Human Acts

Human Acts is a novel written by South Korean author Han Kang, first published in 2014. The novel explores the events of the Gwangju Uprising in 1980, an uprising in South Korea that was brutally suppressed by the government. It follows the experiences of several characters who are impacted by the event, and centers on Dong-ho, a middle-school boy who is killed by the army during the uprising. Through the perspectives of these characters, the novel touches on themes of trauma, grief, and the long-lasting effects of state violence on individuals and society as a whole. Human Acts has been widely praised for its lyrical and evocative writing, as well as its powerful portrayal of the human cost of political violence.

Content Warning: Human Acts features graphic depictions of violence, sexual violence, and death. It also mentions a death by suicide.

Plot Summary

Divided into six chapters and an epilogue, Human Acts explores the Gwangju Uprising and its aftermath through the eyes of seven characters.

Chapter 1 follows Dong-ho, a middle-school boy who becomes involved in the civilian militia when he shows up at the Provincial Office searching for the body of his friend, Jeong-dae. A group of volunteers set up a makeshift morgue at the Provincial Office, cleaning the corpses, putting out posters to help their families find the

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