5·18 Democracy Square5·18 민주광장

At a glance

This plaza in front of the former South Jeolla Provincial Office became the center of the May 1980 Gwangju uprising. From May 14, students from Chonnam and Chosun universities and local citizens held three days of rallies here, including a peaceful torchlight march on the night of May 16, and after martial-law troops pulled back on May 21 the square filled with mass citizens' meetings. The fountain, the Sangmugwan hall and the clock tower from those days still stand, joined in 2005 by the Bell of Democracy, which is rung on May 18 and on Liberation Day. The eve-of-anniversary event, the largest of the 5·18 commemorations, is held here every year.

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5·18 Democracy Square · 1 tours & tickets

1. KlookGwangju Soul Walk: 5·18 history and old townA guided walk through 5·18 history and Gwangju's old town that starts at 5·18 Democracy Square.Book

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Map

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Tips

• 01
  The restored Provincial Office building is now part of the Asia Culture Center, right beside the square.

Nearby

Asia Culture CenterGwangju's national center for Asian arts, opened in 2015 beside the site of the 1980 uprising, with exhibitions, performances and open plazas.Yangnim-dong Penguin VillageA Gwangju lane village where residents hung old clocks, pots and frames on the walls, now home to craft studios in a 1970s–80s streetscape.Soswaewon GardenA 16th-century scholar's garden in Damyang, laid out along a stream with pavilions, bamboo and stone walls, and still kept by the founder's descendants.Muwol VillageA quiet farming village in Damyang with stone-wall lanes, a pine-wood trail, hanok stays and hands-on country experiences.