The Unrecognized Hero of Gwangju Uprising

It is an iconic image — a black-and-white photo of a blood-splattered student being clubbed by a paratrooper medic. This photo, captured by an unassuming man named Na Kyung Taek, was the first to slip through the military cordon around Gwangju, South Korea, in 1980. It exposed the brutal suppression of what would be known as the Gwangju Democratization Movement.

For years, Mr. Na kept his identity as the photographer a secret, fearing retribution from the military junta led by Chun Doo-hwan. The junta’s crackdown in Gwangju resulted in the deaths and disappearances of hundreds, marking a dark chapter in South Korea’s fight against dictatorship. Despite the end of Mr. Chun’s rule in 1988, Mr. Na’s role in capturing these crucial images remained largely unknown.

Now 75 years old, Mr. Na, during an interview in Gwangju, expressed indifference to the lack of recognition. He spent four decades as a photojournalist in Gwangju until his retirement in 2007. Haunted by the memories of what he witnessed during the fateful spring of 1980, he emphasized the pivotal role Gwangju played in the democratization of South Korea.

“South Korean democracy began in Gwangju,” he said. “I just did what little I could for its citizens.”

The image of the medic paratrooper clubbing a student was just one of the many photographs captured by Mr. Na during the uprising in Gwangju. His images shed light on the pro-democracy movement in the city and the subsequent violent crackdown by the authorities.