Torturing strikers in South Korea

Park Heongjun takes us back to May 1980, when a strike in the city of Gwangju became one of the most divisive moments in South Korea’s history and led to the imprisonment of activist Bae Ok Byoung.

She worked in a factory making wigs and along with other female employees, went on strike to demand better working conditions.

In this programme first broadcast in 2021, Bae recalls the brutal crackdown by authorities and describes the torture she suffered after her arrest.

This is a 2 Degrees West production for BBC World Service. This programme contains descriptions of torture.

(Photo: Labour activist Bae Ok Byoung talking to some of the workers at the wig factory in Seoul where she worked in 1980. Credit: Bae Ok Byoung)