Gwangju Park (Gwangju)

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Gwangju Park is the number one park in Gwangju and is visited all year round by citizens and tourists. Once the site of Seonggeosa Temple and a shrine visited by Japanese people during the Japanese Occupation, today Memorial Pavilion, Gwangju Folk Museum, and Citizen Hall stand in their place.
The main facilities include Gwangju Broadcasting Station (KBS), Memorial Tower for Police Officers, Yeongpajeong Pavilion, Gwandeokjeong Pavilion, a traditional Korean archery training center, octagonal pavilion for observing Gwangju's downtown, and the restored Sajikdan Altar. The empty lot surrounding the Memorial Tower is also used as a peaceful resting spot for the city's elderly. Gwangju Park is designed in the shape of a turtle, the symbol of longevity. Filled with lots of trees and flowers, the park boasts beautiful landscaping, especially in mid-April when the cherry blossoms come into full bloom.

In the May 18 1980 Democratic Uprising, this park became the staging ground for what became known as the Citizens' Army, where weapons were distributed and volunteers were organized into units. The area to the northwest of driveway entering the park, which has buildings on this satellite image, has now been leveled and is the part-park and part-parking area (based on visit in July 2011).