The civilian uprising of May 1980, when more than 200 Gwangju citizens were killed during the government’s bloody suppression of the demonstrations, is remembered as one of the darkest hours in Korean contemporary history. Now, with the city moving forward from its tortured history and evolving as a destination for culture, Gwangju officials believe that hosting the Universiade in 2013 will help complete the turnaround. / Korea Times File

By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter

The May 18 Memorial Cemetery is as exquisite as a French garden, with immaculate lawns, perfectly trimmed trees, stone steps, and a high-reaching, ivory-colored tower reminding visitors they are on hollowed ground.

The beauty of the massive cemetery, stretching more than 166,700 square meters, serves as a stark contrast to the brutality suffered by those buried under the grave markers and that of their family members, who had to wait for 16 years before redemption came their way.

Gwangju is now buzzing with excitement and anticipation as the city pushes forward its bid to host the 2013 Universiade, or the World University Games, that trails only the Olympics in size as a sporting event.

Inspectors from the International University Sports Federation (FISU), who arrived in Gwangju Thursday for a five-day trip to judge the city's bid, will be touring streets that were once stormed by paratroopers, who committed a massacre of pro-democracy demonstrators that haunts the city to this day.

At least 200 people were killed by the bloody suppression of the protests that began on May 18, 1980, and continued for 10 days, as military strongman Chun Doo-hwan came to power and looked to complete his coup d' etat.

Throughout Chun's reign, which continued until 1988, the May 18 incident was denounced as an armed rebellion inspired by Communist sympathizers.

It wasn't until 1995 that the National Assembly passed a special law, which enabled the prosecution of Chun and other military officials participating in the Dec. 12 coup d'tat of 1979. Their punishments were settled in 1997, including a life sentence for Chun, although the former president was pardoned by the Kim Young-sam administration later that year.

Nearly three decades removed from the tragedy, the citizens of Gwangju carry their tortured memory as a symbol of pride, believing that the memory gives the city a distinct heritage as it evolves as a destination for culture and education.

The Gwangju Biennale has developed into one of the biggest and most acclaimed art festivals in East Asia, and the city's 16 universities and colleges, listing more than 134,000 students, add an injection of vibrancy.

The government in 2002 past a special law to develop Gwangju as a destination for culture, or the ``cultural capital" of South Korea, and promised to spend more than 5.2 trillion won ($51 billion) to finance the efforts.

Winning the rights to host the 2013 Universiade would add further evidence that the future is finally smiling toward the ``city of light," according to the organizers of the Gwangju bid.

``Gwangju's part in the country's democratization movement and its current reputation as a cultural destination are what we believe are the most distinctive parts of the bid," said Jeon Ho-jong, President of Chosun University.

Jeon is one of the many presidents of Gwangju-based universities who are deeply involved in the Gwangju bid.

thkim@koreatimes.co.kr