Gwangju City Implements Special Safety Measures for May 18 Commemoration Event

Traffic Control on Geumnam-ro and Jungang-ro to Disperse Crowds on May 17-18
600 Safety Personnel Deployed... Real-Time On-Site Monitoring and Response

Gwangju City Hall exterior view.

Gwangju City will implement a "special safety management plan" to prevent accidents ahead of the "45th Anniversary of the May 18 Democratization Movement Commemoration Event," which will be held in the Geumnam-ro area from May 17 to 18.

The city expects large crowds to gather at the main event venues, including Dong-gu Geumnam-ro, the May 18 Democracy Plaza, and nearby subway stations (Geumnamro 4-ga Station and Culture Complex Station). In particular, around 50,000 people are expected to attend the eve event.

Accordingly, the city has designated and will operate May 17 and 18 as a "special countermeasure period." Five key locations, including Gwangju High School?the starting point of the Democratic Peace March?as well as the main event site in the Geumnam-ro area, Geumnamro 4-ga Station, and Culture Complex Station, have been designated as priority management areas. The city plans to focus on preventing and responding to safety accidents in these areas.

First, broad traffic control will be implemented to disperse crowds along the Geumnam-ro section from May 18 Democracy Plaza to the Woori Bank intersection, and along the Jungang-ro section from Hanmi Shopping to NC Department Store.

In particular, more than 600 personnel will be deployed for safety management. This includes about 110 event safety management staff, as well as an additional 500 personnel from related organizations such as Gwangju City, Dong-gu District, the police, the fire department, Gwangju Transportation Corporation, and Gwangju Urban Corporation. The city will establish a rapid response system by monitoring the situation at the site in real time.

Lee Buho, Director of Safety Policy, said, "We will prioritize citizen safety and ensure a more meaningful May 18 commemoration event than ever before through thorough preparation and close cooperation among all agencies." He also urged, "We ask that citizens attending the event familiarize themselves in advance with the event information and operation plans, and actively cooperate in preventing safety accidents."