A peaceful life is destroyed by military violence, while grief, civic resistance, false promises, and massacre define the citizens' struggle.
Story Structure — 5 Plot Phases
A City Under Assault
A peaceful life in Gwangju is shattered when martial law soldiers assault and kill innocent citizens. Violence spreads from the streets into a movie theater.
Key Events
Peaceful Brothers' Life — Two brothers lead a relatively peaceful life before military violence reaches the citizens.
Location: Gwangju
Military Rampage Begins — Martial law soldiers assault and kill innocent citizens with guns and knives.
Location: Gwangju streets
Tear Gas Enters Theater — A tear gas canister rolls into a theater during the escalating military violence.
Location: Movie theater
Student Seeks Refuge — A college student jumps into the theater, followed by a soldier.
Location: Movie theater
Theater Crowd Dispersed — After viewers leave the theater, soldiers beat college students and drive everyone away.
Location: Movie theater entrance
Citizens Witness Atrocities — Citizens lose friends, lovers, and family members before their eyes.
Location: Gwangju streets
Grief Becomes Resistance
After witnessing the loss of friends, lovers, and family members, citizens organize a civic group and form a militia. Their ten-day struggle begins.
Key Events
Civic Group Forms — Citizens organize a civic group to respond to the unjust military violence.
Location: Gwangju
Militia Protects Loved Ones — Citizens form a militia determined to protect their loved ones.
Location: Gwangju
Ten-Day Struggle Begins — The civic group begins a ten-day struggle against the continuing martial law operation.
Location: Gwangju
Student Killing Revealed — A student is beaten to death by martial law soldiers despite not being a college student.
Location: Gwangju
Protest Leadership Emerges — Friends of the dead student take the lead in the protest.
Location: Gwangju streets
The Cost Of Protest
The killing of a student drives friends into protest leadership. Family disagreement deepens when a younger brother refuses to remain passive.
Key Events
Protest Leadership Emerges — Friends of the dead student take the lead in the protest.
Location: Gwangju streets
Brother Opposes Protest — An older brother tries to stop his younger brother from leading the protest.
Location: Gwangju
Younger Brother Persists — The younger brother cannot remain still and continues participating in the protest.
Location: Gwangju streets
Brother Shot Before Family — Martial law soldiers shoot the younger brother in front of his older brother.
Location: Gwangju streets
A False Promise
A governor arrives by helicopter and broadcasts a promise that martial law troops will withdraw. Citizens wait, believing that mediation may end the crisis.
Key Events
Helicopter Arrives — The provincial governor arrives by helicopter before the citizens gathered at the government building.
Location: Provincial government building
Mediation Is Announced — A broadcast promises that the martial law troops will withdraw by a stated time.
Location: Provincial government building
Citizens Await Withdrawal — The citizens believe the promise and wait for the troops to withdraw.
Location: Provincial government building
Promise Is Broken — The soldiers do not withdraw at the promised time.
Location: Provincial government building
The Broken Withdrawal
The troops do not withdraw at the promised time. During the national anthem, citizens salute while soldiers prepare to fire and attack.
Key Events
Anthem Fills Square — The national anthem plays through the government building speakers as citizens salute.
Location: Provincial government building
Soldiers Prepare To Fire — Soldiers sit and prepare to shoot at civilians, then open fire.
Location: Provincial government building
Massacre Leaves Trauma — The military massacre leaves the citizens marked by the loss of loved ones.
Location: Gwangju
Story Breakdown
Peaceful Gwangju Life — The story begins with ordinary life before the military assault transforms the city.
Brothers Live Quietly — Two brothers lead a relatively peaceful life together.
Violence Approaches — Martial law soldiers begin a violent operation against citizens.
Theater Under Attack — Military violence enters a public movie theater and exposes the danger facing civilians.
Tear Gas Rolls In — Tear gas enters the theater during the disturbance.
Students Are Beaten — Soldiers beat college students and force people out of the theater.
Civic Resistance Forms — Public grief develops into organized resistance and protection for loved ones.
Citizens Mourn Losses — Citizens lose friends, lovers, and family members before their eyes.
Militia Takes Shape — Citizens form a militia and begin a ten-day struggle.
Protest Turns Personal — A student's death intensifies the protest and creates conflict within a family.
Student Is Killed — Martial law soldiers beat a student to death.
Brother Rejects Passivity — The younger brother continues leading protests despite the older brother's attempt to stop him.
Death In The Streets — The family conflict ends in irreversible loss during the military crackdown.
Protest Leadership Continues — Friends of the dead student take the lead in the protest.
Brother Is Shot — Martial law soldiers shoot the younger brother in front of his older brother.
Broken Mediation — A public promise of troop withdrawal briefly raises hope before the final betrayal.
Governor Arrives — The provincial governor arrives by helicopter at the government building.
Withdrawal Is Promised — A broadcast says the martial law troops will withdraw by a stated time.
Final Massacre — The promised withdrawal never occurs, and the gathered citizens face soldiers prepared to fire.
Citizens Salute — The national anthem plays while citizens salute with their right hands over their left chests.
Soldiers Open Fire — Soldiers prepare to shoot at civilians and then fire.
The citizens of Gwangju lead a relatively peaceful life, until one day the military takes over the city, accusing the residents of conspiracy and claiming that they are communist sympathisers preparing a revolution against the current government. Seeing as the soldiers beat defenceless people, mainly students, to death, the citizens are in for retaliation and form a militia.
