Show based on the Kwangju Riots

[Kimchee755]

If u live in chicago u might not have seen this show because its on a local korean channel in LA; its based on the Kwangju Riots (1979-1980), if u have seen it could u tell me if this Drama has already aired or if it a new series and tell me the name of it.

This part has nothing to do w/ the drama-
The show airs every fri. @ 10pm-12pm, its 2 ep. in a row, but all of the ep. i watched it hasnt skipped an ep. but when i watched ep. 18 instead of going onto ep. 19 it went 2 20, so if watch this has this happend when u were watching.

Thanks-

Kimchi 7 5 5 - o u t------

[mikey]

I don't live in Los Angeles any more, so I'd only be guessing. Could it be "5th Republic?" That's the story of the military takeover of Korea's civilian government in December, 1979.

The main claim to fame for this drama is that the man who leads the coup (General Jeon) is being played by the same actor who was "The Archfiend" in "Age of Warriors.

[Kimchee755]

Yeah, thats what the shows called because whenever it shows the title it has the number 5 inbetween korean letters, thanks.

and do u know if the show has already aired and there just replaying it?

[mikey]

I'm pretty sure it's a first-run (2005) drama. As far as I know, it's only being shown right now in Los Angeles and on The Asia Network (where they just showed episode #17 today).

It looks like a pretty good, modern-day Korean historical drama, and I wish it were English-subtitled. All the fans of older-period historical dramas (like "Age of Warriors" or "Immortal Yi Soon-shin") would probably love it.

Oh, by the way, my avitar (to the left) is none other than the actor who's currently playing Gen. Jeon, as he appeared last year as Yi Ui-min ("The Archfiend") in "Age of Warriors." Hey, this guy's managed to overthrow two civilian Korean governments in just two years - is that some kind of record? ;D

[Kimchee755]

LOL ;D

[seven stars]

Do either of you have a good link with more accurate details about the riots themselves?

[kinoeugene]

Hi, All..

I'd like to let you know that it was not "RIOT".
And that term 'Kwangju Riots' is not used in korea any more. We call this historical scene 'Kwangju
pro-democracy movement' roughly translated.
In 1979, Kim Jae-Kyu, the chief of KCIA, killed President Park Jeong-Hee. That was tremendous event and Korea was fallen into utter confusion.
General Jeon Du-Whan was charged with investigation for the president's death. After all, he decided to get the power and carried out military coup and succeeded.
He was about to be a president by the military power and started to repress and control medias and the freedom of speech.
In Kwangju, university students fougt against the military dictatorship like everywhere else in korea.
And Gen. Jeon suppressed students so excssively that citizens started to participate the demonstration.
This is the very start of the 'Kwangju
pro-democracy movement'.

I think I would have another chance to discuss about 'Kwangju pro-democracy movement' later.
For now, I gotta go.

ps. please forgive my poor english..

[mikey]

Thank you, kinoeugene, for the clarification. Really, all I know about the subject is what I’ve gathered from the show itself. But, you’re right, for it was truly more of a massacre than a riot.

As the event was presented in 5th Republic, (I’m guessing a bit, since there aren’t any English subtitles in the broadcast I’m viewing) students raided a local armory, made off with a bunch of Korean War era M1 carbines, and then established a stronghold in a sympathetic community, where they printed up anti-coup leaflets and generally stirred up public discontent with South Korea’s new military dictatorship. Gen. Jeon ruthlessly responded to this student uprising by sending in tanks and armored personnel carriers, and essentially wiping them out.

It was a horrifying scene. The carnage was bad enough, but seeing Jeon laughing and back-slapping his fellow generals upon receiving news that the task had been completed was particularly repugnant.

When actor Lee Duk-hwa played “The Archfiend” in Age of Warriors, he played a charismatic kind of ruthless warrior whom you really couldn’t help but like. As Gen. Jeon, he still has a kind of undeniable charisma (maybe just an unavoidable Lee Duk-hwa characteristic) but there’s just no liking him. Maybe, inasmuch as this all just happened as recently as 1980, it all hits a little too close to home for me to take as lightly as some wild carnage from the days of ancient Koryo.

It’s a pretty good modern history drama, and such a shame that it is not English subtitled.

[kinoeugene unlogged]

I think this link would be helpful to understand this sad historical scene of korea.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwangju_massacre