Historic Preservation

[Anchor Lead]

Efforts to preserve historic relics ahead of the 40th anniversary of the Gwangju Uprising are gaining pace. The Jeonil Building, where numerous traces of gunshots fired by the martial law army were discovered, is soon to be reborn into a public cultural space, aimed at preventing historic distortions and publicizing truth about the tragic event.

[Pkg]

The Jeonil Building faces the old building of the Jeollanam-do Provincial Office. It bears marks left behind during the May 18 democracy movement, when the military carried out brutal acts against civilians. Two years ago, traces of more than 240 gunshots presumed to have been fired by those troops were discovered on the tenth floor of this building.

[Soundbite] Kim Dong-hwan(National Forensic Service(2017)) : "It was just a presumption that the troops used heavy machine guns installed in helicopters."

Soon, the Jeonil Building will be reborn into a cultural complex dedicated to the past, present and future of Gwangju. The ninth and tenth floors of the buildings will be preserved in their original state to prevent historic distortions about the historic movement and spread the truth about what happened in the city almost four decades ago. Floors five through seven will house cultural content firms, while the basement and the first four floors will be occupied by public facilities such as a library and a culture center.

[Soundbite] Cho Jin-tae(May 18 Memorial Foundation) : "As time goes by, it's the vestiges of the Gwangju Uprising that will serve as reminders of what happened at the time. Spaces that can tell stories are especially important."

By next March, when Koreans celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Gwangju Uprising, the Jeonil Building will be ready to be unveiled as a new historic venue.