Gwangju Uprising

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The Gwangju Uprising, also known in South Korea as the May 18 Democratization Movement (Korean: 5·18 민주화 운동), was a series of student-led demonstrations that took place in Gwangju, South Korea, in May 1980, against the coup d'état of May Seventeenth by Chun Doo-hwan that strengthened his power. Chun had previously taken power and become military dictator through the coup d'état of December Twelfth at the end of 1979. He implemented martial law, arrested opposition leaders, closed all universities, banned political activities, and suppressed the press. The uprising was violently suppressed by the South Korean military who retook Gwangju. Between 600 and 2,300 people were killed. The uprising began when Chonnam National University students demonstrating against martial law were fired upon, killed, beaten and tortured by South Korean soldiers. Some Gwangju citizens took up arms and formed militias, raiding local police stations and armories, and were able to take control of large sections...

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