National Funding of 1.158 Billion Won Allocated for Design Costs of Both Sites
Old Cemetery and Red Cross Hospital: Design by 2027, Completion by 2028
Gwangju City: "National Responsibility for Preserving 5·18 Historical Sites Confirmed"
The 5·18 Old Cemetery and the former Gwangju Red Cross Hospital, two of Gwangju’s most significant 5·18 historical sites, will receive national funding for the first time in 28 years since being designated as historic sites. With the inclusion of design costs for preservation and utilization in the government budget for 2026, the foundation has been laid for these sites to be promoted as national projects.
On December 9, Gwangju City announced that the 2026 government budget includes 713 million won for the "5·18 Old Cemetery Democracy Park Development Project Design Fee" and 445 million won for the "Former Gwangju Red Cross Hospital Preservation and Utilization Project Design Fee." This marks the first time that both sites will receive national funding.
The "5·18 Old Cemetery" is the site where victims of the 5·18 Democratization Movement were buried, transported in garbage trucks and carts. It is regarded as the starting point of the struggle to uncover the truth. Despite attempts by the Chun Doo-hwan regime to shut it down, it was preserved through civic participation. Later, national democratic activists, including Lee Han-yeol, were interred here, establishing the site as a symbol of the 5·18 spirit.
Gwangju City has formed a consultative body with related organizations to develop the site as the "Birthplace of the Revolution of Light" and a "Living Classroom of K-Democracy," officially naming the project the "5·18 Old Cemetery Democracy Park Development Project." Final discussions on the content of the historical exhibition are underway, with plans to complete the design by 2027 and finish construction by 2028. The entire project will be funded by the national government.
The other historical site, the "Former Gwangju Red Cross Hospital," was where citizens voluntarily donated blood and treated the wounded during the 5·18 events. It is also known as a major setting in author Han Kang’s novel "Human Acts." The city plans to preserve the building’s exterior as much as possible, while transforming the interior into an open space where history, memory, and healing coexist. This "Preservation and Utilization Project" will receive 50% of its funding from the national government, with design work scheduled for completion by 2027 and renovation and reinforcement to be finished by 2028. Plans for the use of the space will be further developed through expert reviews and public hearings with citizens.
In 2024, Gwangju City lobbied the National Assembly and government ten times, and fifteen times in 2025, securing support from local lawmakers to ensure that both sites were included in the national budget. Building on this achievement, the city also plans to establish comprehensive preservation and utilization strategies for other major historical sites, such as the former Gwangju Prison, the Armed Forces Gwangju Hospital, and the 505 Security Unit.
Mayor Kang Gijung stated, "It is significant that the inclusion of the 5·18 spirit in the preamble of the Constitution has been selected as the government’s top policy task, and that 5·18 historical sites will now be preserved and utilized under national leadership," adding, "This is a meaningful achievement in the history of democracy in the Republic of Korea."
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