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Gwangju City News
From the Gwangju Metropolitan City website (http://gwangju.go.kr)
MONTHLY NEWS Unpublished May 18 Collection from Asahi Shimbun to Be Exhibited
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To commemorate the 42nd anniversary of the May 18 Democratic Uprising, the May 18 Archives is holding an exhibition on an unpublished collection from Asahi Shimbun from May 11 to July 31.
The May 18 Archives has been in contact with Asahi Shimbun’s Osaka headquarters reporter Hajimu Takeda for over a year since May 2021 and has been pursuing agreements to hold this special exhibition.
In this exhibition, the late Katsuo Aoi, a former photojournalist at the Osaka headquarters, arrived in Gwangju on May 19, 1980, and interviewed and filmed at the site from May 20–28. Aoi acquired about 200 rare materials such as press passes and used cameras. These will be unveiled for the first time in Korea. The exhibition materials have been kept for 40 years as materials owned by Aoi’s bereaved family and by the Asahi Shimbun. These will be open to the public for exhibition.
In the exhibition, we can see important materials that can infer the situation at the time of the May 18 Democratic Movement, such as the burning MBC Station photo and a photograph that is presumed to have been taken in a row of martial law forces mobilized by the army to pull citizens off the bus and beat them.
At the same time, works containing various interpretations and meanings of the May 18 Democratic Movement such as videos, media art, and collages produced by two participating artists and based on historical materials from the May 18 Democratic Movement owned by the Asahi Shimbun will also be exhibited. Meanwhile, the May 18 Archives is still looking for Kim Sang-mo, who worked as an interpreter for Katsuo Aoi and his party during the May 18 Democratic Movement in 1980.
▲ Katsuo Aoi May 18 Archives website: https://www.518archives. go.kr/ Inquiries for reservations and group visits: May 18 Archives (062-613-8204)
Gwangju City Holds Exhibition to Celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Gwangju-Sendai Sister-City Relations
Gwangju Metropolitan City held an exhibition commemorating the 20th anniversary of the sister city agreement with Sendai, Japan, from May 3–10 at the Citizens’ Hall at City Hall.
In this event, 45 items were displayed focusing on exchange events between the two cities, such as the signing ceremony of the sisterhood relationship between Gwangju and Sendai in 2002, the event to commemorate the sisterhood relationship, participation in major festivals in both cities, and youth exchanges.
After the City Hall exhibition, the items were exhibited at Gwangju Songjeong Station from May 17–20.
Meanwhile, Gwangju and Sendai held events to commemorate the sisterhood relationship in both cities. In particular, Sendai City participated in the Gwangju Kimchi Festival, the Biennale, and the Chungjang Festival, while Gwangju City participated in the Sendai Light Festival and the Sendai International Marathon.
In addition, Gwangju City is maintaining a friendly relationship after delivering relief goods and donations to local governments following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.
In the private sector, exchanges at the private level are also being actively conducted, such as youth guesthouses, a visit to Sendai by a soccer team in Gwangju, and exchanges between Gwangju Kumho High School and Sendai City Northeast High School. In celebration of the 20th anniversary this year, following the Gwangju-Sendai exchange activity exhibition, delegations from both cities and performing groups are planning to hold a mutual visit event in October and December.
Sendai City (population 1.1 million) is a model city in the Tohoku region of Japan known for its prominence in the automobile industry and as an environmental model city for overcoming pollution through its robust recycling industry. Since the official sisterhood relationship with Gwangju City in 2002, the two cities have been making exchanges each year in various fields such as culture, economy, and sports.
The Fire Safety Headquarters of Gwangju Metropolitan City provided free firefighting vehicles to Paraguay.
This is a support project to send disused firefighting vehicles to developing countries that started in 2018. It is expected to strengthen exchanges and cooperation.
A total of 11 vehicles, including one fire pump truck, one chemical vehicle, and nine special ambulances, were shipped from Gwangyang Port on May 10 to Paraguay. The firefighting vehicles are expected to help improve the firefighting capabilities and available first aid equipment of the Paraguay Fire Department. In addition, in order to provide field trip opportunities for students of the Department of Emergency Rescue in Gwangju, one ambulance was provided free of charge to Nambu University for a total of 12 provided free of charge at home and abroad this year.
In total, the City Fire Safety Headquarters sent six units to Paraguay in 2018, eight units to Paraguay in 2019, three units to the Philippines and seven units to Paraguay in 2020, and five units to Paraguay, including one to Nambu University in 2021.
