"No North Korean Involvement in May 18"... GGN Reveals Secret Diplomatic Report for the First Time

Secret Diplomatic Report from the Hungarian Embassy in Pyongyang, May 1980
Focusing on the Question: "What Do Records from That Era Testify To?"

The Global Gwangju Broadcasting Foundation (GGN) announced on the 29th that it will broadcast a special documentary titled "No North Korean Involvement in May 18: Pyongyang's Records, Gwangju's Truth" via GGN Radio and its official YouTube channel. The documentary investigates the truth behind allegations of North Korean military intervention in the May 18 Democratic Movement, using diplomatic documents from communist countries and the results of national-level investigations.

Global Gwangju Broadcasting Foundation 'No North Korean Involvement in May 18: Records of Pyongyang, The Truth of Gwangju' Poster. Provided by GGN

The core historical material for the documentary, set to air at 7:00 p.m. on September 30, is a secret diplomatic report sent from the Hungarian Embassy in Pyongyang to its home country in May 1980. This document, preserved in the Hungarian National Archives, serves as a contemporary record by a Hungarian diplomat—a representative of North Korea’s ally—detailing Pyongyang’s response to the situation in Gwangju.

The document contains no indications that North Korean troops were deployed to Gwangju; rather, it shows that North Korea was closely monitoring the situation out of concern for possible U.S. military action at the time. The production team will be releasing this material for the first time on Korean television, revisiting the allegation of North Korean involvement through records made by North Korea’s allied nations.

In July, the GGN production team traveled to Budapest, Hungary, to verify and film the original diplomatic document and related materials firsthand. Through interviews with local experts in diplomacy and archival records, the team also clarified how the document was drafted, reported to Hungary, preserved, catalogued, and assessed its reliability as a historical source.

Professor Kim Heesong from Chonnam National University’s May 18 Institute participated in the Budapest reporting, and Kim Bokuk, Director of the East Asian Research Institute at the Hungarian National Archives, assisted with translation of the archival records. The original local documents and footage filmed in Budapest further strengthen the historical foundation and international credibility of the program.

Rather than repeatedly asking “who claimed what,” this documentary instead focuses on the question, “What do records from that era testify to?” By examining first-hand materials from the communist bloc regarding Pyongyang's response, testimonies from Gwangju, diplomatic documents from third countries, and national investigative findings, the program aims to fact-check the 46-year-old theory of North Korean military involvement and related historical distortions.

Reporter Jang Insu serves as the narrator, delivering the extensive diplomatic records, witness accounts, and investigation results in a calm and clear manner.

GGN stated, “We hope that this broadcast will serve as an opportunity to correct the baseless theory of North Korean involvement in the May 18 Democratic Movement according to the facts and records, and to convey the historical truth of the movement to viewers both at home and abroad, as well as to future generations.”

"No North Korean Involvement in May 18: Pyongyang's Records, Gwangju's Truth" was selected for the Korea Press Foundation’s 'Broadcast Video Planning Coverage Support Program' and will air at 7:00 p.m. on September 30 via GGN Radio 98.7MHz (Gwangju) and 93.7MHz (Yeosu and Gwangyang). The broadcast will also be available on GGN’s official YouTube channel, ggnradiotv, at the same time.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.