The American Who Walked into the Korean History

• The most powerful and inspiring story in Korean modern history
• Ex-Peace Corps Volunteer’s eyewitness account

David joined the Peace Corps and arrived in South Korea in 1978 with his group. After training, they were all assigned to different parts of Korea. David was sent to Yeongam, a small town in the Southwest. He fell in love with the food, scenery, and people.

On May 18, 1980, David arrived in Gwangju to transfer a bus. Tim, his friend and fellow Peace Corps Volunteer(PCV) told him there was brutal violence against people. He returned home but continued to hear that the violence was getting worse. David went back to the city to check on Tim and his Korean friends. His bus stopped, and he decided to walk.

On the road to Gwangju, David encountered a military truck with protesters. David took a photo of them and this led to a confrontation with KCIA agent who was demanding his camera. When he reached the city, he witnessed gunfire from a helicopter, the results of brutal violence, and the wailing from the deads’ family members. He was shocked by what humans can do to other humans. David and 3 other PCVs helped the wounds and interpreted for foreign journalists. David was invited to the Provincial Office building, the center of the uprising. He got to know uprising leaders and witnessed the aftermath of the last stand against the dictatorship.

When the uprising ended in tragedy, all PCVs were called to the head office. Only David was forced to resign for violating its rules on political noninterference. Even after losing his PCV status, he decided to stay in Korea. KCIA followed during the rest of his stay. The photos he took were reported on AFP and Covert Action with the story of Gwangju. 

Book to Screen/TV Factors

• Universal Plot and Value

- A passionate young person gets involved in a life-changing incident

- What humans can do to other humans, how humans stand up for the rights

• Detailed and authentic cultural integration process of a young American

-Living in a rural area in 1980s Korea

-Shopping and learning Korean recipes from ajummas(middle-aged ladies) in a traditional market

-Cooking Korean food with ingredients he has never seen before

-Weird Food challenges: raw and moving food, various kind of spicy food. 

-Tasting homemade makgeolli(rice alcohol) on a regular 

-Experiencing public baths for the first time and learning their business hours as they became one of the favourite places

-Reading Korean comic books in a Bunsikjip where elementary school students’ snack restaurant.

-Hiking a local mountain and having conversations with a monk at the tiny temple on weekends 

=> From a ‘round-eyed’ stranger to a local in a rural area in a foreign country 

• a Young person’s eye-witness of people’s uprising and empathy

-Inspiring to see people standing up for their rights

-Heartbreaking to hear/see parents wailing by their children’s bodies

-Realizing the reality of US politics and finding a role as a foreigner

-Suffering and Sorrow from losing many people you know in a day 

• Conflicts between various groups of people

-Gwangju citizen vs. military forces

-Students vs. middle-aged generation

-Peace Corps Volunteers vs. Peace Corps head office