Gwangju’s battle to restore historic landmark nearly over
GWANGJU -- In the heart of Gwangju, a decade-long struggle to preserve a site of immense historical significance is finally nearing its conclusion.
The former South Jeolla Provincial Office, a key landmark of the 1980 Gwangju Democratic Uprising, was partially demolished in 2015 before protests halted its destruction.
Now, after years of fierce opposition, discussions and even a fire that threatened to derail restoration efforts, the project is set to be completed in the second half of 2025.
Among those who fought tirelessly to protect the building are the mothers of those who lost their lives during the pro-democracy movement.
In protest, those opposed to the demolition, including the members of the Mothers of May, the mothers of those who died in the Gwangju Uprising, shaved their heads, held demonstrations and mobilized public pressure to halt the demolition. Their efforts eventually led to a reversal of government plans and the decision to restore the annex instead of removing it. In 2023, the restoration process started in earnest.
On Feb. 11, Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Yu In-chon met with the representatives of the Guardians of the Former South Jeolla Provincial Office Restoration, who are family members of the victims who lost their lives during the Gwangju Pro-democracy Movement.
“It’s been 10 years. When we first started this, we did not expect to take this long. ... In the meantime, we shaved our heads and went on a hunger strike,” Chu Hye-seong, the leader of Mothers of May, also a member of the Guardians, told Yu, urging him to closely oversee the restoration process. Chu’s husband suffered from illnesses caused by torture inflicted on him during the uprising.
"Right now, our priority is restoration. Once it's completed later this year, we will focus on transforming the venue into a museum dedicated to democratic movements and history. We will make great efforts to develop meaningful content to fill this space," Yu stated.
The demolition was initially intended to help the city move forward from its painful past while creating a new symbol of cultural progress with the establishment of the Asia Culture Center. The ACC, now renamed National Asian Culture Center, opened in 2015. It was envisioned as a major hub for Asian arts, cultural exchange and creative industries, to bring contemporary art exhibitions, performances and research institutes to Gwangju. The demolished part — 24 meters out of the 54-meter-long annex — was supposed to serve as the new gate for the modern culture center.
After years of debates, a consensus was reached to restore the original form as a reminder of what it costs to keep the nation’s democracy. In October 2023, the government announced a plan to restore the six designated buildings — including the main and annex buildings of the former South Jeolla Provincial Office, the government conference room, the main and civil affairs office of the Provincial Police Headquarters, and Sangmugwan Hall — to their original state in May 1980. The interior and exterior structures, as well as the connecting passageways, were to be restored.
When completed, the Main Building will showcase the 10-day struggle from May 18 to May 27, 1980; the Provincial Police Headquarters will focus on the stories of citizens who participated in the uprising.
Sangmugwan Hall, which temporarily housed the bodies of victims during the Gwangju Uprising, will serve as a permanent memorial space. This location is also central to Nobel Prize winner Han Kang’s novel "Human Acts," which powerfully depicts the trauma, resilience and suffering of those involved in the uprising. The novel’s harrowing accounts of victims’ bodies being temporarily laid in Sangmugwan have been instrumental in raising global awareness of the historical significance of this site.
Mothers of May
Meanwhile, as the Mothers of May await the completion of the restoration later this year, they have found a new path to healing in recent years: singing.
Since 2022, all 15 members have participated in "Songs of the Mothers of May," a performance that transforms 40 years of grief and longing into music. They have performed at the ACC in Gwangju and across the country. In May and June of last year, the group commemorated both Jeju’s 4.3 Incident and Seoul’s June 10 Democratic Protest.
Jeju’s 4.3 Incident refers to the state-led massacre that took place on Jeju Island between April 3, 1948, and 1954, during which tens of thousands of civilians were killed amid the government’s suppression of an alleged communist insurgency. Seoul’s June 10 Democratic Protest in 1987 was a pivotal moment in South Korea’s fight for democracy, as mass demonstrations against the military regime led to direct presidential elections and the country’s transition to democratic rule.
“We started the performances to tell our stories through singing. Now that we're getting older and there isn't a sufficient budget, we cannot do as much as we hoped. For this year, we will perform once in Gwangju and once in Japan in June, and we will make some changes,” Chu said.
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