During the 5·18 Incident, Martial Law Troops Fired at Least 20 Locations Over 50 Times

5·18 Truth Investigation Committee Announces Reconstruction and Analysis Results of Suppression Operation

It has been confirmed that during the May 18 Democratic Uprising in 1980, martial law troops fired at least 50 times at a minimum of 20 locations. The May 18 Truth Investigation Committee is recreating this on a field map.

On the 16th, the May 18 Investigation Committee announced the results of reconstructing the martial law troops' suppression operations in Gwangju and Jeonnam areas during the May 18 Democratic Uprising, marking the deaths and injuries caused by gunshot wounds on the map for analysis.

The firing by martial law troops began around 4:50 PM on May 19, 1980, in front of Gwangju High School and continued with shootings near Gwangju Station around 11 PM on the 20th. Subsequently, similar shootings occurred around the Jeonnam Provincial Office area, where the 11th and 7th Airborne Divisions were deployed, as well as around Chonnam National University, where the 3rd Airborne Division was stationed, at similar times on the 21st.

In addition, the May 18 Investigation Committee confirmed that shootings and resulting damages occurred in most operational areas where martial law troops were deployed, including in front of Chosun University, Hakdong, Jiwon-dong, and Songam-dong.

The investigation found that the total number of deaths caused by gunshot wounds was 135, and the number of injured with gunshot wounds was at least 300 or more (based on hospital records and compensation review documents). The committee explained that many victims were shot in fatal areas such as the head and chest.

The committee judged three important points regarding the firing by martial law troops.

First, it was confirmed that live ammunition had already been distributed to some troops before the collective firing by martial law troops that occurred around 1 PM on May 21, 1980, following the protesters’ Molotov cocktail throwing and armored vehicle charge. This was verified through testimonies from martial law troops present at the scene and photographs from the site. In particular, a testimony from an armored vehicle machine gunner confirmed that live ammunition had been loaded into the armored vehicle’s machine gun since the day before, on the 20th.

Second, through the battalion commander’s memoir, 1995 prosecution testimonies, and eyewitness accounts from reporters at the scene, it was confirmed that during the mass shooting in front of the Provincial Office, the airborne troops dispersed and fired simultaneously from multiple locations in ‘sitting shooting’ and ‘standing shooting’ postures. Snipers were positioned in key buildings near the Jeonnam Provincial Office (such as the main building of the Jeonnam Provincial Office, the civil affairs office, the Fisheries Cooperative branch, and the Jeonil Building) and fired toward citizens. It was also confirmed that several citizens died as a result of this aimed shooting.

Third, despite the large number of casualties caused by the shootings at Gwangju Station on the 20th and in front of the Provincial Office on the 21st, neither the martial law troops’ field commanders nor the martial law command strictly controlled the shooting scenes, which is believed to have led to an increase in gunshot injuries.