. The city was established in 57 BC. It was one of the
administrative centers of
Baekje during the
Three Kingdoms period. During the
Imperial Japanese rule, the city was known as Kōshū. In 1929, a confrontation between Korean and Japanese students in the city turned into the Gwangju Student Independence Movement, a regional demonstration that culminated in one of the major nationwide uprisings against Imperial Japanese cruelty during the colonial period. Modern industry was established in Gwangju, and a railway to
Seoul was constructed. Some industries that took hold include cotton textiles, rice mills, and
breweries. The construction of a designated industrial zone in 1967 encouraged growth in industry, especially in the sectors linked to the automobile industry. In May 1980, peaceful demonstrations took place in Gwangju against
Chun Doo-hwan, leader of the military
coup d'état of 12 December 1979. The demonstrations were suppressed by military forces, including elite units of the
Special Operations Command. The situation escalated after a violent crackdown, resulting in the
Gwangju Uprising, where civilians raided armories and armed themselves. By the time the uprising was suppressed 9 days later, many hundreds of civilians and several police forces/soldiers were dead. After civilian rule was reinstated in 1987, a national cemetery was established to honor the victims of the incident. In 1986, Gwangju separated from
South Jeolla Province to become a Directly Governed City (Jikhalsi), and then became a Metropolitan City (Gwangyeoksi) in 1995. Due to a variety of factors, including the ancient rivalry between
Baekje and
Silla, as well as the biased priority given to the
Gyeongsang Province region by political leaders in the 2nd half of the 20th century, Gwangju has a long history of voting for left-leaning politicians and is the main stronghold for the liberal
Democratic Party of Korea along with its predecessors, as well as the progressive
Justice Party. Gwangju has held many sports events such as the
2002 FIFA World Cup, the
2015 Summer Universiade, and the
2019 World Aquatics Championships. == Administrative divisions ==