Gwangju – Korea’s Centre of Democracy

Gwangju Bridge, lit up with lanterns for Buddha's Birthday.

Gwangju is known for being the site of the May 18th democratic uprising in South Korea. This protest, which took place in 1980, was led by students across the city against the military coup. It’s violent suppression by the South Korean military was backed by the United States.

I wouldn’t consider Gwangju in southwest Korea a typical tourist city. It’s the kind of place you might visit if you’re on your 2nd or 3rd trip to the country, or if you live in South Korea.

Despite this, there are still a few places worth visiting in Gwangju, including memorials to May 18th, and great food to try!

Hike Mudeungsan

A view through the grass fields towards the summit of Mudeungsan.

Difficulty: Medium
Time: 5-6 Hours Round Trip
Distance: 11km Round Trip

Mudeungsan is the main mountain in Mudeungsan national park. It contains multiple routes and viewpoints, so to see it all would probably take a day or two. The various routes offer different difficulty levels, but a lot of this hike is rough stone stairs. It does offer great views over Gwangju, and apparently on very clear days you can see all the way to Jirisan.

I began this hike at Jeungsimsa, an easy to reach bus terminal. From the Asian Culture Centre it’s about 20 minutes by bus, 30 from Gwangju station, and about 45 from Gwangju Songjeong Station via metro and bus.

A big rock at Jeungsimsa marking the start of the Mudeungsan hike.

The route I took followed the same main path up and down but took a circular route at the top to take in Jungmeorijae, Jungbong Peak, Seoseokdae and Ipseokdae, and Cheonwangbong Peak. The routes are all well signposted, with names in both English and Korean, and distances in kilometres.

The route I took initially began with a road that led past the Uijae Museum of Korean Art, before gradually getting steeper as it went past Jeungsimsa Temple.

Jeungsimsa Temple in Mudeungsan National Park.

Then begins a steep hike up the stone stairs through the forest, taking about 1 hour to reach Jungmeorijae at 617m. There is a rest stop here.

The Jungmeorijae rest stop in Mudeungsan.

From here there are two routes, one more difficult than the other. As I planned to take a circular route, I decided to go up the difficult route and come down the easier way, as that tends to be the best for impact on the knees.

The difficult route is the left path which leads to Jungbong Peak. On the way you can get some great views of Gwangju and see the flower and rock formations. Sadly it was a little cloudy when I hiked, but the view was still pretty good.

A view over the pink flowers in Mudeungsan, looking back towards Gwangju.

The flowers and rock formations on the way to Jungbong Peak.

After another 40 minutes or so you’ll reach Jungbong Peak at 915m. While there is no rest facilities, there are lots of flat rocks here to sit and have something to eat or drink.

From here, a path leads through the tall grass fields towards the large rock formations of Seoseokdae and Ipseokdae, with an opportunity to rest at Mokgyo Bridge.

There are some steep sections, but again more great views, and eventually you’ll reach the Seoseokdae rock formation.

Seoseokdae Rock formation on Mudeungsan.

From there it’s a short walk up to the Cheonwangbong Peak at 1100m, where there are good views and places to rest.

The Cheonwangbong summit stone on Mudeungsan.

A view over the mountains back to Gwangju from the Cheonwangbong Peak on Mudeungsan.

It is possible to go to the higher Inwangbong Peak, but it seemed like many people were turning back and as the weather was cloudy I didn’t feel the need to go any higher. This mountain is also home to military facilities so some routes can be blocked leading to longer diversions.

From Cheongwangbong Peak I took a different route down, via some quite large stone steps, to see the Ipseokdae rock formation.

From there it’s rocky steps down to the Jangbuljae hill at 919m, where there are rest and toilet facilities. From here I took the easier route back to Jungmeorijae. Then it was just a case of retracing my steps back to the bus stop at Jeungsimsa.

The Jangbuljae hill marker stone, with a bird flying overhead, in Mudeungsan.

5 18 Memorial parks

The main sculpture at the 5 18 Memorial Park in Gwangju.

The first 5 18 Memorial Park I visited in Gwangju was the main one that houses the May 18^th Sculpture and Memorial as well as the 5 18 Memorial Cultural Centre. It’s worth checking out to learn about the history of this city and democracy in South Korea.

Passing through this park, I stopped at the Owolru Observation Deck in the middle of the forest. It’s worth going up for a bit of a view over the park and Gwangju.

The Owolru Observation Deck at the 5 18 Memorial Park.

The view of Gwangju from the Owolru Observation Deck on a cloudy day.

The Sculpture and Memorial features an underground hall dedicated to the victims of May 18^th. There are 4,296 names on the wall – all the victims recognised for that day.

The sculpture of a mother holding her child in front of the way of victim's name at the 5 18 Memorial Park.

Unfortunately, the Memorial Culture Centre was closed on the weekend. I’ve left the opening times below – it reads Monday-Friday, 9:30-17:30, closed Saturday and Sunday.

The opening times of the Memorial Culture Centre in Gwangju.

Close to this park is Peace Park, a narrow park running through a street of small shops and some cafes. This park has some water features and what looks like an artificial waterfall, which wasn’t turned on when I visited.

The artificial waterfall in Peace Park, switched off for the day.

There is also the smaller 5 18 Liberty Park containing some sculptures dedicated to that day in 1980.

A memorial rock marking the 5 18 Liberty Park in Gwangju.

Sangmu Citizen’s Park

Another park near the 5 18 Liberty Park is the Sangmu Citizen’s Park. Starting in the north section there are some water sculptures, then you can cross the bridge into the main part of the park where you’ll find even more sculptures including dinosaurs, and a tower dedicated to the Gwangju Independence Movement (independence from Japan).

A sculpture of a boy lying down with a frog on his foot in Sangmu Citizen's Park.

A T-rex sculpture in Sangmu Citizen's Park.

The tower dedicated to the Gwangju Independence Movement in Sangmu Citizen's Park.

Jeongmang (View) Tower

The View Tower in Gwangju’s Sajik Park is worth visiting at night for a bit of a light show and views over the city. It’s a short walk up the hill to the tower, with the path going through the Sajik Forest of Light.

Passing through the Sajik Park Forest of Light to get to the View Tower.

The elevator takes you up to the outdoor viewing platform where beams of light are projected into the sky.

A beam of light over Gwangju from View Tower.

From here you can get a good view of Gwangju lit up at night, with Mudeungsan visible in the background.

Beams of light shine out from View Tower across Gwangju, with the moon visible and Mudeungsan in the background.

Yangrim Village

Yangnim Village is a traditional village of history and culture, where hanok houses are mixed together with Western architecture. It’s a great area to wander around in Gwangju. There are lots of little shops and cafes, but most don’t open till after 11am so bear that in mind when planning a visit.

Some highlights include the Yangrim Church and the Penguin Village, worthy of its own section.

There is more to this village that I didn’t see, with lots of little side streets to wander. It’s definitely worth a visit while in Gwangju.

A red telephone box in front of a mural of a bookshop and old Western building in Yangrim Village.

Penguin Village

Then Penguin Village is right next to, or basically part of, Yangrim Village. Apparently this village was named because of the way the elderly residents appear to waddle like penguins, so they came to decorate the area with dozens of statues and sculptures of penguins, as well as paintings of penguins, and collections of other items from the 70s and 80s.

An outdoor collection of old items at Penguin Village.

It’s a fun and cute area to walk around and see how many penguins you can spot.

A painting of a penguin hanging from balloons at the Penguin Village.

A painting of variously coloured penguins on a wall at Penguin Village.

Also worth noting is the Lee Okseon statue on the edge of Penguin Village. This woman was chosen as a symbolic figure to represent the comfort women victims of the Imperial Japanese Army. The sculpture feature Lee Okseon at age 16 and at 92.

The golden statue of Lee Okseon on the edge of Penguin Village.

Chungjang-Ro

Chungjang-Ro is the central shopping district of Gwangju, often referred to as the “Myeongdong of Gwangju”. Here you can find lots of shops, including the usuals like Olive Young, Artbox and Daiso, as well as some unique places and restaurants.

This area is really lively at night and worth visiting while in Gwangju.

Chungjang-ro in the afternoon, still busy with people.

Asia Culture Centre (ACC)

Gwangju citizens gathering at the ACC at night. Many couples sit on the grassy hill.

The Asian Culture Centre, or ACC, hosts exhibitions, performances, and other events to promote Asian Culture. There are also festivals held here throughout the year. It seems like a place where locals like to gather, day or night.

When I visited there was an arts and crafts market running along the main walkway.

A market along the main walkway of the ACC, with many stalls lit up for the night.

There is the “Sky Garden”, a gentle hill where people gather to enjoy the cool evenings outdoors, eating, drinking, or listening to live music.

The Sky Garden hill of the ACC in Gwangju.

Democracy Square is also part of the ACC, featuring a music fountain, bell tower, and the May 18^th Clock Tower.

The ACC is a great area to wander in the evening in Gwangju.

Gwangju Memorial Tower

Perhaps overshadowed by the city’s 5 18 Memorials, the Gwangju Memorial Tower sits quietly in Gwangju Park. This tower honours those who died during the Korean War.

The tower is 25 metres tall and information plaques behind the tower contain details about the Korean War.

Another memorial sculpture in Gwangju Park.

1913 Seongjeong Station Market

Slightly underwhelming but perhaps still worth visiting is the 1913 Songjeong Station Market on the west side of Gwangju.

This traditional market received a revamp and now has some indie stores and eateries. It might be worth looking through if you’re on that side of Gwangju. I recommend trying the pizza bread available from Doa Bread (또아식빵).