My Blog

A quarter of a century on, Koreans are remembering one of the ugliest episodes in their history.

In May 1980, hundreds of civilians were massacred by soldiers in the south-western city of

Kwangju

after rising up against military rule.

Although it was brutally put down, the Kwangju Uprising is now seen by many as a pivotal moment in the South Korean struggle for democracy in the long period of dictatorship following the Korean war.

And some contend the uprising had important ramifications which are still being felt now, both inside

Korea

and beyond its borders.

There is a sombre monument and museum dedicated to the massacre in

Kwangju

, and the anniversary of the beginning of the siege on 18 May is now a public holiday in

Korea

.

The

Kwangju

Uprising lit the fuse of the dynamite stick of democracy.
                                         - Hwang Sok-yong
                                            Korean novelist and former dissident

Read more: http://518solidarity.blogspot.com/2007_05_01_archive.html

I am back to Korea. And this is my first Blog entry, whew… after a long. a bit long time.

I stayed with a friend in Seoul (en route to Gwangju City) for the weekend and I was brought to a Raphael Clinic where she gets free check-up and medicine for her ailment. The Clinic is located at Hyewha across the Catholic Church where Filipinos would go to mass filling the church to the brim on a Sunday. And of course the usual tiangge, where bangus, tilapia, tsitsirya and other grocery items from the Philippines are imported. I got my telephone card to call long distance from the Pinoy vendors also. Very industrious and enterprising Pinoy who works on weekdays and on a Sunday they don’t rest but sell their wares for extra-income to send back home.

So, at Raphael Clinic, I was so amazed by the service they provide. I queued from the ground floor to the 3rd floor where I met other migrant workers being given welcome snacks after registration.

Read more:http://peterahon.blogspot.com/2007/05/raphael-clinic-angel-of-migrant-workers.html

In recognition of their efforts to improve human rights in

India

, the 2007 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights Selection Committee has selected Lenin Raghuvanshi and Irom Sharmila as co-recipients of the award. Regardless of the difference in the methods respectively employed, they both have fought for the same noble cause of the advancement of human rights and social justice, yet they still have a long way to go.

The Gwangju Prize for Human Rights will provide boost in their further struggles. It can make the two awardees and their struggles known to a wider audience while offering them the strength and courage required to complete their journey towards their goals. We believe there lies the principal objective of the Gwangju Prize for Human Rights.

Read more: http://518solidarity.blogspot.com/2007_04_01_archive.html