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Mudeungsan National Park
Overlooking Gwangju, Mudeungsan National Park is a gorgeous green mountain range with a spiderweb of well-signed trails leading to the peak, Cheonwang…
Getty Images/iStockphoto
Gwangju
Gwangju (광주), Korea's sixth-largest city, is defined by its powerful political history and reverence for creativity. Often considered the birthplace of Korean democracy, the effects of the May 18 Democratic Uprising – a 1980 mass protest against South Korea's then-authoritarian military government – remain a strong part of the city's identity. Art abounds at every turn thanks to a wealth of museums, exhibitions and festivals that are bolstered by civic investment.
Explore Gwangju
- MMudeungsan National Park
Overlooking Gwangju, Mudeungsan National Park is a gorgeous green mountain range with a spiderweb of well-signed trails leading to the peak, Cheonwang…
- UUijae Museum of Korean Art
This gallery displays landscape, flower and bird paintings by the famed Heo Baek-ryeon (1891–1977), whose pen name was Uijae. His rebuilt house is a short…
- GGwangju Folk Museum
Learn about traditional life in Jeollanam-do through the somewhat retro-looking dioramas and models here, which cover everything from kimchi and clothing…
- DDaein-sijang
By the early 2000s, this traditional market in the city centre was nearly shuttered. As part of the 2008 Gwangju Biennale, artists added colourful murals,…
- MMay 18th National Cemetery
Opened in 1997, this is the final burial place for victims of the May 18 Democratic Uprising of 1980, one of the most tragic incidents in modern Korean…
- GGwangju Museum of Art
Managed by the same folks who put on the Gwangju Biennale, this art museum shows up-and-coming Korean artists along with more established local names,…
- GGwangju National Museum
The Gwangju National Museum’s collection traces the region’s cultural history, from its prehistorical beginnings through the Joseon period (1392–1897),…
- AAsian Culture Complex
This arts complex houses galleries, performance spaces, a library and plazas – all designed to boost Gwangju's capital in the art world. It's located on…
- GGwangju Biennale Exhibition Hall
Located in the Jung-oe Park Culture Center, this 8100-sq-metre exhibition hall is the setting for the Gwangju Biennale (and in odd-numbered years, the…
Top attractions
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Gwangju.
See
Mudeungsan National Park
Overlooking Gwangju, Mudeungsan National Park is a gorgeous green mountain range with a spiderweb of well-signed trails leading to the peak, Cheonwang…
See
Uijae Museum of Korean Art
This gallery displays landscape, flower and bird paintings by the famed Heo Baek-ryeon (1891–1977), whose pen name was Uijae. His rebuilt house is a short…
See
Gwangju Folk Museum
Learn about traditional life in Jeollanam-do through the somewhat retro-looking dioramas and models here, which cover everything from kimchi and clothing…
See
Daein-sijang
By the early 2000s, this traditional market in the city centre was nearly shuttered. As part of the 2008 Gwangju Biennale, artists added colourful murals,…
See
May 18th National Cemetery
Opened in 1997, this is the final burial place for victims of the May 18 Democratic Uprising of 1980, one of the most tragic incidents in modern Korean…
See
Gwangju Museum of Art
Managed by the same folks who put on the Gwangju Biennale, this art museum shows up-and-coming Korean artists along with more established local names,…
See
Gwangju National Museum
The Gwangju National Museum’s collection traces the region’s cultural history, from its prehistorical beginnings through the Joseon period (1392–1897),…
See
Asian Culture Complex
This arts complex houses galleries, performance spaces, a library and plazas – all designed to boost Gwangju's capital in the art world. It's located on…
See
Gwangju Biennale Exhibition Hall
Located in the Jung-oe Park Culture Center, this 8100-sq-metre exhibition hall is the setting for the Gwangju Biennale (and in odd-numbered years, the…
Guidebooks
Learn more about Gwangju
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