It has become a place not only of mourning but a pilgrimage for thousands of Koreans. Here lie the victims of one of the bloodiest incidents in modern Korean history, an incident, the memory of which the authorities have until now preferred to leave buried, along with the dead of Kwangju. In May 1980, tens of thousands of citizens of nearby Kwangju rose up against Korea's then Korea Junta. Tanks and crack paratroopers were sent to crush the rebellion. Officially, more than 200 died and 2,000 were injured.
Local people claim the real figures are much higher.
Near the graveyard, Kwangju has placed caricatures of those it holds responsible. Foremost among them, Noh Tae Woo and Chun Doo Hwan, the men who headed the Junta that ordered the 1980 crackdown. The two went on to become successive presidents of Korea. For weeks, there have been often violent protests in Kwangju and Seoul, demanding the arrest of Chun, who came to power by way of a military coup sixteen years ago today and whose career was a iron hand until 1988. In spite of these protests, Chun was considered virtually untouchable.