{
  "id": 9263472,
  "title": "The memorial I walked past a hundred times",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/the-memorial-i-walked-past-a-hundred-times-9263472",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-23T04:12:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/opinion/20260923/the-memorial-i-walked-past-a-hundred-times"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "My initial encounter with a protest in Seoul differed greatly from my expectations. Back in my homeland, protests were characterized by shouting matches, the deployment of riot shields, and the rapid emptying of streets. As I turned a corner near Gwanghwamun on a Saturday afternoon and found myself face-to-face with a crowd that filled the square from end to end, my instinct was to depart. However, I chose to remain and observe. Rows of police stood alongside the crowd, seemingly serving as a form of escort rather than opposition. Not a single person hurled objects, nor did anyone flee. Families accompanied by children stood at the forefront. I recall pondering: Where is the aspect I was supposed to fear? Several months later, as I journeyed behind the central library on my personal campus, I found myself traversing a path students refer to as Democratization Road. Midway along this route stands a modest bust, a remembrance that I had bypassed a dozen times without noticing. It pays tribute to Park Jong-cheol, a student who endured torture and met his demise at the hands of police in 1987. That evening, I dedicated myself to reading everything I could uncover about him, unable to resist the notion that this unassuming stretch of pavement commemorated a pivotal moment in the nation's history. Weeks following Park's passing, another student, Lee Han-yeol, would be struck down.",
  "summary": "The first time I saw a protest in Seoul, I expected chaos. Back home, a protest meant something specific: shouting matches, riot shields, streets that emptied fast. So when I turned a corner near Gwanghwamun on a Saturday afternoon and found myself facing a crowd that filled the square end to end, my first instinct was to leave. Instead, I stayed and watched. Rows of police stood beside the…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "The memorial I walked past a hundred times",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/the-memorial-i-walked-past-a-hundred-times",
        "published": "2026-09-23T03:52:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}