The irony of the army
When the army takes power after the coup, it promises people that it will implement a democratically elected government within a year. Ironically, the army has supported dictatorship and student censorship for nine years. Therefore, the army did more harm to the people of South Korea than they anticipated.
The paradox of prison
The prison is a correctional facility. Readers expect the inmates to be treated humanely, corrected, and trained on life skills. On the contrary, the inmates in Gwangju prison are treated as animals. When prisoners finish their jail terms, they come outside depressed and hopeless. As a result, most of the released prisoners commit suicide. Therefore, the prison authorities are doing contrary to what is expected of them.
The naked protest
When Seon-ju and other young girls go to protest in the streets while naked, they expect the police not to dare to harm them. Ironically, the police do the contrary because they attack the girls and injure most of them. Making matters worse, some of the police sexually assault the naked girls. Seon-ju is shocked when their striking stagey fails terribly.
