May 18 Archives & Jeonil Building 245

Character

At 221 Geumnam-ro, the May 18 Archives preserves documents, photographs and citizen records from the 1980 uprising. Farther along the same street, Jeonil Building 245 preserves 245 bullet traces in the structure itself

The Archives brings together records created by citizens, journalists and public institutions. Its galleries follow the uprising itself, how it was documented, and the long effort to establish what happened. UNESCO added the collection to the Memory of the World Register in 2011

At Jeonil, the evidence is built into the walls. On the 10th floor, bullet-damaged surfaces remain in place beside displays on forensic analysis and testimony; a glass walkway brings the preserved marks into close view. The name Jeonil Building 245 refers both to its Geumnam-ro address and to the 245 bullet traces identified during the investigation

The experience

At the Archives, the story unfolds through documents, photographs and a chronological exhibition. At Jeonil, the building itself is part of the evidence: the 3rd floor covers media suppression and the YWCA fighting, while the 9th and 10th floors focus on helicopter fire, testimony, analysis and the preserved impact marks

From Jeonil's rooftop, the former provincial-government area, Democracy Square and the Asia Culture Center are visible below, showing how close the building was to the center of the May 1980 events

History

The May 18 Democratic Uprising took place in Gwangju from May 18 to 27, 1980. In the years that followed, official documents, photographs, testimony, investigation files and compensation records created a much fuller record of what happened. UNESCO registered the May 18 documentary heritage in 2011, and the May 18 Archives opened in 2015 in the former Gwangju Catholic Center

Jeonil Building is older. Built in 1968 and expanded over time to ten floors, it housed newspapers, broadcasting, offices and other city-center uses. It stood beside one of the main protest areas in 1980. Decades later, demolition was discussed as the aging building's future came into question

A National Forensic Service investigation in 2016–2017 identified 245 bullet traces inside and outside the structure, including a large concentration on the 10th floor. The findings supported the conclusion that the upper floor had been fired on from a helicopter. The building was subsequently remodeled and reopened in 2020 with the damaged areas conserved as part of its May 18 memorial spaces

Before you go

The two institutions operate separately on Geumnam-ro rather than as one museum campus. At Jeonil Building, the main May 18 memorial exhibits are concentrated on floors 9–10, with additional media-history content on floor 3; other floors serve different civic, cultural and tenant functions