Jeonnam Governor Kim Young-rok Requests Government Support for Establishing 'Jeonnam 5·18 Memorial Space'

Explanation of Business Justification to Minister of the Interior and Safety Sang-min Lee

Kim Young-rok, Governor of Jeonnam Province, has requested government support for the establishment of the ‘Jeonnam 5·18 Memorial Space’.

According to Jeonnam Province on the 17th, Governor Kim met with Lee Sang-min, Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, in Jindo on the same day and requested 4.1 billion KRW in national funding.

Governor Kim emphasized, “Jeonnam is the birthplace of the democratization movement, having directly participated in the resistance during the May 18 protests, including the formation of protest groups, yet there is no historical or memorial space in the region,” adding, “It is essential to establish the ‘Jeonnam 5·18 Memorial Space’ to record the history of Jeonnam’s active participation in the May 18 Democratization Movement and to fully inherit its value.”

Jeonnam Province has designated and manages 29 historic sites and 75 facilities related to the May 18 Democratization Movement, including Mokpo Station.

In a 2018 ‘Basic Plan Research for the May 18 Democratization Movement Memorial Project’ conducted by Jeonnam Province, 90.4% of the 500 Jeonnam residents surveyed responded that ‘a memorial space is necessary in Jeonnam.’

In 2022, the province conducted a ‘Research Project for the Establishment of the May 18 Memorial Space,’ developing spatial plans and specialized content, reviewing project feasibility, and continuously requesting national funding support from the government and local members of the National Assembly.

Meanwhile, Lee Sang-min, Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, visited sites in Gangjin and Jindo, Jeonnam, on the 16th and 17th to review exemplary cases of responding to local extinction and to prepare development plans.

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