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Jürgen Hinzpeter’s “Faces of Gwangju” from 1980 Released

- "Gwangju’s Short Spring" Made Public -

• Footage donated by Jürgen Hinzpeter released on the Foundation’s Digital Archive (www.518memory.org).
• Captures the faces and daily lives of citizens in a city that traded death for democracy during the May 1980 Uprising.

Jürgen Hinzpeter, a correspondent for the German public broadcaster ARD (NDR) based in Tokyo at the time, traveled to Gwangju in 1980 to film the May 18 Democratization Movement.

Following Hinzpeter’s death in 2016, the May 18 Memorial Foundation maintained ongoing exchanges with his widow, and in 2024, brought 388 items from the journalist’s estate to Gwangju. The collection included various items demonstrating Hinzpeter’s deep affection for Korea and Gwangju, such as scrapbooks of printed photos, slides, and video tapes documenting the Gwangju Uprising.

The May 18 Memorial Foundation (Chairman Yoon Mok-hyun), with the assistance of the National Archives of Korea and film experts, has digitized 197 photographs and a 32-minute video left by Hinzpeter. These materials are being released in commemoration of the 46th anniversary of the May 18 Democratization Movement.

"Gwangju’s Short Spring" is a short compilation edited from various films Hinzpeter shot in 1980. It includes:

• Scenes of protesters in vehicles heading to the outskirts of the city on the afternoon of May 21, immediately following the mass shooting in front of the Provincial Hall.
• Rallies at the fountain in front of the Provincial Hall from May 23 to 26, grieving families at Sangmudae where bodies were laid out, and the calm daily life in areas like Yangdong Market.
• The aftermath of the crackdown on May 27, showing martial law forces collecting bodies and cleaning the streets.

While parts of this footage have previously appeared in various domestic documentaries, the full sequence is notable for its numerous close-ups of citizens' faces, which vividly capture the unfolding situation of the time:

• The determined faces of youth on trucks and the cheering citizens applauding them from the streets.
• The face of a vendor at Yangdong Market, showing life continuing despite the turmoil.
• The mutilated faces of the deceased in the Red Cross Hospital mortuary and the agonizing faces of grieving families.
• The anger of citizens seeing bodies brought to the Provincial Hall and the solemn faces of the Citizen Army handling the remains.
• The resolute face of a speaker pleading for democracy at the fountain rally, and the proud, sincere faces of the crowd.
• The face of the Settlement Committee chairman, showing a mix of anxiety, worry, and hope during a phone call.
• The faces of the Citizen Army singing the national anthem loudly despite the imminent final crackdown.
• The terrified faces of the Citizen Army being bound after their arrest on May 27, and the faces of the suppression forces dragging away the fallen.

This footage serves as a profound record of the citizens of Gwangju, who traded their lives for democracy in 1980. The Foundation expresses its deepest gratitude to Jürgen Hinzpeter for leaving these "Faces of Gwangju" to history.

The video can be searched and viewed through the Foundation’s Digital Archive (www.518memory.org). In accordance with copyright and data management principles, downloading or separate distribution of the material is restricted.