924 Suspected Bullet Mark Traces Discovered at Former Jeonnam Provincial Office, Final Battleground of 5·18

Professor Lee Sang-ok, a visiting professor at the Conservation Science Research Institute of the Korea National University of Cultural Heritage, which conducted a bullet mark investigation service on the old Jeonnam Provincial Government Office, is explaining the suspected bullet mark found on the rear wall of the old Police Bureau in Dong-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, on the afternoon of the 13th.

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Gwan-woo] Numerous bullet marks and bullet heads showing traces of military suppression by martial law troops were discovered throughout the old Jeonnam Provincial Government Building, the final battleground during the May 18, 1980 Democratization Movement.

The Old Jeonnam Provincial Government Building Restoration Promotion Team (hereafter Promotion Team), under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, announced the results of the "Bullet Mark Investigation around the Old Jeonnam Provincial Government Building" on the 13th.

The announcement was made by Professor Lee Sang-ok, invited professor at the Conservation Science Research Institute of the Korea National University of Cultural Heritage, the institution responsible for conducting the investigation.

He explained the investigation process in the order of research overview → current status of bullet mark remnants → research methods → reproduction experiments → trace mapping → bullet head excavation → preservation treatment plans and expected effects.

At the beginning of the investigation, the Promotion Team estimated locations of bullet marks through literature, oral accounts, and photos and videos from the time, and proceeded with the restoration of the original form of the old Jeonnam Provincial Government Building.

During this process, non-destructive scientific methods such as terahertz and ground-penetrating radar (GPR) surveys, thermal imaging comparison analysis, metal detection, and gamma-ray imaging were applied.

As a result, a total of 924 suspected bullet mark traces were found, of which 10 were confirmed as bullet marks.

From these 10, five bullet heads were extracted and are currently being preserved.

The bullet heads are expected to serve as materials to estimate the situation of the martial law troops’ suppression of the Provincial Government Building during the May 18 Democratization Movement.

The Promotion Team also confirmed that the martial law troops used M16 rifles during the investigation.

This conclusion was reached through cooperation with the Ministry of National Defense, by creating a wall identical to the one at the time in a shooting range to conduct sample shooting of bullet marks, then comparing and analyzing the obtained bullet mark samples with the current wall, and cross-verifying the bullet composition analysis and rifling marks on the bullet heads through the National Forensic Service.

The Promotion Team estimates that, in addition to the old Jeonnam Provincial Government Building, five bullet heads remain embedded in trees: three in the ginkgo tree in front of the main building and two in the pine tree next to the conference room (Civil Service Office).

Furthermore, additional investigation and verification will continue on 525 traces, including 71 suspected bullet marks and 454 doubtful traces.

A Promotion Team official stated, "Through the bullet marks confirmed in this investigation, we were able to infer the appearance of citizens (and soldiers) just before and after the final resistance, the movement routes of the martial law troops, and their suppression methods," adding, "This could become another important clue to uncover the memories held by the old Jeonnam Provincial Government Building and the truth of May 18."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.