{"id":15906,"date":"2020-03-17T12:00:31","date_gmt":"2020-03-17T04:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/?p=15906"},"modified":"2021-06-23T16:52:22","modified_gmt":"2021-06-23T08:52:22","slug":"support-sent-from-the-80s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/2020\/03\/support-sent-from-the-80s\/","title":{"rendered":"Support Sent from the \u201980s"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

South Koreans show support to Hong Kong as they recall their own memory of struggles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Eve Lee & Fiona Cheung<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two hundred people in black marched from Seoul City Hall to the Embassy of the People\u2019s Republic of China in late November in support of the Hong Kong anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill (anti- ELAB) Movement. They chanted slogans and held banners in Korean, English, and Chinese that read \u201cWe support Hong Kong Resistance\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Han Ka-eun, a 23-year-old student from Ewha Womans University and a member of Workers\u2019 Solidarity, was one of the protestors in the rally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe distributed leaflets to explain Hong Kongers\u2019\nfive demands to Koreans and tourists in the streets,\u201d Han says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKorea has a history of student movements, so it is natural for Korean students to sympathize with Hong Kong students and fight for their human rights,\u201d says Han. \u201cI stand with Hong Kong because their demands are fundamental human rights. And we believe the five demands are right,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Two South Korean students with the banner “STAND WITH HK” at Yonsei University
Photo courtesy: Jun Sangjin<\/em>
<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Hong Kong protests have taken the globe by storm for their fight for freedom and democracy. The controversial amendment to the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance proposed by the Hong Kong Government in February in 2019 sparked a public backlash. Hundreds of protestors flock to different districts in Hong Kong as the anti-ELAB Movement continued with the five key demands \u2013 withdrawal of the bill, the investigation into police brutality and misconduct, retracting the classification of protesters as \u201crioters\u201d, amnesty for arrested protestors, and dual universal suffrage.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reminiscence of South Korea\u2019s Gwangju Uprising<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

South Korea has its own bloody history of democratic movements in the past few decades after the Korean War in the \u201960s. Kim Hyun-sook, a 57-year-old docent of the Asia Culture Center in Gwangju, shares her memories of the Gwangju Uprising in 1980 that she witnessed as a high school student. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kim says she was on the train with her friends\non May 18, 1980. \u201cThrough a window, I saw a young man with a soldier. He was\nbleeding, and he kneeled down next to a soldier,\u201d Kim recalls. \u201cBut he didn\u2019t\nseem afraid. He looked firm and strong,\u201d she adds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cA group of beaten demonstrators was lying on the ground and the soldiers were stepping on their back on May 19,\u201d Kim says. \u201cOn May 21, my mom said a commerce centre was full of corpses in coffins,\u201d Kim continues, \u201cAnd the centre was overwhelmed with a smell of dead bodies and sickening odor.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt saddens me to see citizens of Hong Kong\ngetting hurt like what happened in Gwangju,\u201d Kim sighs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lim Ju-wha, representative of Gwangju Welfare\nHuman Rights Research Institute and Amnesty International Korea 60group, says the\nrecent social unrest in Hong Kong is similar to the Gwangju uprising in the\naspect that it is a violent physical confrontation between the authorities in\npower and the citizens. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn both Gwangju uprising and the anti-extradition bill movement, there is the suppression of democracy. Freedom of speech is violated and police officers do not face investigation for their brutality against protesters in Hong Kong,\u201d says Lim. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lim observes how history repeats. \u201cNational\nviolence brings posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to all past, present and\nfuture generations,\u201d says Lim. \u201cThe South Korean government is helping those\nwho are still suffering from the trauma of the Gwangju Uprising,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo help prevent the repeat of Gwangju history, some South Korean students have stood up to fight with Hong Kong,\u201d Lim says, \u201cAnd this is also why people in Gwangju support Hong Kong as well.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

South Korea’s struggle to democracy — Gwangju Uprising<\/strong>
Chun Doo-hwan, a former South Korean Army general, began his authoritarian rule with a military coup on December 12, 1979, after the assassination of the former president, Park Chung-hee. 

The military junta then decided to resume martial law, which was imposed previously by other dictatorial leaders, in early 1980. University students began to protest, demanding immediate democratization and calling for an end to martial law.

In response to the protests, on May 17, 1980, the government extended martial law to the whole country and arrested opposition figures, dissolved the National Assembly, closed all universities nationwide and banned all protests.

In defiance of suppression, a massive protest, the Gwangju Uprising, ensued in the city of Gwangju. Intense clashes between university students and the military government took place outside the front gate of Chonnam National University in Gwangju from May 18 to 27, 1980. The movement grew with the participation of civilians and won against the army on May 21, 1980. But the retreated army attacked the city again in the early morning of May 27, 1980, ending the uprising in a pool of blood. Hundreds were killed and injured. 

The uprising failed to achieve what it had hoped for but remembered as one of the most significant events in South Korean history of the democratic movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lennon Walls on campus <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Lennon Wall in front of Yonsei University Central Library<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Apart from joining\nrallies, some South Koreans supporting Hong Kong\u2019s democracy movement have also\nset up Lennon walls, mostly on campus, to encourage Hong Kong students studying\nin South Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A student organisation from Yonsei University collected encouraging messages and posted them on Lennon Wall from November 20 to early December in support of the Hong Kong protests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe received a letter of support for Hong Kong protest from Bae Eun-sim, mother of Lee Han-yeol. Lee died after the June Democracy Movement of 1987,\u201d members of the organisation say. \u201cWe posted the letter on campus and recited it during the assembly on December 8 to bring more support.\u201d   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe saddest thing is that the students get hurt and die during their fight. I hope no one gets hurt anymore […] I sincerely hope for the victory in Hong Kong\u201d  <\/em><\/p>Bae Eun-sim, mother of Lee Han-yeol<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lennon Walls in South Korean universities <\/strong>
Lennon Wall originated from Prague represents resistance against the communist government. The first Lennon Wall in Hong Kong was set up outside the Central Government Complex during the 2014 Umbrella Movement. The mosaic walls of post tips sprout throughout the small city with the escalation of the anti-ELAB Movement in 2019.

South Korean students who support the movement have also set up Lennon Walls across different university campuses in Korea. Some notes and banners were, however, damaged — especially those printed with \u201cLiberate Hong Kong, Revolution of our time\u201d in Chinese, a slogan commonly used in the movement. Conflicts between individuals and activists occurred.

\u201cMaybe it\u2019s because there is no such thing in Mainland China, so some Chinese students don\u2019t know they shouldn\u2019t do that,\u201d explains Kiki, a 20-year-old student studying management at Korea University who refuses to disclose her full name.

Despite strong resistance from Chinese students, a group of ordinary Korean citizens created a Facebook page, \u201cHong Kong Protest Lennon Wall in South Korea\u201d, as a safer platform to express opinions and support the movement.

The Facebook page administrator, who hopes to stay anonymous, says the page also aims to arouse public attention of the issue with the use of the social media platform.

\u201cIt is a direct threat to our freedom of speech,\u201d the administrator says. He describes the vandalism act as \u201cdisrespectful\u201d and \u201cunacceptable\u201d.

While condemning vicious attacks of the physical Lennon Walls, the administrator stresses that they are not against any nationality and believes no discriminatory comments should be posted.

Plights for giving assistance to Hong Kongers did not occur only from individuals but also from authorities. 

Hankuk University of Foreign Studies issued a notice to forbid students from posting \u201cpolitical\u201d posters to maintain orders on campus in November. Several other universities implemented similar measures.

In the incidents of authorities removing Lennon Walls on university campuses, speculations about pressure from China were aroused. \u201cAlong with the case above, many speculated that part of the problem, if not the only, was because of their dependence on the Chinese students\u2019 tuition fees,\u201d the administrator from the online Lennon Wall says. 

Students immediately responded to the measure and regarded it as further diminishing South Korea\u2019s freedom of speech. 

These students involved felt they were not only fighting for democracy in Hong Kong but also defending their own freedom to speak.
 
The administrator says, \u201cSome South Koreans know how challenging it is to make democracy live up to its name. Hence, they are able to better relate to conflicts in Hong Kong.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An internal Chinese affair?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is a big encouragement to us,\u201d says Joey\nSiu, external vice-president of City University of Hong Kong Students\u2019\nUnion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Siu believes the current situation in Hong\nKong is an international issue– it influences the interest of stakeholders\naround the globe and the relationship between different countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTheir support also reflects their opinion to\ntheir own government,\u201d says Siu. \u201cApart from supporting the Hong Kong protesters,\nit puts pressure on their government to respond to the Hong Kong issues and\nstand up against China\u2019s human rights violations,\u201d Siu explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
A group of people gathered at Korea University in support of the Hong Kong protests
Photo courtesy: Kiki<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There, however, are others who think otherwise. Kiki, a student studying management at Korea University who asks for anonymity, believes that Korean students should not interfere with Hong Kong affairs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think what\u2019s happening in Hong Kong is an\ninternal affair of mainland China,\u201d she emphasizes, \u201cthere should not be\nforeign interference.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have the right to talk\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeople should be able\nto talk about political issues freely,\u201d an administrator of an online\norganisation, Hong Kong Protest Lennon Wall in South Korea, says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The administrator, who\ndeclines to reveal his full name, believes \u201cWe have the right to talk about\npolitics of any country and it is not an act of challenging their\nsovereignties.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
A banner by the members of Yonsei University Students who support the Hong Kong Democratic Resistance <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHong Kong problem is\nnot just a \u2018China\u2019 problem; it\u2019s of all humans, and of us\u201d states the\nintroduction from the Facebook page of the online organisation. The\nadministrator and members of the platform consider themselves the same as Hong\nKong people who are experiencing a political and humanitarian crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe hope to bring\nchange for democracy,\u201d members of the Yonsei University Students who support\nthe Hong Kong Democratic Resistance say, \u201cDemocracy, in which normal citizens\ncan make their own decisions in their daily encounters. That is what we want.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The student concern\ngroup explains their plan for the coming semester in March.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe will try to enhance our solidarity with the Hong Kong civic organizations to acquire more information about the movement,\u201d members of the organisation say, \u201cIf there is obscure information, we will debate internally and externally to dig out the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Koreans want more media coverage on Hong Kong<\/strong>
In South Korea, news outlets covered the anti-extradition bill movement in their headlines when violent clashes occurred across university campuses in last November. Reporters deployed to Hong Kong were equipped with bulletproof waistcoats. 

Kim Jimin, a third-year university student studying Spanish at Kyung Hee University, thinks South Korean media updates news about the social unrest constantly but not in a thorough manner. 

\u201cIt is dubious. Some people think the South Korean media is being censored by pressure from pro-China groups,\u201d says Kim. \u201cI think many Koreans are aware of the recent incidents in Hong Kong but not the important details of what Hong Kongers are actually fighting for,\u201d she adds. 

Members of Yonsei University Students who support the Hong Kong Democratic Resistance agree with what Kim says about South Korea\u2019s biased media coverage.

\u201cWe ask Korean media to provide the public with in-depth reports that explain the root causes of the Hong Kong protest and its significance,\u201d they say, \u201cwe would like to know the change in the social climate of Hong Kong after the 2019 Hong Kong local elections.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

Table of incidents around Lennon Walls in Korea<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Where?<\/th>What happened?<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Yonsei University<\/td>The Hong Kong protest supporting banners on campus were damaged and torn by unknown individuals in late October and early November. <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hankuk University of Foreign Studies<\/td>Korean students supporting Hong Kong protests said to suffer from cyberbullying by the Chinese students for their advocacy<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Chonnam National University<\/td>Banners and Lennon Walls were damaged by individuals.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hanyang University<\/td>The school transferred and archived all the notes on Lennon Wall as confrontations between Korean and Chinese students continued<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Seoul National University<\/td>A student organization on 19 November filed a case against those who damaged the Lennon Wall <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Korea University<\/td>A series of cases were reported about damage and preservation of Lennon walls. Korean student activists were reported to be harassed by some Chinese students for supporting Hong Kong protest.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Myongji University<\/td>A fight broke out between Chinese and Korean students after the Chinese students tried to damage posters on Lennon Wall on 19 November 2019<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n

Edited by Soohyun Kim
Sub-edited by Tiffany Chong<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The anti-ELAB movement reminds Koreans of the 1980 Gwangju Uprising. Korean students and witnesses of the Gwangju Uprising share their story of freedom fight and their sympathy for the movement in Hong Kong.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":16215,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1384,1803,7],"tags":[1292,1404,1401,205,1403],"class_list":["post-15906","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-march-2020-aid-from-all-quarters-periscope","category-march-2020-issue","category-periscope","tag-antielab","tag-freedom","tag-gwangju-uprising","tag-hong-kong","tag-south-korea"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15906","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15906"}],"version-history":[{"count":77,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15906\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16450,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15906\/revisions\/16450"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16215"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15906"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15906"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15906"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}