Gwangju

Gwangju is a town of South Korea, capital of the province of Jeolla of the South (Jeollanamdo 전라남도). It counted in 2003 1 400 000 inhabitants.

History

The city was founded towards 57 before JC, and was always a commercial crossroads. It was one of the centers administraifs of Baekje (백제) for the period of the Three kingdoms.

Industrialization

Industrialization started with the construction of the railway line (Jeolla line) (전라철도) towards Seoul (서울). Principal industries were the textile (cotton), the mills for the Riz and the breweries. In 1967 the construction of an industrial park gave a new rise to industry, especially around automobile industry.

In 1929, during the Japanese occupation, a confrontation between Korean and Japanese students in the city caused regional demonstrations, which culminated in one of the most important rebellions of all Korea against the Japanese supervision.

In May 1980, of the demonstrations against the military regime recently founded of Chun Doo-Hwan (전두환) took place with Gwangju (광주). Prohibited by the army, they were repressed, with interventions of the troops of elite of the special forces. According to the majority of the commentators, this repression was of a great brutality, until shootings of automatic weapons on a disarmed crowd. Certain commentators affirm that the United States is partly responsible for these massacres, because of their tacit support for the mode of Chun Doo-Hwan. Gwangju is sometimes called " the memorial of the democracy coréenne" because of these facts, known today as the Massacre of Gwangju. After the return to a democratic civil government, a national cemetery honouring the victims with these events was created. (see the article detailed on the Rising of Kwangju)
These events are used as backdrop with the novel the old garden of the writer Hwang Sok-yong.

Administrative divisions

Gwangju is divided into five districts.

Cultural events

Biennial of Kwangju

External bonds

official site of the municipality (in English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese

Zh-classical: 光州 Zh-yue: 光州

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