국립5‧18민주묘지 관리운영에 대한 20년 담론의 회고와 전망

Abstract

The May 18 National Democratic Cemetery, after being raised in the status of national cemetery, has been at the center of discourse on the management and operation of the democratic cemetery for about 20 years until 2022 just as providing power to the democratization movement by going through with commemorating the victims of the May 18 uprising in the mid-1980s. This paper presents a future-oriented direction by deriving policy implications by examining the trend of discourse over the past 20 years on the management and operation of this place based on the historical symbolism of the May 18 cemetery as a democratic holy place.
 To this end, the reports of the Korea Economic Research Institute (2005) and the Korea Modern and Social Research Institute (2006) are first examined and compared with the latest reports produced in 2021. As a result, it is found that the management and operation of the May 18 cemetery has a history of not fully demonstrating the memorial and educational functions, including the enactment of the National Cemetery Act in 2005 and the government's integrated management and operation policy in 2022. Accordingly, it is argued that a new development plan considering the convenience of visitors is needed to introduce new burial methods such as charnel and natural burial after 2022 and to devise an effective cultural park. In addition to the Memorial Hall, this study expects timely value in suggesting the history of the May 18 cemetery, the geological environment, and the direction of specific education and tourism discussions.