Book review: forgotten heroes of April Revolution
Posted : 2021-01-25 08:59
By Park Han-sol
In the year 1960 ― 15 years after gaining independence from Japanese colonial rule (1910-1945) and just seven years after experiencing the devastating Korean War (1950-53) that ended in armistice ― a historic turning point in the battle for democracy came to Korea in the form of the April Revolution.
Commonly referred to as the April 19 Revolution, the event actually consists of a series of nationwide mass protests spanning from Feb. 28 to April 26, 1960, against the autocratic rule and political corruption of Korea s first president, Syngman Rhee.
What is characteristic of this decade-defining incident that eventually led to Rhee s abdication is that the movement was a result of the spontaneous solidarity formed among people of different social classes and backgrounds who largely resorted to non-violent resistance.