TRANSFORMATION OF HISTORIC BUILDING

[Anchor Lead]

The city of Gwangju is home to the Jeonil Building, an icon of the Gwangju pro-democracy uprising. The structure bears 245 bullet marks that were fired on the public from military helicopters on May 18, 1980. The historic building has recently been renovated into a center of history education.

[Pkg]

​During the 1980 uprising, Geumnam-ro Street in Gwangju was a site of violent clashes between citizens and military forces. The Jeonil Building, a symbol of the tragic moment in history, was re-opened recently after four years of renovation.

[Soundbite] "One, two, three - open!"

The structure has been renamed "Jeonil Building 245." It was named after 245 bullet marks were discovered in the building by the National Institute of Scientific Investigation in 2017. The bullets were fired on protesters in downtown Gwangju from military helicopters. During renovation, the Gwangju city government preserved the bullet marks on the ninth and tenth floors of the building.

[Soundbite] CHO JIN-TAE(MAY 18 MEMORIAL FOUNDATION) : "Visitors can see in person the horrible scenes of the May 18 shooting. This place commemorates the uprising in various ways."

The replicas of the helicopters and the building itself show what Geumnam-ro looked like at the time. Traces of the Gwangju uprising can be seen in every part of the structure. The building also houses the Namdo Tourism Center and the NGO Center. Several webtoon firms will also move in soon.

[Soundbite] OH YOUNG-WOO(1ST VICE MINISTER OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND SPORTS) : "The building has been reborn into a venue of culture and history by housing the Namdo Tourism Center, which will act as a tourism base of Gwangju City and Jeollanam-do Province."

A witness to one of the major events in Korea's modern history, the Jeonil Building had kept silence for four decades. But now it is expected to become a venue of history education connecting the past with the future.