National 5·18 Democratic Cemetery

This is a communal cemetery where the victims of the Gwangju Democratization Movement that occurred in 1980 are buried, also known as the 5·18 Cemetery. With the launch of the civilian government, a re-evaluation of the 5·18 Democratic Uprising took place, and a movement to cultivate the 5·18 victims' cemetery as a democratic sacred site arose from concerned citizens. Gwangju Metropolitan City, with support from the central government, established the 5·18 Cemetery on a 165k㎡ site at San 34, Unjeong-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City. The cemetery contains 764 graves of the 5·18 martyrs (as of 2017), and consists of 7 buildings (Gate of Democracy, Memorial Hall for the Spirits, Gate of History, Sungmoru, Memorial Gate, Administration Building, Rest Area), along with a historical space, Democracy Plaza, Memorial Plaza, exhibition space, symbolic sculptures, the Gwangju Democratization Movement Memorial Tower, 7 historical yards (Righteous Army, Donghak, March 1st Movement, Gwangju Student Movement, April 19 Revolution, Gwangju Democratization Movement, Unification Yard), a tree dedication monument, and a completion monument.

The 5·18 Democratic Uprising is a representative anti-democratic massacre that occurred in May 1980 during the suppression of a nationwide resistance movement against the power seizure conspiracy by the military following the December 12 Incident, and it is a citizens' democratic uprising against this. This cemetery honors the spirits of the Gwangju citizens who were sacrificed here and serves as a living history education site, conveying that injustice and dictatorship can no longer take root in this land. Meanwhile, the Democratic Tree Dedication Movement, started to cultivate the democratic sacred site with our own hands, also became an opportunity to widely promote the noble spirit of 5·18 both domestically and internationally. The tower body, a square pillar located in the center of the 5·18 Cemetery, is 40m high and modernizes the traditional Korean stone structure, the Dangganjiju (flagpole support). The oval shape installed in the center, resembling a hand holding the tower body, symbolizes the rebirth of new life, and the light reflected by the ever-changing sunlight is the seed of hope.