[W Forum] Regaining the Center

I have a friend from Gwangju. Although I had always been curious, I never properly asked until this year, 40 years later, when they finally told me. My friend cautiously recalled the memories of that day by saying, “Seoul, Busan, Daegu, and every city across the country could have become the 5·18 Gwangju.” They said, “Gwangju did not want to become the site of that tragedy, nor did it want to be a sanctuary of democracy. It simply raised a righteous voice when other cities remained silent and wished only to protect its loved ones who fell to merciless bullets.”

The memories of tanks and soldiers with bayonets guarding the road to Chonnam National University, the memory of a midnight when six family members anxiously huddled under a thick cotton quilt brought from their hometown to block flying bullets, and the memory of being frozen in place in front of an armored vehicle during the midday?these are the recollections my friend shared. They said, “Because this was such a tragic event that our descendants must never experience, I speak of that morning’s memories in the hope that people will continue to remember and empathize with that pain.”

We often talk about reconciliation, forgiveness, and healing. These are all good words, absolutely necessary words, and no one can argue against them. Problems tangled by misunderstandings within relationships must be untied properly and in time. But this is not easy. When considering individual issues within hierarchies in relationships or within organizational or state power, honestly facing the wounds is difficult. Malfunctioning power and administration sometimes justify individual sacrifices in the name of law. Especially, violence and oppression carried out under the pretext of the safety and order of the majority make it impossible to even reveal individual sacrifices for many years.

Reconciliation and forgiveness are often easily mobilized by the logic of the powerful, who fail to properly acknowledge the wounds of the wronged victims. Thus, historical facts and pain are glossed over, and victims are easily forced to forget. This is done under the plausible pretext of a new beginning. When talking about reconciliation and forgiveness regarding any issue, we must not forget that these are necessary not to justify forced power but for the proper healing of wounds. Unhealed wounds inevitably fester and burst.

Then, what is the first step toward reconciliation, forgiveness, and healing? It is to call wrongs wrong. To say pain is pain, sorrow is sorrow, and wounds are wounds. To face the terrible memories that have been suppressed and speak them aloud. To listen well. I believe this is the beginning of all healing. The horror my friend, who had kept silent about their childhood memories for many years, shared was vivid as if it were yesterday. Sensing the place of that wound and perhaps out of consideration for our carelessness in never daring to ask, my friend emphasized that they are speaking now for future generations. It was a quiet voice.

Even if we can only call wounds wounds, even if we can only bring out memories that had to be forcibly sealed deep beneath consciousness, and even if we can only say, “I, we, were hurt like this,” wounds can heal. We cannot undo what has passed, but we can prevent such tragedies from happening again. There are still too many places of painful wounds that we failed to care for in time. A poet once said, “The center of the body is not the heart but the place that hurts when the body aches.” Where is the center of my body now, the center of our society? Today, our task must be to reclaim that painful, abandoned place?the center. It must be so.

Jeong Eun-gwi, Professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.