'Old Jeonnam Provincial Office' Restores Its Appearance from May 1980

Ministry of Culture Restoration Groundbreaking Ceremony... Project Cost 49.5 Billion Won
"A Space to Share the Values of the May 18 Democratic Movement"

The 'Old Jeonnam Provincial Government Office,' a sacred site of democracy, will be restored as a place for national unity. On the 30th, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism held a groundbreaking ceremony for the restoration at the 5·18 Democracy Square in Dong-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City. Jang Mi-ran, the 2nd Vice Minister of the Ministry, stated, "We aim to create a place not only for commemorating the victims but also for empathy, education, exchange, harmony, and integration," adding, "We will make it an open space that shares and communicates the value of the May 18 Democratic Movement as a democratic history to be passed down to future generations."

The Old Jeonnam Provincial Government Office is symbolic of the democratization movement in May 1980. The citizen army risked their lives to fight to the end. Even afterward, it served as a focal point uniting the citizens of Gwangju and Jeonnam provinces. However, during the construction of the National Asia Culture Center, parts of the building were demolished and altered, leading to continuous calls for its restoration.

In March 2019, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced the basic restoration plan and began design work in November of the same year. To restore the appearance of May 1980, a feasibility study was conducted for about two years, and a project budget of 49.5 billion won was secured. The bullet hole survey, which took about three years, was completed on the 27th, leading to the groundbreaking ceremony on this day.

The restoration targets six buildings: the main government office building, annex building, government office conference room, police bureau main building, police bureau civil service office, and Sangmugwan. Each will preserve its symbolic significance and be arranged internally as spaces to remember the May 18 event. A Ministry official said, "We will create a space for education for future generations and mutual harmony, as well as a mixed space for exhibition, records, and information."

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