Over 550 Visitors Since Reopening on May 3
Photos of Blood Donations During May 18 on Display
Participatory Outdoor Exhibition Draws Attention
On the morning of the 7th, a citizen is inspecting the interior of the hospital in the central corridor of the old Gwangju Red Cross Hospital in Blodong, Donggu, Gwangju. Photo by Min Chanki
"I am grateful to be able to revisit a place that symbolizes May 1980. I am once again reminded of the spirit of Daedong."
On the morning of the 7th, at the former Gwangju Red Cross Hospital in Bullo-dong, Dong-gu, Gwangju, which is designated as May 18 Historic Site No. 11. The Gwangju Red Cross Hospital, which opened in 1965, was operated as Seonam University Hospital from 1996, but was closed in 2014 due to financial difficulties. This location, which also serves as the setting for the novel "Human Acts" by author Han Kang, functioned as a "field hospital" during May 1980.
To mark the 45th anniversary of the May 18 Democratization Movement, the city of Gwangju opened the hospital to the public again on May 3, after 11 years. As the former Red Cross Hospital, a symbol of the May 18 Daedong spirit, opened its interior for the first time in over a decade, more than 50 citizens visited just in the morning. From the first day of reopening through the holiday period, a total of about 500 citizens visited over four days.
An information sign explaining the situation during the May 18 incident installed at the entrance of the emergency room of the former Gwangju Red Cross Hospital in Bldo-dong, Dong-gu, Gwangju. Photo by Min Chanki
In the emergency room, where the wounded were treated during the May 18 incident, there were six beds covered with faded sky-blue blankets. In this space, video interviews with staff who worked there at the time and with May 18 guides were shown. Citizens alternated between watching the videos on the monitors and looking at the emergency room itself, reflecting, "It's impossible to imagine how chaotic it must have been that day."
In the areas marked as the dental clinic, orthopedic clinic, and health management department, the interior remained as it was when the last patient was received during the Seonam University Hospital era. Calendars stopped at 2013 hung in the hallways, on bulletin boards, and on the walls, bearing traces of time. On one side of a bulletin board, there was a notice stating, "Due to internal circumstances, the hospital will be closed from December 9, 2013."
In the main lobby, photographs were displayed showing medical staff and citizens voluntarily donating blood during May 18. Citizens paused to look at each photo, offering a brief moment of silence.
On the morning of the 7th, a citizen participation content exhibition was held in the outdoor yard of the former Gwangju Red Cross Hospital in Blodong, Donggu, Gwangju. Photo by Min Chanki
In the outdoor yard, including the mortuary where the bodies of victims were kept, there was a participatory exhibition content asking for ideas on the future use of the former Red Cross Hospital. This content, which included interviews with citizens, displayed images representing various ideas for the building's use, such as "a space inheriting the value of sharing," "a mart," and "a May travelers' center."
Heo (61), a resident of Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, said, "I came here to once again feel the Daedong spirit because I heard I could revisit a site of Gwangju's pain after 11 years. The fact that the December 3 Martial Law Incident could pass without greater tragedy was also possible because of the Gwangju spirit. I hope many citizens will never forget the May 18 Democratization Movement."
Another citizen, Cho (45), said, "There was a recent martial law incident, and with May upon us, I visited with my children during the holiday period. It was meaningful to experience the history of May 18, which I had only read about in books, with my own eyes."
Meanwhile, the hospital will be open to the public every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. until May 31. After 1:30 p.m., a "May guide" from the May 18 Memorial Foundation will provide free tours for visitors.
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