The BusanâÂÂMasan Uprising or abbreviated, the Bu-Ma Uprising, was a series of demonstrations and popular uprising against President Park Chung Hee's dictatorial Yushin regime in South Korea. It took place between 16 and 20 October 1979 in Busan and Masan (now a district of Changwon, South Korea). Students from Pusan National University began demonstrations calling for an end to Park's dictatorship, following the regime's controversial decision to expel New Democratic Party chairman Kim Young-sam from the national assembly. On 17 October the protests grew to include citizens and spread to Masan on 18 and 19 October. It is also called the BusanâÂÂMasan Democratic Uprising () or BusanâÂÂMasan Democratization Movement ().
Park declared martial law on 18 October and referred 66 people to military court. On 20 October, Park invoked the Garrison Act. The army was mobilized, and 59 civilians were summoned to military court. Six days later, Park was assassinated by his own intelligence chief Kim Jae-gyu, leading to the Seoul Spring and seizure of power by general Chun Doo-hwan the following year.
The 1978 National Assembly election was held in December and was influenced by the government. Nevertheless, the ruling Republican Party was defeated by the New Democratic Party.
In August 1979, female workers of the YH Trading Company () performed a sit-in at the headquarters of the New Democratic Party. Reacting to their exclusion, the ruling Republican Party expelled Kim Young-sam from the National Assembly, leading to the resignation of all opposition party members from the National Assembly.
The protest's history is as follows:
This incident incited conflict inside the government, which led in turn to the Yushin regime's premature demise that had been sustained by an emergency measure. The protest influenced the Seoul Spring, Gwangju Uprising and the June Democracy Movement.
Democracy Park was built in 1999, and a monument was erected to honor the participants of the protests.