It’s not often that we associate South Korea with social unrest or popular rebellion. These days, the country has a great image: K-pop, edgy TV shows and films, a pretty decent football team, and the best electronics companies in the world. However, the affluent, peaceful society of today overcame a checkered history in the post-WWII era, going through multiple upheavals. And rice, Korea’s staple food, found itself in the middle of the country’s most infamous political rebellion 42 years ago. This is the story of how a Korean dish, the unassuming Jumeok-bap, came to symbolize democratic solidarity against a tough-as-nails dictator.
The Korean name Jumeok-bap translates to "fist rice"—a ball of rice made with the hand, or a fistful of rice, if you will. That’s right, like Japan's onigiri or Italy’s arancini, Korea has its own popular rice balls. Jumeok-bap comprises steamed rice mixed with seasonings, condiments, and fillings. This mixture is turned into ball-shaped spheres by hand, hence the name "fist rice."
It has been around in one form or another on the Korean peninsula for over three centuries and has been the on-the-go food of choice. Jumeok-bap has a versatile history—it has served as highway food, street food, prison food, army rations, student food, hipster food, and even as counterculture food. In the 20th century, it became a symbol of hope.
South Korea’s tortured road to democracy
Korea and India celebrate their independence on the same day, August 15. Korea was occupied by the Japanese for 35 years and was liberated on August 15, 1945, following the surrender of Japan’s imperial forces, bringing World War II to a close. The Korean Peninsula found itself split into a USSR-influenced north and an American-influenced south. The South was under US administration for three years, and eventually, on August 15, 1948, it became the independent nation known as the Republic of Korea. The country did not have a happy start. Syngman Rhee, the first president of South Korea, had little patience for the opposition. A rebellion in the same year saw approximately 15,000 South Koreans killed in the fighting. Two years later, North Korea invaded the South, kicking off the three-year-long Korean War. After the war, Rhee’s autocratic reign continued for another seven years. At one point, he even had opposition leaders arrested, and one of them was executed on charges of espionage. In 1960, a student revolt overthrew Rhee for rigging an election, and he fled into exile. South Korea then saw a coup d'état in 1961 when Park Chung-Hee, a major general in the army, grabbed power. He won the 1963 election by a thin margin and eventually ruled South Korea all the way to 1979, laying the groundwork for the country’s economic growth. In 1979, he was assassinated by the director of South Korea’s intelligence agency. The usual power struggles and coups followed, and by this time, the general public was sick of all the political chicanery.
Gwangju Uprising
As yet another army officer, Major General Chun Doo-hwan, grabbed power in yet another coup d'état, things came to a head. Civil society was tired of being a sideshow to the elite’s power struggles and organized protests to restore democracy in the country. On May 18, 1980, over 500 students and civilians gathered at Gwangju’s Chonnam National University in a peaceful protest against Chun Doo-hwan. Gwangju was South Korea’s 5th largest city at the time. Military authorities closed off the city to keep journalists and aid workers out. Then, 18,000 riot police and 3000 Special Forces attacked locals with bayonets, machine guns, and helicopters. The protestors pushed back and even grabbed weapons from the local police station to protect themselves. The fighting continued for nine days, and estimates claim that anywhere between 200 and 2,000 civilians were killed, and 26 law enforcement officials also died in the violence. This incident is now remembered as the Gwangju Massacre. These days, the events are also referred to as "5.18," a reminder of the day South Korea’s sordid politics caused irreparable mayhem.
When the protestors ran out of food, Gwangju’s women and shopkeepers began distributing jumeok-bap by setting up stalls. They threw open their kitchens and steamed rice in large quantities out in the bloodied streets, with a bit of salt to taste. Korean swag, anyone?
Townspeople recall that even the hardiest of protestors turned into genial individuals when offered the fist rice. They recount stories of packing hot rice along the streets lined by army tanks and angry protestors. Fist rice was the perfect accompaniment for the pro-democracy protest—it was a food of the people that, before modern refrigeration, provided cheap, non-perishable nourishment. Because it doesn’t spoil, jumeok-bap was great sustenance for the movement that would change South Korea.
Makeshift tables were assembled in places around Gwangju during those nine days, and people were served hot jumeok-bap. This also built camaraderie and forged a sense of community. The scenes of people steaming rice over open fires amidst the ever-present danger during those nine days remain etched in the political consciousness of Koreans. The government forces did regain control on May 27 after much bloodshed, but the events became a watershed moment. In 1997, the Supreme Court of South Korea declared that the actions of the people of Gwangju in May 1980 constituted a justifiable use of force for protecting the constitutional order of the country.
In 1997, the country faced a financial crunch due to the 1997 economic crisis. In Gwangju, people again gathered and handed out jumeok-bap to help each other weather the storm.
In 2011, the United Nations honored the uprising by listing the documents of the uprising as a "UNESCO Memory of the World." In 2019, Gwangju voted for jumeok-bap as one of seven foods to represent the city because it is a symbol of its spirit. Today, the 5.18 Freedom Park, which is located on the site of the barracks where the violence occurred, is visited by schoolkids who are given fist rice as they are told stories of those who restored democracy in South Korea.