Liberty and Freedom: Sister Cities Gwangju and San Antonio

By Murdock O’Mooney ||

According to writer Isadora James, “A sister is a gift to the heart, a friend to the spirit, and a golden thread to the meaning of life.” Gwangju is lucky enough to have seven official sister cities, with San Antonio being the second oldest behind Tianan, Taiwan (1968). Like Gwangju, San Antonio has a controversial past, is completely unique, and is known as a place where people died in the name of liberty and freedom. And although half a world away from each other, these two cities have more in common than one might think.

San Antonio and Gwangju became sister cities on February 4, 1982, with the relationship rooted in the concept of political transition and democratization. After May 18 (1980), the Gwangju Uprising, Gwangju was seeking to rebrand itself, and San Antonio was quick to offer support, even planting trees in honor of the victims of May 18. Both cities also adorn the coveted UNESCO Creative Cities title: Gwangju for media arts and San Antonio for gastronomy.

I first visited San Antonio a couple of years ago, although I’ve been a fan of the five-time NBA champion San Antonio Spurs since childhood. The San Antonio metro area is home to almost 3 million people, while the city proper has a population of 1.5 million. It’s a youthful metropolis with the median age of just 34 years old with 15% of the population being foreign born, the majority coming from Mexico. The broader demographics are 65% Hispanic, 23% White, 6% Black, and 3% Asian. The city has beautifully blended architecture, with modern buildings next to Spanish colonial structures that are hundreds of years old.

San Antonio is the seventh largest city in the USA and the second largest in Texas behind Houston. Like Gwangju, San Antonio is known for its amazing cuisine, and it is the birthplace of Tex-Mex, which combines the culinary traditions of Mexico and the United States. It’s a flavorful cuisine with lots of chili, cheese, beans, tortillas, ground beef, and zesty ingredients such as fresh salsas, avocados, lemons, and limes. San Antonio is also credited as the birthplace of the Frito pie, which combines crunchy corn chips (usually Fritos brand) with chili and cheese. Saltgrass Steak House on the river walk is a good choice for anyone wanting to indulge in some Texas beef, and Landry’s Seafood House downtown, although pricey, offers excellent Gulf Coast cuisine.

Of course, no visit to San Antonio is complete without seeing the Alamo. It’s a former Spanish Catholic mission and the site of the Battle of the Alamo, which took place in 1836 during the Mexican–American War when Texas, then a territory of Mexico, sought independence. Roughly 260 Texan volunteers held the fort for 13 days against thousands of Mexican troops led by General Santa Anna. The fort eventually fell and some weeks later, when the Texans defeated the Mexican Army at the Battle of San Jacinto, “Remember the Alamo!” was their battle cry.

This legacy has earned San Antonio the nickname “Military City, USA.”

In 2022 the San Antonio mayor Ron Nirenberg visited Gwangju to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the sister-city bond. He gave an address noting that “Gwangju has played an important role on the global stage in promoting human rights and democracy,” and met with Gwangju Mayor Kang Gi-jung to discuss AI, cybersecurity, and climate change. Mayor Nirenberg also had business leaders in his entourage, such as the CEO of Port San Antonio (a massive tech and cybersecurity innovation hub) who met with Gwangju leaders as part of the so-called “e-sports diplomacy.”

Also in 2022, San Antonio hosted a major art exhibition titled Our Step, Our Hope: Sister Cities: Gwangju to San Antonio, which featured works from the Gwangju Museum of Art as well as a screening of the Gwangju inspired film Taxi Driver, which was shown at Mission Marquee Plaza to help educate Texans on the May 18 Democratic Uprising.

San Antonio also features a traditional Soswae-won garden, like the one just outside of Gwangju, which is from the Joseon Period and is meant to preserve and celebrate Korea’s natural beauty. It was assembled by Gwangju artisans in Denman Estate Park. In response, San Antonio artist Cakky Brawley installed a massive light sculpture at Gwangju’s Kim Daejung Convention Center.

Both cities also feature Streets of Friendship with San Antonio having a Gwangju Pavilion, also located at Denman Estate Park.

Other fun facts about San Antonio include American president Theodore Roosevelt recruiting some of his famous Rough Riders warriors at the downtown Menger Hotel in 1898, and the city holding the Guinness World Record for the tallest pair of cowboy boots, which stand 13 meters high and weigh an incredible 5,000 kilograms. San Antonio also boasts America’s first all-digital library, Bibliotech, which opened in 2013, and has the largest Mexican market outside of Mexico in Historic Market Square. It has over 100 vendors, and has been operating since the 1700s. You can find everything from a cowboy hat and boots to souvenirs and Frito pie at the market, which serves as a testament to San Antonio’s diversity and cultural richness.

Both Gwangju and San Antonio have multiple UNESCO designations, with San Antonio’s Alamo and four other missions forming a UNESCO Heritage Site – the only such designation in Texas. San Antonio also features the San Fernando Cathedral, which is the oldest continuously used cathedral in Texas, dating back to 1738. Getting around San Antonio can be entertainment in itself, with the various riverboat taxis and vintage buses available. Or take the elevator to the top of the Tower of the Americas for a view of the city from nearly 200 meters in the air.

Gwangju and San Antonio’s sister-city bond seems as strong as ever, and if you get the chance, I would recommend visiting Military City, USA. Like Gwangju, San Antonio is tough, steadfast, and demands respect. And as American author Mark Twain once lamented, “There are only four unique cities in America: Boston, New Orleans, San Francisco, and San Antonio.”

Cover Photo: Flowers and the Alamo. (Luke Faulkner via Unsplash)