'Gwangju Running Man' Game Featuring Chun Doo-hwan's Photo Blocked in Korea, Still Available Overseas

"Mocking Another Country's Painful History Is a Serious Wrongdoing"
Professor Seo Kyung-duk Urges Action Against Online Game Distorting the May 18 Democratization Movement

The 5.18 Distortion Game "Gwangju Running Man" Featuring a Photo of Jeon Du-hwan. Seokyungdeok Facebook

As an online game that distorts and disparages the 5·18 Democratization Movement while featuring a photo of former President Chun Doo-hwan spreads overseas, Professor Seo Kyung-duk of Sungshin Women's University has urged criticism and called for action from government agencies.

On June 4, Professor Seo shared on his Facebook page, "An online game has emerged that distorts and belittles the 5·18 Democratization Movement by displaying a photo of former President Chun Doo-hwan, sparking controversy."

This game, known as "Gwangju Running Man" on Steam?the gaming platform operated by US-based Valve Corporation?depicts Gwangju in May 1980. In the game, citizens are portrayed as heinous criminals and violent gangs, while the actions of the martial law troops are designed to appear justified.

Professor Seo stated, "Although access to the game has been blocked domestically, it remains available overseas. Currently, the comment section features opinions written in various languages, including English, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, and German."

He continued, "Recently, there was also controversy when bags and T-shirts featuring Chun Doo-hwan's face were sold on Taobao, China's leading online shopping platform. Mocking another country's painful history is a serious wrongdoing, and it is especially unacceptable to turn such history into a source of profit through online games and similar means. I hope to see a swift response from government agencies such as the Game Rating and Administration Committee."