The South Korean Kwangju Uprising Of 1980: Through The Eyes Of The American Media

Abstract

This thesis reviews the history of the American-Korean relationship from the end of World War II and the beginning of the Cold War through the rise of Chun Doo-hwan. Special emphasis is placed on the Kwangju Uprising as a watershed moment in American-Korean relations. While a great deal has already been written on the American government’s response to Kwangju, little is available on the general American public's response. Though this thesis does not claim to answer this very general question, it does examine public news coverage of major media sources in the United States, including newspapers such as The Washington Post, The New York Times, and The Los Angeles Times, as well as weekly news magazines such as Time and Newsweek. The major television news broadcasts of NBC, CBS, and ABC are also examined.