Man who claims to have witnessed helicopter shooting in Gwangju speaks out

A resident of Gwangju spoke out about how he witnessed a military helicopter firing shots at a building during the deadly crackdown on a 1980 pro-democracy uprising in the southwestern city, and how he joined the civilian militia at the time.

Ji Yong, 76, recently visited the May 18 Memorial Culture Center to testify after learning that a right-wing critic had identified him in a photo as a member of the North Korean special forces, the center’s chief Lim Jong-soo said.

Ji said he saw a helicopter firing a machine gun toward the Jeonil building in central Gwangju in the afternoon of May 22 or 23, 1980, according to Lim.

Ji said he witnessed the shooting about 600 meters away from the building as he was leaving the Red Cross hospital where he saw the wounded.

In 2016, the National Forensic Service found some 100 bullet marks on the top floor of the building. A government panel confirmed in February this year that martial law troops fired shots toward citizens from 500MD and UH-1H choppers during the 1980 protest against military strongman Chun Doo-hwan in Gwangju. 

Ji, who ran a business at the time, told the center that he joined the civilian militia after seeing the army stab people with bayonets. He turned himself in after the protests were over, and was pardoned due to his personal connections and wealth.

He spoke out after 38 years of silence as he found out that columnist Jee Man-won had pegged him to a photo as a member of the North Korean special forces on his website.

Ji said he would file a complaint with the prosecution against Jee for defamation.

By Kim So-hyun (sophie@heraldcorp.com)