A fire broke out during the restoration of the old Jeonnam Provincial Government building. The incident occurred on the morning of the 4th at the former police department building on the third floor, where sparks from a welding operation on steel beams ignited the insulation material. The fire was extinguished in about 30 minutes by the fire department, and thankfully, there were no casualties reported.
Following the fire, the government issued an official apology, emphasizing regret for concerning the citizens of Gwangju who are anticipating the restoration of the building, known as the last bastion of the May 18 Democratic Uprising. In response, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) announced they appointed a fire safety manager for the construction project and enhanced site inspections to prevent similar incidents.
The MCST will involve an external professional agency to conduct a thorough safety inspection of the affected building to determine the exact extent of the structural damage. They aim to proceed with the construction based on results from the inspection, which is expected to take about a month. Meanwhile, construction on the remaining five buildings will continue as planned, minimizing the impact on the overall project schedule.
The fire caused an estimated property damage worth approximately 3 million won as per the fire department’s assessment. It occurred when steel structural elements on the ceiling were being cut and removed during the restoration work. The affected building was previously modified for exhibition purposes during the construction of the National Asian Cultural Complex in 2015, meaning the original interior reflecting the historic event was not preserved prior to the fire. The insulation that was damaged was due to be removed as part of the restoration process.