Scars open ahead of court ruling

Bullet holes in the floor and wall of the 10th floor of Jeonil Building in Gwangju are numbered "36" (top) and "71." The holes, among 245 found inside and outside the structure in an investigation by the National Forensic Service, show the building was fired upon from a helicopter during the May 18 Democratic Uprising in 1980. Korea Times photos by Choi Won-suk

Military strongman Chun Doo-hwan brutally put down protesters in Gwangju on May 18, 1980, and Jeonil Building in the city bears witness to that.

By Ko Dong-hwan

GWANGJU ― It is hard to miss Jeonil Building, a dilapidated structure next to Gwangju's large public square in front of the former main building of the South Jeolla Provincial Government.

Paint is peeling in spots on the exterior of the white 10-story building, built in the 1960s. In 1980, the square was one of the flashpoints where citizens gathered to protest the power grab by military strongman Chun Doo-hwan, who sent troops in to suppress them with force.

The building was left with 245 bullet holes, with 193 found inside the 10th floor, according to the National Forensic Service that investigated the structure from 2016 to 2017 at the city's request. It was the city government's bid to obtain evidence that Chun ordered military helicopters to open fire at the protesters who were hiding inside.

The NFS report nearly confirmed the bullets were sprayed from a hovering helicopter. It said most of the 17 bullet holes located outside the building appear to have been left by bullets from government-issued carbine rifles.

The Ministry of National Defense's special investigation team for the May 18 uprising reported in February 2018 that around 40 helicopters, including 500MD attack choppers and UH-1H transportation choppers, took part in the suppression of the democratic movement on May 21 and 27.

The building had housed newspaper companies, with Jeonnam Ilbo operating there when the chopper attacked the structure, according to Cho Eun-sang from the Gwangju Metropolitan City Corp.

The Jeonil Building in Gwangju's eastern district of Dong-gu housed newspaper companies. Now covered with graffiti, it is empty and awaiting remodeling to become part of the city's heritage.

"The daily continued to operate even after the May 18 Democratic Uprising," Cho told The Korea Times, referring to the 10-day fight against the Army in 1980. "Gwangju Ilbo later took over the site. After the company vacated, the property was sold to the city corporation in 2011. The building was operational at least partially until 2017 when the NFS report was released."

Jeonil Building is now being prepared for renovation, led by the corporation, to preserve it as a symbol of the city's fight for democracy. The project begins on Feb. 1.

"The building had received additions over four times, causing it to crack and leak," said Cho, one of the key people behind the structure's remodeling.

"The remodeling will preserve the bullet holes, introduce an electronic library that archives data about the 1980 uprising, and cooperate with the Asia Culture Center in facilitating the whole building as a public exhibition pavilion."

The Asia Culture Center is based next to the old South Jeolla Provincial Government building.

Geumnam-ro, the road next to Jeonil Building, stretches northwest toward modern buildings. The dilapidated building and the road in front are symbolic of the May 18 Democratic Uprising where Gwangju citizens fought military forces sent by coup leader Chun Doo-hwan, who later took the presidential office from 1980-88.

Chun's luck thinning

Such a retro-renovation has highlighted the absence of Chun, 87, at the second hearing of his criminal trial at Gwangju District Court on Jan. 7, rubbing salt into the 40-year-old wounds of the Gwangju people, some of whom lost children, parents and relatives in the Chun-led junta's brutal crackdown.

The former Army general, who rose to power in a coup and ruled the country from 1980 to 1988, was charged by prosecutors in May 2018 with "criminal defamation of the deceased." Having denied his role in ordering the helicopter to fire at Jeonil Building, Chun in his 2017 memoir called the late priest Cho Bi-oh a "masked Satan" and "downright liar undeserving the ecclesiastical title," over Cho's own claim to have witnessed the chopper attacking the building.

Chun's harsh words aroused public ire. Priest Cho Young-dae, Cho's cousin, filed the defamation suit with prosecutors. The Gwangju court held its first trial session in August 2018 but Chun didn't attend, claiming he is suffering Alzheimer's disease.

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The following month, Chun, living in the Yeonhui-dong area in Seoul's western Seodaemun-gu, requested his case be transferred to the Seoul Central District Court. It was viewed as his attempt to avoid visiting the city where over 200 people were killed, almost 2,400 wounded and 1,000 victimized in other ways during his military crackdown.

Space flanking the windows on the empty 10th floor of Jeonil Building is cordoned off to preserve the bullet holes.

But the Supreme Court dismissed Chun's petition to move the trial to another court in November.

Five days before the second hearing in Chun's criminal trial, citizens nationwide were provoked by a remark from his wife Lee Soon-ja. In an interview with the ultra-right news outlet News Town, she called Chun "the father of democracy" for introducing the single-term system for the presidency.

Lee also condemned the judiciary for rejecting his court transfer bid, saying "it is comical that they insist on questioning a person, suffering from dementia and not remembering what happened recently, about what happened in 1980."

Lee's interview brought 10 women from Gwangju to Chun's Seoul home, where they demanded the former first lady apologize.

Kim Jeom-rae, right, whose 24-year-old son was gunned down by soldiers during the May 18 Democratic Uprising, visited the Gwangju District Court on Jan. 7 to attend the second criminal trial session for Chun Doo-hwan, who is charged with defamation.

Different ages share anti-Chun rage

Chun's lawyer Jung Joo-kyo, legal representatives from four local civic groups that commemorate the May 18 uprising, and citizens attended the court on Monday. The judge said Chun's presence will be required at the court on March 11, whether voluntarily or forcibly.

After the brief hearing, one of the lawyers for the civic groups urged Chun "not to miss the last chance in his twilight years to admit his wrongdoings and beg for mercy."

"The court must no longer show mercy to him … and subpoena him to hold a trial promptly," the lawyer said in front of the court building.

About 10 young people who claimed to be "the young adult civic party" chanted before the trial, "Chun Doo-hwan, the key man behind the massacre, repent!" and "the court must respect citizens' voices and subpoena Chun!"

Priest Cho Young-dae, right, and legal representatives of family members of the victims of the May 18 Democratic Uprising protest in front of the Gwangju District Court after the second criminal trial session for Chun Doo-hwan on Jan. 7. The banners behind read: "Souls of May are bewailing," "Chun Doo-hwan must repent and face the judgement of history" and "Chun Doo-hwan must stop making absurd comments and attend trial."

Party member Lee Yu-ri said: "After 39 years, while the government has yet to uncover all of the painful history, our Gwangju mothers cried in Seoul after Lee's comment. Does she not know the meaning of democracy? The man who trampled us with knives and guns is the father of democracy?"

Dozens of elderly men and women made an emotional protest outside the court. A woman from the bereaved family members' union said she had offered food to civic protesters twice a day during the uprising. Another member angrily condemned Lee for "calling her husband who beat, shot and stabbed our children to death the so-called democratic father." She said: "If that murderer came out here, I would tear that worse-than-bug apart."

Another angry female voice suggested they must "take several buses up to Seoul and show what Gwangju is made of."

Kim Jeom-rae, 82, who fiercely criticized Chun, said that when she discovered her 24-year-old son's body during the uprising, his face was unrecognizable because of gunshot wounds.

A protester stamps his feet on a poster featuring Chun's image in front of the Gwangju District Court on Jan. 7.

Choo Hye-sang, 62, whose husband was injured during the uprising, was one of the women who went to Chun's Seoul house. She said: "I knew Chun would not show up today. That's why I had gone up to Yeonhui-dong. I wouldn't have gone up there if he showed up today."

Priest Cho, who joined the crowd, said: "Chun, if he thinks he is righteous, must then show up at the Gwangju court and see who is the real Satan between him and the late Cho. I demand he show up on March 11 and face the truth."

A boy from Dongsan Elementary School, across from the court, seeing the rowdy scene and realizing what was going on, mumbled to himself that Chun "must be sentenced to at least 20 years." He didn't forget to curse the former president with coarse language.