Students of Korean history at George Washington University have posted videos relating to the Gwangju Uprising, including a video compilation of evening news segments from the big three, CBS, NBC, and ABC.
HT to day4night.
US Network Coverage of Gwangju Uprising
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Excellent videos. Interesting to note that in the midst of the Cold War (and, in the wake of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan) there is little or no suggestion in US media coverage of a communist role in these events. The man in the third video indicates that hardcore elements had begun to assume control from the original protesters – which is almost certainly true – and it is suggested that some people were also being killed by those other than soldiers, but the coverage throughout emphasizes Koreans’ unhappiness with martial law, not to mention the discrimination faced by the people of Jeolla.
Notice too that the closer the correspondents were to Kwangju, the more favorable their view of the protesters was. The first clip is from Seoul, the second from Kwangju, and the third from the outskirts of Kwangju (with the military). The correspondent in Kwangju mentions the people in towns outside the city cheering the protesters, as well as phrases like “the city was left to its citizens” when the military pulled out on the fourth day.
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