Restoration Work Resumes at Former South Jeolla Provincial Government Building... "No Fire Damage"

Restoration Team: "Safety Inspection Shows No Structural Damage to the Building"

The restoration work on the Police Bureau of the former Jeonnam Provincial Government Building, the final battleground of the May 18 Democratization Movement, resumed on the 10th. It has been about two months since the project was halted due to a fire.

On the morning of January 4, smoke rose from a fire at the restoration construction site of the old Jeonnam Provincial Office in Gwangsan-dong, Dong-gu, Gwangju. Photo by Yonhap News

According to the Former Jeonnam Provincial Government Building Restoration Promotion Team, a safety inspection by a private company found no cracks in the building or structural damage. On this day, the team deployed about 10 workers to begin assembling rebar and formwork. The target for completion is the end of October.

The fire broke out on January 4, when welding sparks ignited ceiling insulation on the third floor of the Police Bureau construction site. This location also serves as the setting for the novel "The Boy Is Coming" by Nobel Prize-winning author Han Kang. The safety inspection confirmed that thanks to fireproof paint applied to the H-beams, there was no warping or sagging of the steel.

Restoration work on the other five areas?main building, annex, conference room, civil service office, and Sangmugwan?continued without interruption except on the day of the fire. The restoration team stated, "There is no significant damage other than soot," and added, "There will be no delays in the construction."

Plans for the Police Bureau include a May 18 oral history video exhibition hall on the first and second floors, and an archive and conference room on the third floor. This was the site where, during the May 18 Democratization Movement in 1980, high school student militia members Moon Jaehak and Ahn Jongpil were found dead. Moon Jaehak is the real-life model for Dongho, the protagonist in "The Boy Is Coming."

The restoration project covers six buildings and a total area of 139,506 square meters, with a progress rate of 47%. A member of the promotion team stated, "We will strengthen our safety management system and continue the restoration work."