Expectations for the Publication of The May 18 Gwangju Democratic Uprising and Women 2025
HA Juhee
[Litigation representative for the lawsuit on the national compensation for sexual violence victims
by martial law troops during the May 18 Democratization Movement]
I am very much looking forward to the publication of The May 18 Gwangju Democratic Uprising and Women 2025. I pay my respects to the passion and efforts of nine diverse women activists and researchers who have created a textbook on Gwangju, The Women’s History over the course of a year. The objectives of the publication, as outlined by the two presenters, are explained as reconstruct and restore the history of women's struggle from May 18 to 27, 1980, by time and location (LEE Chunhee), logically organized based on facts, reconstructed on a daily basis, and conditions suffered by women were listed, including the number of those missing and killed, or those who suffered sexual violence (JEONG Kyungwoon), which is enough to present the significance of the book’s publication.
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She said that she obtained courage from the Me Too movement in 2018 back then. I believe it is the case that the present helped the past. Those who found such courage gathered together, testified at the National Assembly, and expressed the need for legal interventions that respect and empower survivors. Eventually, they advocated for legal amendments and initiated a lawsuit. On December 3, 2025, witnessing the declaration of martial law, they filed the lawsuit on December 12, 2025, at the Seoul Central District Court because they had something urgent to say. In the meantime, I think how the community will engage in a just and healing process with the survivors remains a challenge. Today's forum, which aims to share cases of women's rights resistance to war and violence and discuss future responsive strategies related to the women of May in Gwangju, will continue to be an intense exploration on how to address this challenge.
Expectations for the Publication of The May 18 Gwangju Democratic Uprising and Women 2025
HA Juhee
[Litigation representative for the lawsuit on the national compensation for sexual violence victims
by martial law troops during the May 18 Democratization Movement]
I am very much looking forward to the publication of The May 18 Gwangju Democratic Uprising and Women 2025. I pay my respects to the passion and efforts of nine diverse women activists and researchers who have created a textbook on Gwangju, The Women’s History over the course of a year. The objectives of the publication, as outlined by the two presenters, are explained as reconstruct and restore the history of women's struggle from May 18 to 27, 1980, by time and location (LEE Chunhee), logically organized based on facts, reconstructed on a daily basis, and conditions suffered by women were listed, including the number of those missing and killed, or those who suffered sexual violence (JEONG Kyungwoon), which is enough to present the significance of the book’s publication.
.
.
.
She said that she obtained courage from the Me Too movement in 2018 back then. I believe it is the case that the present helped the past. Those who found such courage gathered together, testified at the National Assembly, and expressed the need for legal interventions that respect and empower survivors. Eventually, they advocated for legal amendments and initiated a lawsuit. On December 3, 2025, witnessing the declaration of martial law, they filed the lawsuit on December 12, 2025, at the Seoul Central District Court because they had something urgent to say. In the meantime, I think how the community will engage in a just and healing process with the survivors remains a challenge. Today's forum, which aims to share cases of women's rights resistance to war and violence and discuss future responsive strategies related to the women of May in Gwangju, will continue to be an intense exploration on how to address this challenge.