hankyoreh

US citizens Martha Huntley (fourth from left) and Barbara Peterson (second from left)

US citizens Martha Huntley and Barbara Peterson were present in Gwangju during the events of the May 1980 Gwangju Democratization Movement. They were there at the time with their respective husbands, Rev. Charles Betts Huntley (Korean name Heo Cheol-seon) and Rev. Arnold Peterson (Bae Tae-seon). Then head of the chaplain’s office at Kwangju Christian Hospital, Rev. Huntley sheltered residents fleeing martial law forces; photographs that he sent of the injured and slain provided evidence to the world of the brutal events of the Gwangju Democratization Movement. Rev. Peterson also recorded violent acts of suppression by martial law forces and shooting from helicopters on site in Gwangju, where he was preparing for a South Korea-US evangelical meeting. Both pastors have since passed away, but their widows remain historical witnesses to the massacre.

On Feb. 21, the two witnesses to the May 1980 massacre sent an email to National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang calling for disciplinary action against Liberty Korea Party (LKP) lawmakers Kim Jin-tae, Lee Jong-myeong, and Kim Soon-rye for false and offensive remarks concerning the events of May 1980. Stressing that “democracy must be based upon truth,” Huntley and Peterson expressed the “hope these three lawmakers will be rebuked if not removed, so that people can trust the National Assembly of Korea.”

Huntley and Peterson reported hearing of the situation regarding distortions of the events of May 1980 in the National Assembly through Seol Kap-su, a current US resident who penned the English translation of the May 18 record “Gwangju Diary: Beyond Death, Beyond the Darkness of the Age.” They were moved to send the letter to Moon after being astonished to hear that the painful history of struggle they had witnessed in Gwangju 39 years earlier was now being denied.

“[T]hree lawmakers of the Liberty Korea Party joined a far right figure portraying the May 18 uprising as a putsch instigated by 600 North Korean provocateurs – which is blatantly false,” Huntley and Peterson wrote in their letter.

“What these three lawmakers said was false, and very hurtful to the people of Gwangju and the Chullas, and to the nation of South Korea as well,” they added.

A screenshot of the email Huntley and Peterson sent to South Korean National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang.

Huntley and Peterson also noted, “Our husbands took the photographs used in [ex-president Chun Doo-hwan’s] trial – of the helicopter that fired upon the people of Korea, in Rev. Arnold Peterson’s case, and of many of the dead who were brought to Gwangju Christian Hospital during those tumultuous times, in Rev. Charles Betts Huntley’s case.”

“Believe us, we know what happened in Gwangju,” they stressed.

Huntley and Peterson also expressed profound concerns about historical distortions, including the portrayal of the events of May 1980 as a “rebellion” and the denial of the use of violent suppression tactics by martial law forces.

“To this day, there are people who deny the Holocaust ever occurred – their denials would wipe away the reality of the suffering and loss of millions of people to the world, and the truth of history itself,” they wrote.

“We would hate to see the same thing happen in South Korea, if these May 18 deniers of the truth are allowed to speak lies in the face of actual, historical reality,” they continued.

Huntley and Peterson went on to say they were “grateful to have been [in South Korea] to see and help even in the midst of great – and unwarranted – violence on an entire city.”

“We will always love Korea, and we will always bear witness to the truth we know,” they continued.

In 2018, Huntley and Peterson attended a 38th anniversary commemoration for the Gwangju Democratization Movement held at the May 18th National Cemetery. During the event, Martha Huntley read a letter in which she said, “What I saw in Gwangju was a brutality beyond my ability to describe in words, but the humanity of the Gwangju citizens was truly warm.”

By Kim Tae-gyu, staff reporter

Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]

The Honorable Moon Hee-Sang

Speaker, National Assembly, Republic of Korea

Seoul, Korea

Dear Mr. Speaker,

We are American citizens who lived in South Korea during the years 1965-1991. We were Presbyterian and Baptist missionaries in Gwangju from 1969 – 1985, raised our families there, and worked with Gwangju Christian Hospital, Honam Seminary, the Catholic seminary, Chosun University and Chunnam University,the Gwangju YMCA, and with Presbyterian and Baptist churches throughout the area.

We were present during all of the Gwangju Sateh, the “Incident” which is now most often called the Gwangju Democratization Movement. It was not an organized movement – it was an illicit assault upon our city of 800,000 people by military forces under the control of Chun Doo-Hwan.

Our husbands took the photographs used in Chun’s trial – of the helicopter that fired upon the people of Korea, in Rev. Arnold Peterson’s case, and of many of the dead who were brought to Gwangju Christian Hospital during those tumultuous times, in the Rev. Charles Betts Huntley’s case. Believe us, we know what happened in Gwangju – we were eye-witnesses, and we recorded what we saw and experienced.

Now we hear that in a public hearing held at the National Assembly on Feb. 8, three lawmakers of the Liberty Korea Party joined a far right figure portraying the May 18 uprising as a putsch instigated by 600 North Korean provocateurs – which is blatantly false.

Democracy must be based upon truth, and people need to trust their lawmakers to know the truth, tell the truth, and act in truth. What these three lawmakers said was false, and very hurtful to the people of Gwangju and the Chullas, and to the nation of South Korea as well.

To this day, there are people who deny the Holocaust ever occurred – their denials would wipe away the reality of the suffering and loss of millions of people to the world, and the truth of history itself. We would hate to see the same thing happen in South Korea, if these May 18 deniers of the truth are allowed to speak lies in the face of actual, historical reality.

We would hope these three lawmakers will be rebuked if not removed, so that people can trust the National Assembly of Korea.

Arnold Peterson went to be with our Lord, Sept. 24, 2015 and Betts Huntley June 26, 2017. The people of Gwangju were always in their hearts and will forever be in ours.

We love Korea, and we love the truth. We are grateful for our years in Korea, and are grateful to have been there to see and help even in the midst of great – and unwarranted – violence on an entire city. We will always love Korea, and we will always bear witness to the truth we know.

Sincerely yours,

Martha Huntley and Barbara Peterson