Artist and former May 18 citizen militia member Kim Geun-tae dies after confronting disability stigma through art

Kim Geun-tae, an artist who confronted prejudice against people with disabilities through his work, died on the morning of Sept. 1 at the age of 69.

Kim was studying at Chosun University’s College of Fine Arts when he joined the citizen militia during the May 18 Democratic Movement in 1980. He guarded the former South Jeolla provincial office during the final confrontation on May 27. He had left the building before the martial-law forces suppressed the uprising, but spent the rest of his life struggling with guilt and later developed disabilities in one eye and one ear.

In the early 1990s, Kim provided art therapy to children with intellectual disabilities. He continued his artistic work by portraying people with intellectual disabilities and challenging the prejudice directed at them.

His 102.41-meter work, “Like Wildflowers, Like Stars,” drew attention when it was exhibited at the United Nations headquarters in New York in December 2012. Set against the four seasons of Korea’s southern region, the work depicted the innocent expressions of people with intellectual disabilities and expressed a wish for a world in which everyone could live happily beyond prejudice.

For the 40th anniversary of May 18 in 2020, Kim presented 2,000 clay and traditional Korean paper figures representing Gwangju citizens at the National Asian Culture Center. He also held exhibitions at the PyeongChang Paralympic Games and UNESCO headquarters in Paris, using his work to promote disability rights and the peace ideals associated with May 18.

Kim is survived by his wife, Choi Ho-soon, and their son Chang-hyun and daughter A-yong. His funeral will be held in Mokpo, with the burial scheduled for Sept. 3.