This month, last year, candlelight vigils were held in the capital, making it loud and
clear that the public will not stand for a president mired in a power abuse scandal.
The people of this nation have been through many tumultuous periods throughout history.
Naturally, taking a stand in the name of democracy is not something new.
For our news features tonight, Oh Jung-hee takes us back April 19th, 1960... for Korea's
very first recorded democracy movement.
In October 2016, tens of thousands of Koreans began holding peaceful rallies in Seoul's
Gwanghwamun Square,... demanding then-President Park Geun-hye be impeached for a massive corruption
scandal.
The past weekend marked the one-year anniversary of the rallies,... and citizens gathered,
once again, in central Seoul... to remind themselves of the historic event.
(Stand-up) "This time last year, millions of Korean citizens
stood right here with their candles.
But that wasn’t the first time in Korean history that people have gathered here.
This is also where, six decades ago, tens of thousands of Koreans came to express their
yearnings for democracy."
On April 19th, 1960,... thousands of Korean citizens took to the streets to topple the
Rhee Syng-man administration.
Rhee, who had already been president for three terms by revising the constitution,... rigged
the election to stay in power,... and government-linked gangs suppressed anti-government protests.
This sparked anger nationwide,... and on April 19th, Seoul citizens gathered near the City
Hall area.
(Korean) "The event is very important for understanding
Korea's civil society and democracy.
The April 19th revolution is even mentioned in Korea's constitution.
The movement best symbolizes Korea's current democracy, and therefore has to be remembered."
In the nearby communication ministry building was Louis L. Thomas Junior,... an American
who worked for the ministry to help rebuild Korea's communication infrastructure.
He saw the demonstrations for himself from the third floor,... and left a journal and
photos of the scene -- some taken by himself, others collected.
He recorded...
the protest started out peacefully,... with people singing, listening to speeches... and
chanting in an organized manner.
(English) -1 <By now it seemed to me that the whole area
was one solid sea of humanity.
... By now the student groups were mixed, middle school, high school, and college.
The groups in front remained as groups and under control, and on numerous occasions I
noted spectators bring buckets of water for them to drink.>
(Korean) "( )First, college students from almost all
of the universities in Seoul participated in the demonstration.
( )And then high school students also appeared.
Students didn't differentiate themselves by the schools they belonged to.
They marched forward, singing all together."
But tensions rose as people started writing petitions with their blood,... and buildings
including the Seoulshinmun Daily office and police box were set on fire.
Citizens threw stones at the police box and the police came out with guns to try and control
the protesters,... but one officer was grabbed by the crowd and beaten to death.
The atmosphere turned completely violent.
(English) -2 <The mob seemed to disperse and seek shelter.
The personnel carriers were followed by a number of police on foot and in jeeps.
It was at this time that the police began to appear along the streets and all appeared
to be armed, whereas before, none had weapons in sight.>
The person who offered Mr. Thomas's photos and journal to Arirang... is his daughter
Ms. Jayne Holmes.
She says... her father had kept the photos and his journal in a photo album... and often
talked about them with other people.
(English ) "As I was looking at all those things that
he had done in Korea, and all the things he had seen, I thought, you know, this is really
part of the Korean history.
And I thought that I needed to share them with the Korean people.
I would hope that these photos would go to a place where Korean people could see them
and understand what went on at that time in their history… and be able to look back
at where they were and where they are today."
(Korean) "( )Compared to the well-known photos of April
19th Revolution,... there are a few that showed the same scenes but from different angles.
There are also( ) some that I've never seen before.
The fact that a foreigner like him left records like these, I suppose,... is because he might
have perceived... that this part of history is very significant.
We can see how he looked at the South Korean society back then... in regards to the humankind's
universal value of democracy."
As Rhee remained reluctant to step down from his post for another week,... this time, professors
from all across the country started their marches on April 26th.
Citizens and students joined the force,... and Rhee finally decided to resign.
During the April 19th revolution, almost 200 people were killed in clashes with the police
and soldiers.
But successfully ousting then-President Rhee,... the protests are now remembered as the foundation
of Korea's democracy movements...
where the 'people' took the lead in rooting out corruption and dictatorship.
(Stand-up) "Throughout the decades, Korean people have
taken to the streets several times to fight for democracy,... from the 4.19 movement right
up to last year's massive candlelight vigils.
Inheriting that spirit and appreciating each and every success will be the key to further
advancing our democracy.
Oh Jung-hee, Arirang News."