Bukgu Gwangju to Hold First Memorial Ceremony for Civilian Victims of the Korean War

Gwangju Bukgu will hold its first-ever memorial ceremony on July 3 to honor civilian victims who lost their lives in mass killings during and around the Korean War. The ceremony will begin at 9:40 a.m. in the main auditorium of the Family Center on Haseo-ro in Bukgu, and will be organized by the Gwangju-Jeonnam Memorial Solidarity.

Exterior view of Gwangju Bukgu Government Office.

Earlier, in February, Bukgu held a meeting with the bereaved families' association and about 20 civic groups to discuss the direction of memorial projects, including the installation of memorial monuments and the holding of the memorial ceremony. Subsequently, the district enacted a related ordinance and secured a budget in March. Memorial monuments have now been installed at three locations: Bulgongogae (Dongnim-dong), Janggobongogae (Yangsan-dong), and Dodongogae (Jangdeung-dong). Bukgu is the first autonomous district in Gwangju to enact a memorial ordinance and hold a memorial ceremony at the district level.

The event will proceed with the unveiling of the memorial monuments, a progress report, the reading of a memorial address, a requiem dance, and incense burning and floral offerings. Around 100 people are expected to attend, including bereaved families, the Jeju 4·3 Victims' Families Association, the Yeosun Incident Victims' Families Association, and local civic groups. Bukgu plans to use this memorial ceremony as an opportunity to expand peace and human rights education, and to ensure that the local community remembers and commemorates the history of civilian victims during the Korean War.

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