A Study on the Activity and Damage of Commissioner Ahn Byungha and the Police of Jeonnam Province during the 5·18 Period

Abstract

Twenty-four years has passed since the date of May 18 was declared a legal anniversary in 1997, but the people that would distort the historical legitimacy of the May 18 Democratization Movement have shifted some of the responsibility for the state violence to the Jeonnam Police Department. In response to this, research on the roles and activities of Jeonnam Provincial Police Agency Director Ahn Byung-ha and Jeonnam Police Department is receiving new attention. This paper looks through relevant material and testimonies to illuminate the activities and damages of Ahn Byung-ha and the Jeonnam Police Department at the time of May 18, and studies their intermediate identity, damage and compensation methods. To this end, this paper reviews the current status and contents of prior research related to the activities in Jeonnam Police of the time and discusses the relationship with citizens according to the intermediate identity of the police. In addition, the researcher studies the damages and compensation methods of the May 18 Jeollanam Police in this situation. Through the analysis, the Jeonnam Police were able to maintain a relatively calm state with the citizens with a moderate method of controlling protest in the previous and early stages of the 5·18 period because the police had an intermediate identity meaning that they played a public role of controlling protest and also resisting too much state violence and did not need the support of special forces desperately. Director Ahn Byung-ha was well aware of this situation and, while refusing the command to fire, tried to maintain order at a minimum and protect the wounded. As a result, Director Ahn Byung-ha and Chief Lee Jun-gyu died after torture, and many police officers were dismissed, and their emotional injury should be compensated by interpreting the 5·18 Compensation Law in this context. Lastly, this study emphasizes the necessity of complete policing cooperation between the civilians and the police in response to the introduction of the autonomous police system in 2021 by illuminating the activities and damage of the May 18 Jeonnam Police from a new perspective.