▲ A banner for the groundbreaking ceremony, held to announce the excavation of a suspected burial site from the May 18 Democratization Movement and to honor the victims, is displayed in the area of San 143, Hyoryeong-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju, on May 13.
Four sets of human remains have been excavated from a site in Hyoryeong-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju, suspected to be a burial ground from the May 18 Democratization Movement, and work has begun to identify them through DNA analysis.
According to the May 18 Memorial Foundation on Thursday (June 18), the excavation, which took place from May 13 to June 5 across a 1,000-square-meter area in San 143, Hyoryeong-dong, where the possibility of secret burials had been raised, resulted in the discovery of four sets of remains.
Among them, one skull was found with a small hole that could potentially be a gunshot wound, drawing attention to whether a direct link to the May 18 movement can be established.
DNA extraction from the discovered remains is currently underway, and it is expected to take about two to three weeks to determine if the samples are viable for analysis.
The foundation plans to compare the extracted DNA with that of the families of those who went missing during the movement.
The excavation, which focused on areas without burial mounds given that the site was a former communal cemetery, also recovered other bone fragments, as well as items such as rope and clothing.
However, it was reported that DNA could not be extracted from these items, or they were found to have no connection to the May 18 movement.
This excavation began following a tip-off from a citizen received last year.
The informant stated, "During the May 18 movement in 1980, I saw a military truck moving toward the foot of the hill," adding, "I witnessed soldiers unloading blood-stained bags and carrying them away with shovels."
The foundation plans to continue its investigation, considering the possibility that victims taken by martial law troops were secretly buried there, or that bodies previously held at the Sangmudae military complex were reburied at this location.
Park Gang-bae, executive director of the May 18 Memorial Foundation, explained, "As this was a former communal cemetery, finding remains even in areas without burial mounds was an expected result." He added, "Even if DNA is successfully extracted, there are still complex legal procedures remaining for comparison with the data of the families of the missing, so it will take a considerable amount of time to confirm the final identities."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.