Yes in particular it's viewed as a pro-communist armed revolt from a region that has not received any of benefit from Korea's rising economy.
It's a controversial topic in Korea and views are divided. It's interesting to note that the special force soldiers specifically from South East region were handpicked to carry out merciless beatings and killings.
One major reason for this is the Gwangju Uprising[0].
0: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwangju_Uprising