the time when the sun rises #9 Painting

In May, I inevitably enter into a sad fragment of my memory. Gwangju Democratization Movement. It is May 18, 1980. There was a peaceful protest against the military dictatorship in South Korea, and the military declared martial law, and about 2,300 people were killed by soldiers. At that time, my uncle was a doctor, and I heard later that he was beaten a lot by soldiers just because he treated university students who had collapsed on the road. I heard from my brother, when he was a kid, people just lay down on the side of the road as if they were sleeping, and there were a lot of bullets next to them, so he didn't know anything and just picked them up. He said that a tear bomb had penetrated the windows of our house, and the whole family had to run away. I can't count so many fearful stories of that day that I later heard from my family. However, they were not the ones who would stop the democratization movement just because there were so many casualties. They have always fought for democratization ever since. Perhaps the sacrifice continued for a long time, eventually driving out the military dictatorship and achieving democratization. That is why I am proud of Gwangju, where I was born. I always think of their sacrifices in May. There are so many people to be thankful for. Even now, there are many people around the world who fight for the people and sacrifice for them. Thank you. (May 4, 2023)