tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12946845.post5599975715282711979..comments2024-02-23T23:53:54.842+09:00Comments on Gusts Of Popular Feeling: Park Chung-hee's "act of terrorism" and other tales of saving Kim Dae-jungmatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296009437690229938noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12946845.post-35137599265059367132010-06-17T21:40:05.077+09:002010-06-17T21:40:05.077+09:00The other Peace Corps volunteers in Chollanam Do, ...The other Peace Corps volunteers in Chollanam Do, if they were not already in Seoul (a retraining had been scheduled for a number of the different groups) were ordered to stay in their towns and to stay in doors and out of sight. Obviously, David Miller had related information that he felt threatened and that Americans might be targeted. What everyone at the time failed to understand was that the Koreans and the Korean dissidents differentiated Americans from the American government. The feelings were ALWAYS anti-American government and the Koreans knew that we did not represent the American government in the same way that someone like Miller did. Just by learning the language we were treated differently and I still am when I travel back to Korea.<br />Bill used some writer's creativity in having a volunteer involved in the Pusan/Masan demonstrations and that volunteer subsequently being forced to go home. It is actually based upon what happened to me after Gwangju. Myers wrote my letter of resignation and forced me in to signing it. I was then strongly urged to get on the first flight home. Both Myers and the Embassy stated that one, they could no longer guarantee my safety, i.e. the KCIA could pick me up at anytime and the could do nothing about it in my defense and two, they had received treats to my life. At that point I was no longer afraid and in fact invited to happen, I told them that they were full of it that the Korean people would not harm me and that if the Korean government did it would help ignite resistance in Korea. I called their bluff and they did nothing. I was able to get a new passport in Korea and was able to get a two year visa also in Korea to stay and work. I luckily went to the visa office at lunch time when there was only one clerk present and you could tell that he was nervous when I walk in. He was going to have to speak English!!! when I spoke to him in Korean he was so happy. He quickly gave me my visa never looking to see if I was black listed. He was just so happy to be able to speak Korean.Dol1956https://www.blogger.com/profile/13188339639617187057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12946845.post-7195817197180273612010-06-17T19:38:33.434+09:002010-06-17T19:38:33.434+09:00Oh, and was there actually a PCV who was sent home...Oh, and was there actually a PCV who was sent home for "taking part" in the Busan/Masan uprising, as related in the book?matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10296009437690229938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12946845.post-14950516650598451872010-06-17T19:26:21.873+09:002010-06-17T19:26:21.873+09:00Thanks for confirming that the photo was of Tim Wa...Thanks for confirming that the photo was of Tim Warnberg. I'd always assumed it was him. <a href="http://www.eroseffect.com/articles/neoliberalismgwangju.htm" rel="nofollow">This article</a>, while having clear enough biases, is well researched and makes the case that the main concern the US Gov't had regarding Korea (post-kwangju) was to make Korea appealing to US businesses.<br /><br />Were PCVs in other parts of Cheollanam-do ordered to leave (like in Mokpo)? I'm assuming that's where William Amos, the author of 'Seed of Joy', was (I remember you mentioned once he based parts of the novel on your experiences in Kwangju).matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10296009437690229938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12946845.post-37218571625754694012010-06-16T06:40:07.323+09:002010-06-16T06:40:07.323+09:00That is Tim Warnberg. He lived in Gwangju and work...That is Tim Warnberg. He lived in Gwangju and work out of the Chonnam University Hospital. There where four of us; myself, Tim, Judi Chamberlin and Paul Courtright. One other Peace Corps volunteer Julie Pickering was on the outskirts of the city. She didn't know that we were there and had done what the Peace Corps had told her to do which was to stay in hiding with her Korean family.<br />My true belief, based upon the experience, living in Korea and have to deal with the US Embassy is that the US Embassy want Chun to take full control and to solidify his power. Maybe this is not what they thought was going to happen, they still wanted Chun in power. The Embassy at that time and for a number of years afterward were strictly worried about American companies in Korea. Chun would be friendly to American companies. In fact it was told to us by an Embassy employee that that was their only concern in Korea. Human rights did not matter, what matter was a stable government that was US business friendly. Why was it stated in 1979, that the Koreans were not ready for democracy/Dol1956https://www.blogger.com/profile/13188339639617187057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12946845.post-57146245293315142162010-06-16T02:31:04.500+09:002010-06-16T02:31:04.500+09:00Fascinating. One wonders how the Embassy knew more...Fascinating. One wonders how the Embassy knew more about what happening than you. In Martha Huntley's article in the book <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=x6Co9p5riPYC&printsec=frontcover&dq=contentious+gwangju&source=bl&ots=zw8uoAH87Q&sig=er2o05LBYac6tCH6k_lJSsvamg0&hl=en&ei=pLcXTMrtLYGUkAWHvu2hCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAw#v=onepage&q&f=false" rel="nofollow">Contentious Kwangju</a>, she notes that the missionaries were able to call the nearby US air base and through the base were able to talk to the embassy. <br /><br />I have a lot of questions I could ask, but one popped into my head just now: Can you tell me who the foreigner in <a href="http://img11.imageshack.us/i/kwangjustretcher.jpg/" rel="nofollow">this photo is</a>? And how many other Peace Corps members were with you in Kwangju?matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10296009437690229938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12946845.post-68788383367312380652010-06-14T21:53:03.697+09:002010-06-14T21:53:03.697+09:00On Sunday, if I remember the day correctly, one of...On Sunday, if I remember the day correctly, one of own members left Gwangju. He was carrying with him a document intended for the US Embassy documented what we had observed and done up until the 23rd. I do not know if that document ever made it to the Embassy, but I do know that Meyers saw it. It was used as the bases for him writing my resignation form the Peace Corps.<br />When the event was over and we were forced to go to Seoul by the Peace Corps. We asked to meet with the Ambassador or any high level Embassy official so that we could provide them with our eye witness accounts of the Gwangju Uprising. We were told by Meyers that the embassy did not need to talk to us that they had all of the information that they needed. We asked if that was based upon David Millers information even though he was in hiding the whole time. We got no response. We finally walked over to the US Embassy, threw the front gate, by passed the normal first floor area and went to a stairway that lead to the second floor. At the security desk (a very nice US marine) stopped us and asked us what we wanted. We explained and he made a call. In around five minutes we were meet by a suit. Who asked us what we wanted. We told him who we were and that we would like to provide a written account of what we saw during the Uprising and that we would also like to discuss this with a high level official. We were flatly told that they knew more about what happened in Gwangju than we did and that no one was free to talk to us. We did force him to take our written account.Dol1956https://www.blogger.com/profile/13188339639617187057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12946845.post-76512875437582525422010-06-14T21:52:37.503+09:002010-06-14T21:52:37.503+09:00During my three years in Korea, I myself stayed aw...During my three years in Korea, I myself stayed away from the USIS based upon conversations with Korean friends. The common opinion among my Korean student friends was that the USIS was a front for the CIA. That they provided information to the KCIA as to whom was visiting and what they were reading and asking questions about. I waked back in to Gwangju on Wednesday the 21st and was able to meet up with Tim Warnberg and two other Peace Corps volunteers that afternoon. On Thursday the 22nd we called the Peace Corps office in Seoul to notify them as to the specifics as to what was going on. This was after walking parts of the city in the morning, visiting a number of hospitals and starting our initial translating services for the foreign correspondents. We called in the late morning or early afternoon. The Peace Corps office (i.e. Country Director Meyers) did not want to hear what we had to say. He kept turning the conversation back to us leaving Gwangju immediately because we were in danger. We keep saying that we were fine and that we were not going to leave. That based upon what we had witnessed that it was important for us to stay and make sure that our Korean friends were safe. We also kept pushing back as to our eye witness descriptions as to what we had seen. We were finally told that the embassy knew all about what was happening and did not need to know what we had seen. Meyers final admitted that they were getting the majority of their information from the Director of the USIS, David Miller. We were then also told that he was in hiding. I was also asked to go to his house, that we would be able to get in as their was a housekeeper present and that there we would be able to us a secure phone to call the Peace Corps office in Seoul again as well as David Miller.<br />Luckily, Tim knew where Miller’s house was. We walked there and found no one home and the gate doors all locked. So we decided to break in. We had been told to go there and to us the secure phone. We were able to break in through a window. We called Seoul as we were told, They again tried to convince us to leave immediately by walking out. We again refused. We were finally given the phone number to be able to reach David Miller. We called. He actually answered. He told us that he was in hiding on the outskirts of the city and that he was not going outside at all. He said that he had gone in to hiding on Monday May 19th. That the reports that he was providing to the embassy were all based upon second hand information. The family that he was in hiding with were periodically going out to observe what was happening.<br />After talking to David Miller we left his house and headed back towards the Provincial Office Building. Just up the street from the burned out MBC building we used a public telephone to call the Peace Corps office. We individually told Meyers that we refused to leave Gwangju and we felt safe. We also asked that our eye witness information be provided to the embassy.Dol1956https://www.blogger.com/profile/13188339639617187057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12946845.post-57619092997593286302010-06-14T14:49:51.129+09:002010-06-14T14:49:51.129+09:00Thanks for the comment - it's nice to get a fi...Thanks for the comment - it's nice to get a first-hand view of the campaign to save Kim's life. I'd heard tell of the KCIA's boat being buzzed by the U.S., but haven't found confirmation of it.<br /><br />I'd be curious to hear more about USIS and the false information given to the embassy. Here's Linda Lewis's take on it (page <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_lxap4y0S1as/TBXCNBHoK2I/AAAAAAAAGPg/O8CIhIZGd6I/s1600/kw1.jpg" rel="nofollow">one</a> and <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_lxap4y0S1as/TBXCM-_8MEI/AAAAAAAAGPY/BovkjqFrLlY/s1600/kw2.jpg" rel="nofollow">two</a>). Were peace corps members in any kind of regular contact with USIS in Kwangju?matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10296009437690229938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12946845.post-82172209795669276512010-06-12T03:28:28.260+09:002010-06-12T03:28:28.260+09:00Nice article.
I have a few first hand points. Acc...Nice article. <br />I have a few first hand points. According to President Kim's wife the U.S. was actually able to find the boat with Kim Dae-jung on it and buzzed it to also warn the KCIA kidnappers that they had been discovered. This may have been referenced in a book or two but I currently do not have access to my library and so can not provide the cited references.<br />The 1980 USIS fire bombing in Gwangju represented two meanings. One true anti-Americanism because of 518 and the lack of US response and secondly because the dissidents knew that the US Embassy had been feed false information by the American head of the USIS during the initial stages of the uprising. The citation for this is my personnel involvement in the Gwangju Uprising and later dissemination of information to Korean dissidents.<br />Finally, I find it hard to believe that Kim Dae-jung did not know of the deal that was done to save his life. As an American in Korea at the time and then actively involved in the Korean Democracy and human rights movement after I return to the US in late 1981 I can tell you that immediately upon the initial sentencing of Kim Dae-jung a massive letter writing campaign was launched in the US to save his life. I also know of multiple people in the US who went to talk to their congressmen concerning Kim Dae-jung. This was something that was known in Korea especially among the dissidents. I also know that Kim Dae-jung's wife knew that there were active discussions with Chun for his life. I also met Kim here in the states after he was forced into exile, and told him of the great pressure that the American people had placed upon their government to obtain his freedom. So that part of the story is a little hard to believe. David DolingerDol1956https://www.blogger.com/profile/13188339639617187057noreply@blogger.com