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German Photojournalist Honored with Gwangju Exhibition

An exhibition is to honor the German photojournalist Jurgen Hinzpeter, who reported on the 1980 Gwangju democratic uprising and inspired the hit movie "A Taxi Driver".

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The exhibition of the late reporter's work will be held at Gwangju City Hall from Aug. 21 to Sept. 3 and hosted by the city government and the Gwangju and Jeonnam Press Association.

Photos and videos taken by Hinzpeter in Gwangju during the uprising as well as works by local journalists will be on display.

His glasses and passport, which was also used in the filming of "A Taxi Driver", will be part of the exhibition. They were lent to the organizers by his widow, Edeltraut Brahmstaedt.

Hinzpeter was the ARD correspondent for Japan when he came to Gwangju on May 20, 1980 and recorded the brutal crackdown on the protesters over two days. He managed to dodge tight security checks by the army and delivered the film safely to Japan.

He came back to Gwangju on May 23 and recorded the final moments of the crackdown until May 27. His work was instrumental in bringing global attention to the tragedy.

Gwangju Mayor Yoon Jang-hyeon said, "The purpose of this exhibition is to honor the noble spirit of a journalist who risked his life to let the world know the truth 37 years ago".

Meanwhile, "A Taxi Driver" is expected to become this year's first film to draw 10 million viewers as it hit 9 million mark on Wednesday, just 15 days after its release.

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