Owen Memorial Hall (오웬기념각)

6.9Km 2025-10-23

6 Baekseo-ro 70beon-gil, Nam-gu, Gwangju
+82-62-650-7647

The Owen Monument and Memorial Hall is located inside the Christian College of Nursing. The monument was erected in 1914 in memory of missionary Clement Owen who, together with Priest Bae Yoo-ji, was the first missionary to come to Jeollanam-do. The monument was built using the 4,200 dollars collected by Owen’s relatives in the USA after Owen died as a martyr in Gwangju.

Clement Owen came to Yangnim-dong, Gwangju in the 1900s and served as a missionary and medical volunteer with his wife, who was a nurse, before dying of exhaustion and overwork in 1909. Owen had hoped to build a memorial hospital in honor of his grandfather, but died before his plan was materialized. The plaque hanging in the hall honors both men in English and Chinese, reading, “In Memory of William L. and Clement C. Owen.”

A Western-style building with a total footage of around 1,435 meters squared (including the annex building), the monument is said to have been used as chapel and assembly room. Today, the building serves as the auditorium of the Christian College of Nursing. The white, two-story building features a lectern in one corner, with two columns of pews facing the lectern. The second floor balcony stretches along the two walls opposite the lectern.

◎ Travel information to meet Hallyu’s charm – movie “Love, Lies,”
In the film, So-yul and Yeon-hee come here to see the renowned singer Lee Nan-young perform. Owen Memorial Hall has a history as a venue for Christian gatherings, lectures, concerts, graduation ceremonies, and various cultural events in the region. Today, it continues to serve as a space for both religious and cultural gatherings.

Gwangju Wongaksa Temple (원각사(광주))

7.0Km 2025-08-06

197 Jungang-ro, Dong-gu, Gwangju

Gwangju Wongaksa Temple, a branch temple of Suncheon Seonggwangsa Temple, is part of the Jogye order of Korean Buddhism in Gwangju. Bustling with visitors, the temple offers various events, cultural activities, and Buddhist ceremonies for visitors.

MLB - Chungjang-ro Branch [Tax Refund Shop] (엠엘비 충장로점)

7.0Km 2024-04-16

82-2, Chungjang-ro, Dong-gu, Gwangju

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Geumnam Butterfly Garden (금남로공원 금남나비정원)

7.0Km 2024-11-14

20-2 Geumnam-ro, Dong-gu, Gwangju

Geumnamro Neighborhood Park, once the site of the Bank of Korea’s Gwangju branch, now hosts the enchanting Geumnam Butterfly Garden. Inspired by the glowing butterflies, the garden is a stunning curation by Gwangju, a UNESCO Creative City of Media Arts. It offers a magical setting for a night tour, transporting visitors into a fantasy world of vibrant colors and purple hues.

Yangnim-dong Penguin Village Craft Street (양림동 펭귄마을공예거리)

7.0Km 2025-10-24

92-8 Baekseo-ro, Nam-gu, Gwangju

Yangnim-dong Penguin Village Craft Street is a narrow alleyway located behind the Yangnim-dong Community Center. The village, named because of the way the elderly residents appear to waddle like penguins, has become an exhibition space of life in the 70s and 80s. Villagers cleaned up empty houses that had been burnt down and left unattended in the past, brought discarded items, and began displaying them on the village walls. "Let's be thankful for living at that time" was engraved on the village wall. It also has historical culture, such as the House of Choe Seunghyo, the House of Missionary Uilsa, and Owen Memorial Hall. The Penguin Jumak in the middle of the village was the residents' gathering place, selling small but necessary items. Various workshops, such as leather workshops, textile workshops, and carpentry workshops, are located on Craft Street, so you can purchase pretty crafts or experience upcycling crafts with a retro vibe in which the historical and the modern coexist.

ABC-Mart - Gwangju Chungjang-ro Branch [Tax Refund Shop] (ABC마트 GS광주충장로)

7.0Km 2024-04-16

GS Gwangju Chungjang-ro Branch, 83, Chungjang-ro, Dong-gu, Gwangju

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Converse - Gwangju Chungjang-ro Branch [Tax Refund Shop] (컨버스 광주충장로점)

7.0Km 2024-06-27

83-1, Chungjang-ro, Dong-gu, Gwangju

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Olive Young - Gwangju Hwanggeum Branch [Tax Refund Shop] (올리브영 광주황금)

7.0Km 2024-04-16

1F, 31-12, Jungang-ro 160beon-gil, Dong-gu, Gwangju

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May 18 Democratic Uprising Archives (5•18민주화운동 기록관)

7.0Km 2024-01-03

221 Geumnam-ro, Dong-gu, Gwangju

The May 18 Democratization Movement was a righteous uprising by citizens that took place in Gwangju for ten days from May 18 to 27 in 1980. The May 18 Democratic Uprising Archives was established in 2015 at the former Gwangju Catholic Center, a historical site of May 1980, to systematically collect and preserve the May 18 Democratization Movement's heritage that led to the democracy in Korea today. Through the efforts of Gwangju citizens, visitors can see the original records of the May 18 Democratization Movement, inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World in 2011. Visitors can also view the records with a guide or through online exhibitions. The May 18 Democratic Uprising Archives is a place that preserves the history of all Korean citizens.

ABC-Mart - Gwangju Chungjang-ro 2(i)-ga Branch [Tax Refund Shop] (ABC마트 광주충장로2가)

7.0Km 2024-04-22

89-1, Chungjang-ro, Dong-gu, Gwangju

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Owen Memorial Hall (오웬기념각) - Area information - Korea travel information