What happened in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province?
On the 27th, the SBS program 'Tails of Tales' (hereafter 'Tails of Tales') shed light on the events that unfolded in the Gwangju Estate of Gyeonggi Province under the subtitle "Shadow City - The 1971 Gwangju Estate Incident."
During the Park Chung-hee regime, Seoul Mayor Kim Hyun-ok, nicknamed the bulldozer, demolished shantytowns across Seoul for urban redevelopment and relocated residents to the Gwangju Estate in Gyeonggi Province.
Carried out under a policy of relocation first and development later, the settlement lacked even basic infrastructure, let alone water and electricity, and offered no employment opportunities for the residents. Having left impoverished areas, the residents found themselves living an even poorer life.
They had to endure a harsh existence while battling disease. At some point, unsettling rumors began to circulate. A horrifying tale spread claiming that a mother, driven by extreme hunger, had boiled and eaten her own newborn baby.
After leaving the shantytowns, what awaited them were tent villages, and the population here quickly surged to as many as 40,000 people. However, Mayor Kim expected the residents to fend for themselves, remarking, "If you gather about 100,000 people, they will figure out how to survive and tear into each other on their own."
However, following the Wow Apartment collapse disaster, Mayor Kim Hyun-ok, the creator of South Korea's first shoddy apartments, was forced to step down.
Meanwhile, Cha Ji-cheol, who dreamed of entering the National Assembly at the time, made campaign promises to "complete the construction project within two years, distribute land for free, and abolish taxes for five years," winning overwhelming support to become a member of the National Assembly.
The Gwangju Estate was regarded at the time as a new utopia. Consequently, land prices soared daily, prompting people who dreamed of owning a home to empty their entire fortunes to buy land in the Gwangju Estate. However, the Seoul Metropolitan Government declared a total ban on the trade of pre-sale rights, imposing fines four to eight times the original sale price on residents who transferred their units. Furthermore, they demanded full payment in cash within a fortnight of the notice.
Not content with making residents pay twice for the land, authorities forced them to shoulder up to 67 times the initial purchase price. They also concealed contract conditions stating that failure to move into and settle in the allocated lot within 30 days would render the allocation void and the land transferred to someone else, thus deceiving innocent residents.
Winter was exceptionally cruel to these people. Deaths broke out in various places, and the tragic story of a deceased mother transformed into the cannibalism rumor.
Eventually, residents formed an organization to fight for their rights and requested the Seoul Metropolitan Government to "provide jobs for the impoverished, supply emergency relief grain, lower the price per pyeong, and allow installment payments." Yet, the Seoul Metropolitan Government remained unresponsive. To make matters worse, Gyeonggi Province even levied acquisition taxes.
Furious residents formed a struggle committee and led a mass rally. However, the government dismissed their demands with irresponsible remarks, stating, "Who asked you to come and live here? If you don't like it, leave."
Enraged by this, at least 30,000 residents gathered to vent their frustration and chant slogans. They waited for negotiations with the Seoul Mayor. However, the Mayor failed to appear by the promised time, and at that moment, a torrential downpour broke out. The residents' anger pushed past its breaking point, and the atmosphere at the scene turned increasingly grave.
Residents occupied buses and headed toward the Blue House. Yet, they could advance no further due to government officials blocking their path. The residents had to return home without achieving a single thing.
Just then, news broke that negotiations between the Seoul Mayor and resident representatives had reached a breakthrough. Seoul agreed to meet the residents' demands following a single rally.
In truth, the government had been fully aware of the problems in the Gwangju Estate a year prior. However, they had taken no action purely because of financial costs.
The Gwangju Estate was sacrificed for the development of Seoul. Only Seoul profited at the expense of the shantytown residents. This led to criticisms such as, "Gangnam development for the front yard, Gwangju Estate development for the backyard."
The government paid little attention to the Gwangju Estate because it was a destination for the vulnerable, and they remained satisfied after driving poverty out of Seoul. Gangnam and the Gwangju Estate represented the light and shadow of South Korea's development.
Following the residents' rally, their demands were dramatically accepted. However, in some quarters, authorities tracked down the leaders, subjecting them to torture and pressure. Even after being acquitted, detectives continued to surveil them—an action taken by a government terrified that the residents might regroup.
For a long time, residents of the Gwangju Estate could not proudly state where they lived. That place had suddenly become the land of impoverished subversives.
In 2024, this protest earned the official designation "August 10 Gwangju Estate Seongnam Uprising." It came to be evaluated as the first large-scale urban poor struggle for survival following the establishment of the South Korean government. This was the final desperate resistance of those who had nothing.
Yet, had the government kept its promises from the beginning or refused to turn a blind eye to the grim reality, the events of that day would never have happened.
Poverty still exists in South Korea today, and similar incidents have repeated themselves. Nevertheless, thanks to those who help, understand, and stand by one another through it all, people continue to endure day by day, drawing attention.
(Photo: Yonhap News) (Written by Hyojung Kim, SBS Entertainment News)
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