After graduating from university, David joined the Peace Corps and arrived in South Korea in 1978. He was bestowed with a Korean name, Im Dae-oon and it became his name throughout his time in Korea. He was assigned to serve as a tuberculosis worker in Yeongam, a small town in the Southwest. He fell in love with the country's food, scenery, and people. On May 18, 1980, David arrived in Gwangju to transfer buses. Tim Warnberg, his friend and fellow Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV), told him that there was brutal violence against any young people seen in the streets. He returned home but continued to hear that the violence was getting worse. David set out for the city to check on Tim and his Korean friends. When the bus stopped outside of the city, he decided to walk. On the road to Gwangju, David encountered a military truck with protesters. David took a photo of them and this led to a confrontation with KCIA agent who was demanding his camera. When he reached the city, he witnessed gunfire from a helicopter, the results of brutal violence, and the wailing from the deads’ family members. He was shocked by what humans can do to other humans. David and 3 other PCVs helped the wounds and interpreted for foreign journalists. David was invited to the Provincial Office building, the center of the uprising. He got to know uprising leaders and bore witness to the aftermath of the last stand against the dictatorship. When the uprising ended in tragedy, all PCVs were called to the head office. Only David was forced to resign for violating its rules on political noninterference. Even after losing his PCV status, he decided to stay in Korea. Yet other PCVs visited him to listen to what happened in Gwangju and they helped him to stay in Korea. Two of them took his photos overseas--AFP and Covert Action reported. Although he managed to stay in the country, he was being followed by KCIA for the rest of his stay. It took another 7 years to bring democracy to Korea. David was never afraid of testifying about what he witnessed.