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Gwangju is a metropolitan city in southwestern South Korea, famous for the 1980 May 18 Democratic Uprising, the Asia Culture Center and Mudeungsan National Park. The largest city of the Honam region, home to about 1.4 million people, it is known to Koreans as Bitgoeul, the city of light, and for its food and art scene.
In May 1980 its citizens rose against martial law, and the uprising was crushed by troops after ten days. The events are remembered at the May 18th National Cemetery, the Former South Jeolla Provincial Office and the 5·18 Memorial Park, and the city has since become a centre of human rights and the arts, home to the Gwangju Biennale since 1995.
Visitors can spend a day at the Asia Culture Center and Gwangju National Museum, hike to the basalt columns of Mudeungsan past Jeungsimsa Temple, catch a Kia Tigers game or sample the generous Jeolla table, famous for its side dishes and grilled tteokgalbi.
The May 18th National Cemetery in the hills of north Gwangju holds the victims of the May 1980 Gwangju Democratic Uprising, when citizens rose against martial law and were met with troops. A tall memorial tower, the Gate of Democracy and an exhibition hall frame the graves. Please be quiet.
The Former South Jeolla Provincial Office in Gwangju was the citizen militia's headquarters in May 1980 and the scene of the final assault on the 27th. Restoration is returning the colonial-era building to its 1980 look; the fountain square in front is still the main gathering place.
5·18 Memorial Park in Gwangju's Sangmu district, laid out on part of a former military base, remembers the uprising with memorial sculptures, a circular plaza and the 5·18 Memorial Culture Center. Shady paths and open lawns make it a calm place to reflect, close to the city hall and the subway.
Gwangju Hyanggyo is the city's Joseon-era Confucian school and a protected cultural property. Stone steps climb through tiled gates to Daeseongjeon, the shrine hall honouring Confucius and his followers, beside lecture halls around grassy courtyards. Rites are held twice a year.
The Asia Culture Center in Gwangju opened in 2015 beside the old provincial office and sinks most of its buildings below street level around sunken gardens, leaving a green roof park above. Its venues include an archive, a creation space with changing exhibitions, a children's center and a theater.
Gwangju National Museum, under sweeping traditional-style roofs in the north of the city, covers the history of the Honam region from prehistory to the Joseon dynasty. Highlights include celadon and other cargo raised from the 14th-century Sinan shipwreck and Buddhist art.
The Gwangju History and Folk Museum in Jungoe Park, formerly the Gwangju Folk Museum, tells the story of the city and the everyday life of the Jeolla region. Life-size scenes show farming, village rituals and a traditional kitchen, alongside old documents and pottery. Allow an hour.
Gwangju National Science Museum, in the north of the city, fills its futuristic halls with hands-on exhibits on light, space and artificial intelligence. There is a separate children's science hall, a dome theater and an observatory that runs stargazing programs. Plan half a day with young kids.
Mudeungsan National Park rises to 1,187 metres right on the edge of Gwangju and became a national park in 2013. Its upper slopes are crowned by Seoseokdae and Ipseokdae, striking clusters of columnar basalt that are part of a UNESCO Global Geopark. Trails start near Jeungsimsa and Wonhyosa temples.
Jeungsimsa Temple, at the western foot of Mudeungsan in Gwangju, traces its origins to the Silla period. Its halls include the main Daeungjeon, Obaekjeon with figures of five hundred arhats and an old three-story stone pagoda, and it keeps an iron Vairocana Buddha. Hikers pass it on the way up.
Gwangju-Kia Champions Field, opened in 2014, is the baseball stadium of the Kia Tigers, one of the most successful clubs in the Korean league. Games are loud and joyful, with organised cheering, chants for every batter and plenty of fried chicken in the stands. Book seats early for weekend games.
Gwangju World Cup Stadium was built for the 2002 FIFA World Cup and hosted South Korea's quarter-final win over Spain on penalties, one of the great nights in the country's football history. It also staged the opening of the 2015 Summer Universiade and stands in the Pungam area of Seo-gu.
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