By Kim Jae-heun
The government has confirmed a number of cases of sexual violence committed against female citizens by soldiers during the May 18 Democratic Uprising in Gwangju in 1980.
This is the first time any government has acknowledged the past administration's sex crimes against civilians.
A joint fact-finding team, launched by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, the Ministry of National Defense and the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) announced Wednesday it had found 17 cases of sexual violence by troops operating under martial law, other cases of sexual harassment and the torture of citizens.
The government launched the investigation into what happened 38 years ago, after an anonymous victim testified about sexual assault in May this year. The joint investigation team has been collecting victims' statements and related documents since then.
Rape victims were threatened with guns before being raped by multiple soldiers, according to the testimonies.
Victims varied in age from teenage students to housewives in their 30s.
Female protesters who were detained by soldiers were sexually harassed or tortured. Some medical documents showed several women had injuries to their breasts or genital areas.
Ordinary citizens were targeted by acts of brutality as well.
Some female students and pregnant women, who did not participate in the protest, were also subjected to sexual harassment. People witnessed soldiers taking a high school girl away on a military truck, and investigators found that a woman killed during the uprising had chest and genital injuries.
Victims said they have since suffered from great mental pain. None were adequately treated and many are still haunted by the memory of the traumatic experience.
During the investigation, some victims said in their interviews, "I could not tell anybody about this, not even my family," and, "my life stopped at such a beautiful age of 20."
Most of the sexual violence occurred in the downtown area of Gwangju between May 19 and 21, the initial stage of the uprising.
The team will transfer all materials containing the results of the investigation to the May 18 Democratic Uprising Fact-Finding Committee, which will be launched soon. The committee will further investigate the human rights violations. The gender equality ministry will provide counseling support for the victims.
"The investigation is meaningful in that the state for the first time confirmed the women's human rights were violated during the democratic uprising," a ministry official said.
On May 18, 1980, citizens in Gwangju protested the military junta of Chun Doo-hwan, who took power in a military coup. Martial law was declared and soldiers fired on civilians, even from helicopters, to suppress the protesters. Around 200 residents were reported to have been killed, but Gwangju citizens believe the actual number is much higher.
The government has confirmed a number of cases of sexual violence committed against female citizens by soldiers during the May 18 Democratic Uprising in Gwangju in 1980.
This is the first time any government has acknowledged the past administration's sex crimes against civilians.
A joint fact-finding team, launched by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, the Ministry of National Defense and the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) announced Wednesday it had found 17 cases of sexual violence by troops operating under martial law, other cases of sexual harassment and the torture of citizens.
The government launched the investigation into what happened 38 years ago, after an anonymous victim testified about sexual assault in May this year. The joint investigation team has been collecting victims' statements and related documents since then.
Rape victims were threatened with guns before being raped by multiple soldiers, according to the testimonies.
Victims varied in age from teenage students to housewives in their 30s.
Female protesters who were detained by soldiers were sexually harassed or tortured. Some medical documents showed several women had injuries to their breasts or genital areas.
Ordinary citizens were targeted by acts of brutality as well.
Some female students and pregnant women, who did not participate in the protest, were also subjected to sexual harassment. People witnessed soldiers taking a high school girl away on a military truck, and investigators found that a woman killed during the uprising had chest and genital injuries.
Victims said they have since suffered from great mental pain. None were adequately treated and many are still haunted by the memory of the traumatic experience.
During the investigation, some victims said in their interviews, "I could not tell anybody about this, not even my family," and, "my life stopped at such a beautiful age of 20."
Most of the sexual violence occurred in the downtown area of Gwangju between May 19 and 21, the initial stage of the uprising.
The team will transfer all materials containing the results of the investigation to the May 18 Democratic Uprising Fact-Finding Committee, which will be launched soon. The committee will further investigate the human rights violations. The gender equality ministry will provide counseling support for the victims.
"The investigation is meaningful in that the state for the first time confirmed the women's human rights were violated during the democratic uprising," a ministry official said.
On May 18, 1980, citizens in Gwangju protested the military junta of Chun Doo-hwan, who took power in a military coup. Martial law was declared and soldiers fired on civilians, even from helicopters, to suppress the protesters. Around 200 residents were reported to have been killed, but Gwangju citizens believe the actual number is much higher.
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