Inside the Sangmu Detention Center: A Survivor's Harrowing Account of the 1980 Gwangju Uprising

The 5.18 Liberty Park in Gwangju stands as a somber reminder of the 1980 Gwangju Uprising, preserving the former Sangmu military detention center where many suffered.

The park is part of the 66.2km "May Road," which traces the footsteps of the uprising, marked by historical sites and memorials. For those who experienced the events firsthand, like former Hankyoreh journalist Baek Ki-cheol, the detention center holds particularly painful memories.

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I spent two months there like a caged animal. There was no difference from an animal trapped in a cage, being watched and abused.

Baek recounts his two-month imprisonment in the Sangmu detention center as a period of unimaginable suffering, likening his experience to that of a caged animal. "I spent two months there like a caged animal," he writes. "There was no difference from an animal trapped in a cage, being watched and abused."

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They were forced to sit in a fixed position all day, and they couldn't have any conversations. Straightening the back and lining up were control methods used in military detention centers. The detained citizens were civilians, but they received the same treatment as soldiers who had committed crimes.

The detention center, relocated and partially restored, now appears smaller than in memory. The cramped cells, designed for a few, were packed with over 150 detainees at times. Prisoners endured constant physical abuse, forced immobility, and severe hunger, with shared meals barely sufficient. Skin diseases ran rampant in the overcrowded conditions.

The article also touches upon the controversy surrounding the name "Sangmu," derived from the military base that housed the detention center. Critics argue the name is inappropriate given its association with the brutal suppression of the Gwangju Uprising, a sentiment that resonates with the painful history embedded in the site.

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The pain felt like my fingers were about to fall off. The moment I flinched, I was dragged outside and beaten to death. Since 130 people were detained in the small room, we could only sleep in a cramped position.