Young people visiting Gwangju to learn about May 18

“We study 5ㆍ18 & Gwangju"-University students from the Department of Korean Studies at the University of Tübingen, Germany visit Gwangju

Human Rights Club of Kyeongbook National University visits Gwangju for 2 days with friends

The May 18 International Research Institute of the May 18 Memorial Foundation (Chairman Won Soon-seok) will hold the “Miri Class” networking program at the May 18 Academy, the May 18 Democratic Movement Education Center, the May 18 Memorial Foundation, and other places in Gwangju from the 17th to the 19th. The program is an international education program for university students under the theme of “We study 5ㆍ18 & Gwangju” to spread the 5ㆍ18 spirit and foster future researchers, and is co-hosted by the 5ㆍ18 Education Center.

This year, as a pilot program, 30 students from the University of Tübingen visited Gwangju, Korea, and participated in an on-site experiential learning program to understand the history and culture of Gwangju through visiting the 5ㆍ18 Eve Festival, visiting 5ㆍ18 historical sites, and listening to and discussing expert lectures.

Since 2010, the University of Tübingen, Germany, has established the Tuebingen Center for Korean Studies at Korea University (TUCKU) on the campus of Korea University, and 30 to 40 students study as exchange students from Korean universities every year. TUCKU students experience language and culture at Korean universities for one year, during which they visit Andong and the DMZ to learn about Korean traditional culture and history.

In 2024, they will travel to Gwangju for the first time to understand the May 18th Uprising, a major historical event in Korea's modern history. In preparation for this program, the 5ㆍ18 International Research Institute and the Center for Korean Studies at the University of Tübingen, Germany (Prof. Lee Yong-jae, director of the Center) have been in talks for academic exchange cooperation since the second half of 2023, and together with the 5ㆍ18 Education Center, they will launch an on-site experiential learning program (“Miri Class”) under the theme of “We study 5ㆍ18 & Gwangju”.

“The May 18th Uprising is an important event in Korean history, so I have been looking forward to the Tübingen students' visit to Gwangju. The Gwangju program should be continued every year,” he said, emphasizing the importance of the program.

On May 5, “Over the Blank”, a human rights club from Kyeongbook National University, visited the May 18th International Research Institute. The club gathered 13 students from Kyeongbook National University, Seoul National University, and Korea University to visit Gwangju on their own for two days, visiting key May 18th sites. The students organized their own tour program and requested a “5ㆍ18 Special Lecture” from the 5ㆍ18 International Research Institute, and held a two-hour lecture and group discussion on 5ㆍ18 at the Memorial Foundation's Owol Memorial Repository.

“University students in other regions know about the uprising through movies and textbooks, but I came to Gwangju with many questions,” said Kim Sang-cheon (Kyeongbook National University), a member of the club. ”The 5ㆍ18 Special Lecture allowed me to understand the uprising from various perspectives, especially the regional and historical background, and I was able to continue to think about it while visiting the 5ㆍ18 Archives and the JeonIl Building.