First-Ever Release of Footage Showing Standoff Between Citizens and Martial Law Troops Just Before May 18 Mass Shooting

Standoff on the Morning of May 21, 1980 Recorded
Tension Mounts Between Citizens and Martial Law Troops
Archives: "Will Serve as Key Evidence in Uncovering the Truth"

At the screening held at the May 18 Democratic Movement Archives on the 27th, donor Mun Jeongseong is explaining the situation at that time. Photo by Min Chanki

A film recording the standoff between citizens and martial law troops on the morning of May 21, 1980, just before the mass shooting by the military, has been released for the first time in 45 years.

The May 18 Democratic Movement Archives announced on the 27th that it had recently received a donation of previously unreleased rare video footage, personally filmed by Mun Jeseong (age 70) around Geumnam-ro, Gwangju, on May 21, 1980.

The Archives held a screening that morning and unveiled the 8mm film, which runs for 5 minutes and 40 seconds, donated by Mr. Mun.

According to the Archives' analysis, the footage consists of 46 separate clips. The video captures scenes around Geumnam-ro from 10 a.m. to noon on May 21, 1980, just before the mass shooting in front of the Jeonnam Provincial Government building. The film vividly shows protesters and citizens on Geumnam-ro, their standoff with martial law troops, helicopters and military transport planes circling overhead, and other scenes from that day.

The footage also includes a scene where a figure believed to be Gwangju Mayor Koo Yongsang at the time attempts to persuade citizens but is booed and forced to step down, a scene showing two bodies of citizens killed by martial law troops being transported on a handcart toward the old Jeonnam Provincial Government building, citizens scattering due to tear gas fired by the military, and the tense standoff between martial law troops and citizens in front of the government building. Lee Jaeeui, a research fellow at the May 18 Memorial Foundation, explained, "These scenes indicate the extremely tense situation between citizens and martial law troops just before the mass shooting."

At the screening held at the May 18 Democratic Movement Archives on the 27th, Mr. Mun Jeseong, the donor of the unreleased film, is reenacting holding the camera he used to shoot in May 1980. Photo by Min Chanki

This footage was filmed by Mr. Mun, who at the time was 25 years old and employed at a company mainly producing office equipment. Taking advantage of the Buddha's Birthday holiday, Mr. Mun brought his video recording equipment and climbed an arched structure erected on Geumnam-ro. The arch had been installed to support the athletes of the 19th Jeonnam Provincial Sports Festival and the 61st National Sports Festival.

Mr. Mun said, "At first, I didn't think it was an important video. After my father passed away, I found the tape among his belongings and realized it was footage I had shot in May 1980, which led me to donate it to the Archives. It's unfortunate that the length is so short due to the limitations of the film at the time. I hope it will be of some help in uncovering the full truth."

The Archives believes that the donated film was recorded at a time when live ammunition appears to have been distributed to martial law troops, and that it could serve as a key piece of evidence in future truth-finding efforts. The fact that it was filmed from the perspective of Gwangju citizens, without distortion, adds to its significance.

Additionally, the Archives suggested that the footage could provide clues to the whereabouts of the bodies seen on the handcart, which remain unaccounted for to this day.

An official from the Archives stated, "Previously released footage was either filmed by the martial law troops or had some chronological inconsistencies, but this film has been preserved in the order of events, making it easier to reconstruct the timeline. It could play a decisive role in verifying the testimonies of the martial law troops and uncovering the truth about the events on the morning of the shooting."

The Archives plans to make the footage available to the public after digital restoration and cataloging, and to actively utilize it for education, exhibitions, research, and public outreach in the future.