Martoons

Cast of characters

Dame

Dame’s senior friends

*

Where can I see some real history in this country – some true, authentic relics from your country’s brutal, bloodthirsty past?”

“The real Korea?” asked Damion.

“How about the Korean Independence Museum?” one of the seniors suggested.

“A … museum?” Not exactly what Dame had in mind.

The senior continued:

“It features displays from the Japanese era – you know, Koreans being hanged, burned in bonfires, tortured, that sort of thing. If that’s what you’re interested in…”

Dame nodded and warmed. “Okay, now you’re getting my drift. But that’s almost ancient history now. What about something slightly more modern?”

The ice seemed to be broken and a couple of the other seniors piped-up. “Kwangju! May we recommend the Kwangju Memorial Museum?”

* What is the Kwangju Memorial Museum? *

They explained that the medium-sized city of Kwangju (population approx. one million – medium-sized for Korea) was a traditionally poor city in the southwest corner of the country.

It had typically been the whipping post for successive Seoul dictatorial regimes in the 60s, 70s and 80s.

“Sir, did you hear about the ‘Kwangju Massacre’? The President of the time, Mr Chun, ordered the military to kill the whole city.”

“Over two thousand people were slaughtered and they have a museum there to commemorate them. It’s still a strong, living memory for the people there.”

Dame flashed a thumbs-up. “Stop right there. You’ve convinced me.”

So, off he went bright and early next morning with his video camera tucked away in his backpack.

Actually, he’d stayed up all night with the seniors and then had them pour him into a cab at the university village.

They instructed the cabbie to drive him to the bus terminal for the crack of dawn run to Kwangju.

It was a marathon 5 to 6 hour bus ride from Chinju, and being a Sunday – a heavy driving day for many Koreans going to mountains or other cultural landmarks – traffic became relatively congested as the morning progressed.

By noon cars were soon bumper-to-bumper but at least moving.

This must be the world’s biggest moving parking lot, Dame scoffed while gazing out the coach window and then drifting into a snooze.

The last leg of the bus trip was even more taxing on his nerves and patience.

When he awoke from his nap, a nasty little soju hangover had kicked in, featuring the tell-tale ‘bullet-in-the-back-of-the-brain’ sensation.  

Kwangju Museum.

Like walking out one’s back door into a thick fog, Damion felt a tide of solemnity roll in as he arrived by taxi at the gate to the museum compound.

He immediately withdrew his video camera to get an establishment shot.

A small gathering of locals was also visiting the site and seemed to give his camera curious, almost dirty looks.

He tucked the device under his jacket as he proceeded to the ticket booth staffed by a well-groomed, blue-suited young woman in the booth.

He paid a couple of bucks for his ticket and entered the compound.

He naturally followed the small but purposeful crowd up to the actual museum entrance and quietly entered with them.

* What will Dame think of his experience at the museum? *

The museum consisted of one room the approximate size of an average school classroom.

At the far, front wall was a series of portraits of the massacre victims – men, women and even children.

Each portrait had a lit candle mounted in front of it.

Other patrons, obviously some family members, were bowing their heads in front of the portraits and some were quietly weeping.

Dame decided not to film anything and kept his camera tucked away.

A few minutes later he suddenly found himself briefly alone in the room, but still couldn’t bring himself to flick the record switch.

“This is sacred,” he muttered under his breath and shaking his head as the hideousness of the Kwangju Massacre sunk in.

“Mind boggling. What kind of individuals who call themselves leaders would order an army to attack a country’s citizens?”

*

Tomorrow: Dame’s feelings regarding Korea are profoundly changed.