Now a retired pharmaceutical executive with a Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology, Dolinger vividly recalls witnessing helicopter shootings at the Jeonil Building and along Geumnam-ro. At one point, he attempted to look toward the provincial office, only to be stopped by a friend who feared for his safety.

Reflecting on Dolinger's actions, exhibit curator Kim Ji-yeon shared, "After hearing rumors of people being beaten to death by soldiers and worrying about his friends in Gwangju, Dolinger walked from Naju to Gwangju on the 21st, after the buses had stopped running. Despite being urged twice by the U.S. Embassy and Peace Corps headquarters to leave, he remained in Gwangju, witnessing the events until the last day of the resistance. His involvement led to his expulsion from the Peace Corps on the 28th."

The Jeonil Building in Gwangju, May 14 / Courtesy of Jack Greenberg

“During that time, I was never afraid. Never alone,” Dolinger said. “I was with the people of Gwangju. To be recognized for what I did 45 years ago is very humbling. I did what I knew was supposed to be done. I was looking out for the people of my greater family, the people of Gwangju, the people standing against oppression.”

Jennifer Huntley, then a teenager living in Gwangju, witnessed her Baptist missionary parents shelter 22 people during the height of the military crackdown. Her late father, Rev. Charles Betts Huntley (Heo Cheol-seon), also documented the uprising through photographs that were inscribed in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register in 2011. Another key figure, Rev. Arnold Petersen, had been working in Gwangju as a Baptist minister. He witnessed and recorded scenes of brutality and sheltered 12 people in his home. Two other missionary families, the Dudleys and the Underwoods, likewise opened their doors to civilians fleeing repression.

Even after the immediate violence subsided, the three individuals featured in the "Witness: Beyond Borders" exhibition and their families remained embedded in Gwangju’s community networks and continued sharing the truth around the world. Their inclusion underscores the enduring role of international solidarity in documenting and legitimizing Gwangju’s pro-democracy movement.

This renewed focus on memory and global connection comes at a time when Gwangju is actively restoring key historical sites linked to the 1980 uprising. Earlier this month, the former Gwangju Red Cross Hospital, recognizable from the 2017 film "A Taxi Driver," was temporarily reopened to the public. Originally constructed in 1965 and closed in 2013, it served as a frontline medical facility during the uprising, thanks to the efforts of hospital staff and the countless citizens who lined up to give blood.

The interior of the Gwangju Red Cross Hospital, which was reopened temporarily, May 14. Courtesy of Jack Greenberg

Restoration is also ongoing at the South Jeolla Provincial Hall and Sangmugwan Hall, two sites featured in Han Kang’s 2024 Nobel Prize-winning novel "Human Acts," alongside the Red Cross Hospital. Sangmugwan Hall, used as a temporary morgue after the May 22 massacre, became a site of both horror and dignity. The South Jeolla Provincial Hall, where Dolinger and others gathered to resist the military, is being restored to its original appearance as a space of sacrifice and collective memory.

In addition, the long-delayed protection of part of the Gwangcheon Citizens’ Apartment complex was confirmed last month.

Gwangcheon Citizens' Apartment on March 15 / Courtesy of Jack Greenberg

Although some of these sites have suffered from years of neglect, local institutions are now demonstrating a stronger will to overcome budget and safety obstacles to systematically manage and conserve May 18 historic sites for the sake of future generations.

At the same time, these efforts unfold against a backdrop of growing concern. Survivors, scholars and witnesses like Dolinger continue to sound the alarm over attempts to distort the history of the Gwangju Uprising. Whether downplaying the scale of state violence, questioning the legitimacy of citizen resistance or framing the uprising as a North Korean plot, these narratives persist in certain political and media circles. In this context, testimonies from foreign witnesses such as Dolinger have become even more urgent.

David Dolinger poses with mothers who lost their children during the 1980 Gwangju Uprising, during a ceremony in Gwangju, May 14. Courtesy of Jack Greenberg

“You, the citizens of Gwangju, have helped to shape me and give me purpose,” Dolinger said in concluding his remarks. “Never allow 5.18 to be forgotten, or the images of citizens standing up against oppression to be tainted.”

Jack Greenberg works as a consultant, researcher and freelance writer. His current focus is on heritage and conservation issues, historical memory debates, truth-seeking and reconciliation and civilian massacres of the 1950-53 Korean War. He was the recipient of the Global Korea Scholarship and earned a master's in international studies at Korea University. He is also an alum of McGill University.