Exhibition Profile

Pusan has always had a significant place in modern Korean history, a large part of which is made of people's devotion for achieving goals in both democracy and the nation's reunification as it overcomes numerous difficulties and fetters.

The history of Pusan has been a small tabloid edition of modern Korean history; not only from the establishment of a modern nation with the spirit of resistance handed down from the anti-Japanese struggle since the Japanese colonial period, the April 19th Revolution that sublimated into an independent reunification movement later on, the Pusan-Masan Democratic Uprising that led the nation to overthrow its dictatorship, the May 18th Uprising, the June 10th Uprising, a victory of democracy, but also to diverse democratic movements in the 1990s.

The permanent collection room within the exhibition hall is a space for people in Pusan to trace their proud democratic movements and to display Pusan's bright future and valued hope for the 21st century through both the succession and growth of their democratic spirit.

People in Pusan

Pusan is a city located in the southeast of the Korean peninsula and it grew around the Pusan Gulf. Pusan is where the spine of the Korean peninsula, the Taebeik Mountains and the sea meet, and has been a bridge between the continent and the maritime powers. Historical problems that Pusan has suffered include Japan's ravages from the Koryo to Chosun dynasties; the setting up of a Japanese office in the Pusan Seaport, the transformation of the city as a supply base during the Japanese Invasions of Korea in 1592 and 1597, as well as the forced opening of Pusan Seaport at the end of Chosun period. Those problems were ones that the whole country also suffocated from.

Pusan is a city of democratic movements. People in Pusan have always fought against invasions throughout Korean history. Its geographical position, connecting the continent and the sea, made it possible for a democratic movement to spread to other regions and draw international attention. In addition, in history, the people in Pusan have always been progressive. They were pioneers who helped establish modern Korea and kept the spirit of a national movement even under the Japanese occupation. They have always been in the center of the history through Korea's major democratic movements, including the April 19th Revolution, the Pusan-Masan Democratic Uprising and the June Uprising.

The Initiation of Struggle: Pusan's Self-retrospection for the Future
After Japan's unconditional surrender, a lot of post-war problems - the evacuation of Japanese residents, the return of overseas Koreans and the cleaning up of the vestiges of Japanese imperialism - remained in the hands of the three hundreds thousand people in Pusan when they welcomed liberation on August 15th, 1945. However, their joyful moment of liberation seemed to be very short. The U.S and the USSR divided Korea into the South and the North and the US army was stationed in Pusan even before they solved the remaining problems. And the US military administration used the same administrative system as the one used under the Japanese occupation.

Korea was no longer under the US military administration when the Korean government was established on August 15th, 1948 so people in Pusan were able to promote the practice of democratic law administration. They started to write a new chapter of Pusan's history.

The Heart of History: People
The people of Pusan formed a city on August 15, 1949. People eagerly participated in making the new Pusan but another sadness of history was waiting ahead for them. When the Korean War broke out in 1950, Pusan became the temporary capital and had to embrace the war refuges from all parts of the country and overcome the war with them. A million people in Pusan began to devote all their energy to the city's development on January 1, 1957 by creating districts, Dongu, Soegu, Youngdogu, Pusanjingu and Dongraegu. Youth in Pusan protested against the injustice of Lee, Seungman and the Liberty Party on April, 1960. Soon, Pusan citizens joined them in the protest, which eventually resulted in the resignation of President Lee, Seungman. They are the center of history and the heart of Pusan.

In the Center of Struggle: People in Pusan
The People of Pusan transferred their city to the direct control of the government on January 1, 1963. In the middle of 1960s, the population of Pusan increased five times to 1.5 million and its size expanded, covering an area of 373.23㎢. It became a large city. Major General Park, Junghee's rebel army on May 16, 1961, ruthlessly trampled the place of democracy and independence that was opened by the April 19th Revolution. People in Pusan had to go through difficult times once again as their desires and struggles for democracy were strong. They overcame an unjustified history as they germinated an exquisite form of movement, the Yangsoe Cooperative Union in the latter part of the 1970s and through the Pusan-Masan Democratic Uprising and the June Uprising. In the whirlpool of history, Pusan expanded its dimensions to 432.32㎢ and became an international city with a population of 4 million in 1989.

People in Pusan in the 21st Century: A Festival of Candlelight
Pusan became a megalopolis on January 1st, 1995. The Pusan's land in 2003 covers an area of 762.92㎢, becoming a giant international city. Pusan citizens' progressiveness grew larger as the size of their land expanded. Although they were forced to make large sacrifices in the history of the 20th century, they fought hard and went through history in the center. Now, a new history of Pusan has been begun by Pusan's citizens who are further making history with reformation for the 21st century in the energy of the Jagalchi seafood market, the Red Devil crowds that filled the square of Pusan Station and the memorial candlelight march for the death of Hyosun and Misun. The Democratic movement is now a natural occasion for Pusan dwellers.

Roots of Democrcacy

For the past half century, of korean society has sowed the seed of democracy on the legacy of the modern era. Efforts have continued to realize autonomous unification, the yearning of the korean people, and to build a fair and just society. in the course of such efforts many have committed themselves to the restoration of democracy and national autonomy.
Kim Goo believed the construction of unified nation was national independence in the truest sense, and gave himself toward preventing the division of the Korean peninsula likely to be brought about by the establishment of Korean government in the southern half, The April 19th Democratic Uprising which began as the resistance movement of the citizens against the corruption of the administration of Lee seungman developed into a movement for democratization and autonomous unification During the process, the pro-democracy activists in Busan, with Lee Jongryul as the center figure, spearheaded the formation of the Central Association for National Unification of korea, leading the drive for unification as part of the April 19th Democratic Uprising
The death of Chun Taeil by self-inflicted burning was a proclamation of workers' human. The cries of Chun Taeil forced a reawake of the society on inferior lives led by the workers. It provided the brought the democratic movement and the labor movement into a single force. Reverend Moon lkhwan, with the endeavor to provide an alternative to the solidified himself to open up a way in the unitication movement.

The death of two junior high students in June 2002 provoked nation-wide and encouraged citizens to take part out of their free will in candle-lit demonstrations. While the candle-lit demonstrations spread thus warming winter cold, people came to gain an understanding on the lop-sided relations between Korea and US, a sentiment that gained wide-spread accord.
understanding the roots of democracy and developing our legacy are the real beginning of the democratic movement and the first toward unification.

Birth of Democracy

We consistently fought against historical fetters that we had never experienced before in the 20th century and Pusan never failed to contribute to the growth of democracy, always taking the lead regardless of adversities.

The people in Pusan who performed intensive resistant movements during the Japanese occupation, began the struggle to obtain both democracy and independent reunification in this land after Japan's withdrawal. Democratic movement by righteous Pusan people began with the establishment movement of a modern nation led by the Kyungnam headquarters, continued even under the Lee, Seungman's fascist regime in the name of anticommunism and it finally came to its fruition during the April 19th Revolution in 1960.
Regardless of the April 19th Revolution, which was trampled by Park, Junghee's military coup d´etat, and the ruthless 18 year-suppression by the military regime, pro-democracy activists in Pusan went on struggling for democracy. Their democratic movements continued in the protest against Korea's restoration of diplomatic relations with Japan, in the objection to a constitution change for a third presidential ruling and to the Yushin System and followed by the Pusan-Masan Democratic Uprising in 1979 which shook the Yushin regime after all.

Even when democracy in Korea faced a severe crisis due to the appearance of Jeon, Doohwan, Pusan continued the spirit in the May 18th Uprising, pushing out a new spirit of resistance. As a result, Pusan was able to throw a conclusive blow to the Jeon, Doohwan military regime by leading a laborer protest group which was connected with the June 10th Uprising in 1987.

Pusan's democratic movement expanded in various directions and this phenomenon was reflected in a new cultural movement and awaking in spaces which began to open its doors to public as a result of the June 10th Uprising's partial victory. Since then, the Pusan democratic movement focused on reunification with the historical Summit of South and North Korea in 2000 and on regaining lands that were taken by the U.S. Our society finally stands on the starting line toward a true democratization and an independent reunification based on the movements in the past.

                 

Youths of April

After the Korean war, the Lee, Seungman regime was able to maintain his corrupt and inefficient government with slogans of both anticommunism and violence which resulted in the rough suppression of people's democratic rights and desires. Nevertheless, the resistance against the Lee, Seungman regime spreaded more than ever before and a protest against the rigged election rose on March 15, 1960.

The April 19th Uprising in Pusan was begun by highschool students who objected to the rigged election, the same in as other cities and soon became a violent uprising with the participation of a large number of citizens. After the President Lee, Seungman's resignation, the spirit of the April 19th Uprising was applied to a campus democracy in both colleges and high schools which resulted in the establishment of a teachers' union.

At the same time, there were conscious efforts to apply the spirit of the anti-Lee, Seungman movement to an independent reunification. Lee, Jongrul, a democratic movement leader who founded the National Culture Association and expanded the National Democratic Youth Alliance established on June 12 to other areas including Kyungbuk and Seoul, put all his energy to founding an independent reunification body with national democratic groups throughout the country. As a result, the Center of the National Independent Council, whose members were political parties or social organizations, was founded on February 15, 1961.

Meanwhile, Pusan's pro-democracy activists, with Lee, Jongrul as the center figure, played a significant role and contributed to the success of the April 19th Uprising in the reunification movement by suggesting a South-North agreement toward the nation's reunification. Then, both the Center of the National Independent Council and the Kyungnam National Independent Council led both democratic and independent movements under the Jang, Moen regime.

Park, Jonghee and the Yushin Constitution

The people's demand and desire for an independent reunification, which reached its highest peak during the April 19th Uprising, were cruelly crushed by Park, Junghee's May 16th military coup d´etat in 1961. Park, Junghee was a typical political military man who served as a Japanese military officer and formed his political ambition after Pusan was facing a political crisis in 1952. He used the social confusion created by the weakness of the Jang, Moen regime after the April 19th Uprising for his military coup d´etat.

The Park, Junghee regime established political power with two slogans; cold war ideology that was led by U.S and economic development that relied on Japanese capital. For power, he reestablished diplomatic relations with Japan with humiliating conditions in 1965 and changed the constitution for his third presidential election in 1967 which would have given him a long term political power.

Park, Junghee who was confronted with a career crisis due to the collapse of the cold war in the 1970s, reinforced his dictatorship by creating the Yushin System in 1972. The Yushin System strengthened the presidential authority to a generalissimo level, made the National Assembly's restraining role functionless, proclaimed a series of presidential emergency decrees so as to oppress pro-democracy activists and even denied the minimum democratic formalities and human rights that were barely maintained at that time.

During the 18 years of Park, Junghee's regime, democracy was crushed, nationalism was thrown away but injustice and illegitimate actions were normally performed instead. The sweet fruit of the 'Miracle of Han River' which sounds fascinating from outside but actually was paid for on the sacrifices of laborers, farmers and people in city slums, went only to the Park, Junghee regime and monopolistic capitalists.

The Park, Junghee regime harshly oppressed democratic activists, using various control methods including ruthless violence and operational politics through which he maintained power. A rushing wave of democratic movement finally made Park, Junghee's tight-fisted rule kneel down.

Yangsoe Cooperative Union

A suppressive regime always restricts progressive publications in order to control the freedom of knowledge and thought. In this respect, diving into progressive books and exchanging both knowledge and conscience were considered a denial of existing regulations and resistant actions against authority.

Under the circumstances, the Yangsoe Cooperative Union, which strove to attract pro-democracy activists by founding a cooperative union with progressive publications, was, in deed, an exquisite case of democratic movement. The foundation of the Yangsoe Cooperative Union was the idea of Kim, Hyungki of the Joongbu Church. Choi, Junyoung, Kim, Heewook and Park, Sangdo led the union and Lee, Heunglok was appointed chairman. It was established on April 2, 1978 and a cooperative bookstore under the direct management of the union opened in the Bosudong bookstore alley on the 22nd of the same month.

A large number of progressive intellectuals and young students were involved in the union; exchanging ideas and conducting social activities through a small group while studying labor, farmer's communities, literature, pollution and traditional mask dance. The Yangsoe Cooperative Union became a center of youth movements as well as the birth place of the democratic movement in the Pusan district .

Until its compulsory winding-up due to the accusation of Pusan-Masan Democratic Uprising's wirepuller in November, 1979, the Yangsoe Cooperative Union had nearly 7 hundred members and suggested a new model of democratic movement by spreading its organization throughout the country in Seoul, Daegu, Masan and Ulsan.

                 

The Pusan-Masan Democratic Uprising

At the end of 1970s, Korean society experienced the peak of the democratic movement against the late stage of the regime's oppression with the Dongil textile manufacture incident, the YH trade company worker's demonstration and the expulsion of Kim, Youngsam, an assembly member.

Diverse key movements which were experiencing a slow change at that point in order to abolish the Yushin regime for a democratization, took place in Pusan and this predicted a large democratic uprising in 1979.

In the meanwhile, college campuses let loose the first arrow towards the Yushin regime. After the failure of two previous protests led by both the Shin, Jaeshik and Lee, Jingoel groups on November 15, Jung, Kwangmin led another protest the following day. Built-up anger due to the dispersed previous protests added fuel to the fire on the 16th and spreaded vigorously.

Protest groups rose in guerilla demonstrations with citizens' fervent support and they started dominating the center of city, trampling on police mobility and changing to a civil uprising at night. With the participation of major colleges such as Donga University., Pusan Industrial College and Goshin University. the protest became more fierce the next day and again, citizens joined the uprising at night which became the biggest civil uprising since the April 19th Uprising.

The Park, Junghee regime proclaimed a presidential emergency decree on the 18th, sent marital law troops to dismiss the uprising but the protest had already spread to Masan. Although the Pusan-Masan Democratic Uprising didn't directly strike the regime, it eventually damaged the Yushin System by creating a rough disruption inside the regime.

Victory of Democracy

In the spring of 1980 after the death of Park Junghee, the hope for democracy was vainly denied by the chun Doohwan gang who ran old conservative slogans, so democratization seemed to be far away once again. Yet, our society began to realize the people's existence and the U.S influences in this land through the May 18th Uprising in which people sacrificed their lives against the new military regime, and this realization deepened the structure of democratic movement and thought.

The chun, Doohwan regime made its bloody debut with the May 18th Democratic Uprising and indulged in a larger scale of oppression towards pro-democracy activists. Busan also suffered a heavy blow with the Burim incident in 1981 and the American Cultural Center arson.

A burning desire for democratization was expressed in various forms by various social classes and organizations including religious leaders, academic circles, experts and laborers with college campuses taking the lead. Its heat finally blazed up in a nation-wide civil uprising over the political situation for a constitutional amendment after the death of University student at the beginning of 1987. Continuing the spirit of the busan-Masan Democratic Uprising, busan led the June Uprising and played a decisive role in defeating the chun, Doohwan regime. This spreading of democracy continued in labor protests in July and August.

Democracy in Life

When the Cold War was over due to the collapse of the USSR and a formal democracy was being established as a result of the June 10th Uprising, the democratic movement went in various directions in the latter part of the 1980s.

Permanent cooperative organizations that included all sorts of democratic movement groups who dealt with human rights, religion, reunification, women, laborers, the poor, the youth and students appeared. In succession to the Pusan National Democratic Movement Association, the Pusan National Alliance for Democracy & Reunification of Korea, founded in 1991, led the democratic movement in Pusan in the 1990s, focusing on people's right to live, diverse social classes and an independent reunification.

Civil movement organizations like the Citizens Antipollution Movement Conference (later named the Pusan Federation of Environmental Movement), the Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice and the Citizens Solidarity for Participation of Pusan focused on community interests, becoming more inclusive and various by being close to residents.

The Pusan National Alliance for Democracy & the Reunification of Korea led vigorous activities with civil movements. As a result, it helped regain the American Center site by associating with the Civil Committee for Regaining Pusan Lands that were taken by U.S and the transfer of the Hayaria Base Camp to another site is also being planed.

In addition, the Pusan Democracy Park whose space is used for commemorating the history of the democratic struggle and for education, was built in 1999 as the fruit of the Pusan democratic movement. Democracy in various forms was able to settle its nest within community life through these activities.

National Art Movement

Since the May 18th Uprising, the national art movement, whose purpose is to induce participation in reality through cultural and art activities, started as a base of the democratic movement and later expanded. The movement was in full swing in many genres; performance, music, art and literature, dealing with issues of distinction between the rich and the poor, rural communities, labor, division, and anti-Americanism, as well as the May 18th Uprising.

The movement of outdoor performance urged the audience's aggressive participation by adding both humor and satire to the community's reality. Songs contributed to delivering political messages by driving excitement out of audiences. The Art movement, on the other hand, promoted both domestic art and people's art, including photography, folk art, and film. The growth of national art came to its fruition with the opening of the first federal organization of each genre, the Pusan Federation of National Cultural Movement in 1989.

The spreading of various national art movements in each genre took part of democratic movement by changing the existing demonstration style that relied on both propaganda and instigation and by issuing the reality of national art movement with cultural, artistic perspectives.

Patriots and Me

The evolution of our society toward both democracy and the nation's reunification has been made out of the sacrifices of many democracy movement leaders and patriots.

Lee, Jongryul and Yu, Hyuck worked for reunification movements with the faith that a true democracy is accomplished only through independentreunification. Jang, Kiryeo, who lived his life as a neighbor of the forgotten people for the sake of equality, enriched the quality of our society. Choi, Sungmook; Lim, Kiyun; and Kim, Youngsu burned themselves to death in order to save our suffocating democracy under the military regime. Kim, Junghan and Yun, Jungkyu were our teachers who practiced literature in life.

The fierce struggle of the April 19th Revolution against the antinational dictatorial regime came to its fruition after the work of many victims, whose sacrifices and devotion opened a wide horizon for independentreunification as well as democracy.

The June Uprising made both the democratic movement and citizens one. Lee, Taechun, a victim of tear gas; Kim, Sunho who died during the protest against tearing down city slums; and Park, Changsu who died a mysterious death in a democratic workers' union protest, were tragedies that the violent regimesand unjust companies caused.

These violent and unjust regimes led many beautiful young lives to commit suicide. Hwang, Boyoungkuk; Jo, Suwon; Jin, Sungil; Jang, Jaewan; Yang, Youngjin; and Kwon, Mikyung exposed the unjustregime and wanted to plant a small seed for both the growth of democracy and the achievement of national reunification by sacrificing themselves.

Based on the performances and devotion of these historical heroes, our society is finally able to contribute to a bright future of human history through our achievements.

Times of Terror & Isolation

A solitary cell is where a prisoner is confined again for punishment; it is called a prison inside of a prison. Unlike an ordinary cell, a solitary cell has a 0.75 Pyung space, it is so small an adult can barely stretch his arms and move his body within its 2m dimensions. Conscience prisoners, who were put in prison for struggling for democracy, persistently fought against the anti-dictatorship and for the improvement of prisoners' human rights. For this reason, a solitary cell was often used to abuse them and to suppress their democratic movement inside of prison.

Experiencing a solitary cell is a program that examines Korea's human rights today by indirectly experiencing those conscience prisoners' pain within a copy of current prisons.

<World Democracy and Me>

The 21th century is a global information era. International alliances and communication networks make it possible to expand local activities to the world across borders, races, religions and ideologies. Democracy Park promotes the activities of international organizations by providing resource materials and promoting information exchanges with the aim of contributing to the growth of world peace and democracy.
These international organizations, which focus on issues related to human rights, labor, anti-war/world peace, the environment, and women's rights, work globally of minorities, the weak, the poor, laborers, and for the maintenance of world peace, which is being threatened by war and nuclear weapons, for the protection of the enrironment, which is being bestroyed by pollution, and for the right of women to be free from sickness and oppression Furthernore, each organization wats to grow together with members all over the world in or der to broaden the range of the movement, share information and to create a powerful voice through international alliances.
They are waiting for your help and participation because world peace and democracy are your responsibilities as well.

Democracy & I

'What is democracy?' is an old question.
Even the non-democratic regimes of Lee Seungman, Park Junghee, chun Doohwan and Roh Taewoo talked about democracy alongside many intellectuals. Those dictatorial regimes, which oppressed people with slogans of 'Korean Democracy' and 'Modernization of the Country', didn't define themselves as undemocratic.

Democracy starts from 'an individual', I. A struggle for one's freedom and basic rights is very essential. Democracy also appears as a struggle to maintain the victory of democracy. Although democracy respects decisions by the majority and tolerance, it's not necessary to tolerate enemies of democracy. It fights against enemies who deny democratic communities where an individual's freedom and basic rights are respected.

Nevertheless, a true democracy requires people's participation. Every each of us participates together for the protection of democracy. Everyone has a right to pursue happiness as it is assured in the Korean constitution. We need to supervise authority and watch the play of authority from the outside. And, our participation is requested for our democracy.