GGN to Host Democracy Radio Tour Through the Setting of 'Human Acts'

Walking tour from Chonnam National University to May 18 Democracy Square on November 14

A multinational cultural event in Gwangju will invite citizens and foreign residents to walk together to the rhythm of a live radio broadcast, with the historical setting of Human Acts, the acclaimed novel by Nobel Prize-winning author Han Kang, as its backdrop.

The Boy's Path: K-Democracy Humanities Radio Tour Poster. Courtesy of the reader.

Global Gwangju Broadcasting (GGN) announced on November 6 that it will hold “The Boy’s Path: K-Democracy Humanities Radio Tour,” a walking tour project starting at Chonnam National University’s main stadium and continuing to May 18 Democracy Square, on the afternoon of November 14.

The event is an interactive broadcast and cultural program that will take participants from the main gate of Chonnam National University, past Gwangju Station and the former intercity bus terminal site, to May 18 Democracy Square, the heart of the May 1980 uprising. Wearing earphones, participants will encounter the sites of history as they listen to a live radio broadcast featuring music, on-site interviews and literary passages from Human Acts.

Unlike conventional walking tours led by a guide, this program turns the streets where participants walk into a vast open-air radio studio.

Guerrilla-style on-site interviews and live quizzes will take place at stops along the route, closely linking poignant scenes from the novel with real locations in the city. The broadcast has been designed to help citizens and young people who have not yet read the novel intuitively understand the profound values of the May 18 Democratization Movement and the meaning of human rights and peace.

The event also aims to foster greater solidarity and communication with foreign residents in Korea. Local residents of Gwangju and South Jeolla Province, multicultural migrants and international students will walk together, with the event broadcast live in Korean and English.

The event will also make extensive use of the latest digital technologies. GGN will use an AI dubbing solution from Onion AI Co., Ltd. for the first time to broadcast the live program in Vietnamese in real time. It will also integrate “eduRST,” a multilingual AI interpretation and translation platform, so participants can receive real-time translated captions and audio interpretation in their respective native languages on their smartphones. This will allow foreign participants to experience the spirit of May in Gwangju without language barriers.

The tour will begin at 2 p.m. on November 14 at Chonnam National University’s main stadium, with registration and an opening performance by DJ Merpik. Participants will set off at 3 p.m. with a radio countdown and arrive at May 18 Democracy Square at 5 p.m., bringing the event to a close.

Participation is free, with places for 300 people available on a first-come, first-served basis to local residents, migrants and international students. All participants who complete the tour will receive a small commemorative gift and refreshments. Applications can be submitted through an online link on GGN’s official website.

The event is hosted by Global Gwangju Broadcasting and the Chonnam National University Anchor Project Group, co-organized by Global Gwangju Broadcasting and the Gwangju Foundation for Culture, and officially sponsored by the Korean Foundation for Broadcast Culture.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.