E2024-G167

Poet Kim Jun-tae: Remembering Gwangju and the May 18 Democratic Uprising

Narrative

Kim Jun-tae (1948-) is a poet and democratization activist. Born in Haenam, he studied at Chosun University in Gwangju. Following the May 18 Democratic Uprising, he wrote the first poem about the event, “Aa Gwangjuyeo! Uri nara ui sipjagayeo”(Gwangju, Cross of Our Nation) which was published in the Chonnam Daily. The poem, which mentions key places in Gwangju, such as Mudeungsan Mountain, Geumnam-ro Road, and Chungchang-ro Road, resulted in the newspaper being shut down and Kim being laid off from his job as a teacher at Chonnam High School. He also wrote the poem “Gwangju e bachineun norae” (A Song Dedicated to Gwangju) about the uprising.

Story Map

• Literary Witnesses: Writing Democracy and Resistance
  • Deulbul Night School and Nokdu Bookstore
  • Fictional Portrayals of the May 18 Democratic Uprising: Literature
  • Hwang Sok-yong: Remembering the May 18 Democratic Uprising through Words
  • From Gwangju to the World: Nobel Prize Laureate Han Kang
  • Recording the Events of the May 18 Democratic Uprising: Gwangju Diary by Lee Jae-eui
  • Poet Kim Jun-tae: Remembering Gwangju and the May 18 Democratic Uprising