A human rights museum has opened in Seoul, located in a building once infamous for its role as a torture site during South Korea's pro-democracy movement.

The newly opened museum, dedicated to human rights, is housed in a notorious structure in Seoul where South Korean activists were once tortured during their fight for democracy.

The Democracy and Human Rights Memorial Hall now occupies a seven-story building where, throughout the 1970s and 1980s, many students were subjected to brutal police interrogations under the regimes of Presidents Park Chung-hee and Chun Doo-hwan.

One of the victims was Park Jong-chul, a student at Seoul National University, who was tortured to death in 1989. A doctor who examined his body publicly revealed the cause of death, sparking widespread outrage and protests.

This tragic event became a pivotal moment that fueled the June Democratic Movement (June 10-29, 1989), ultimately leading to the establishment of universal suffrage in South Korea.

Situated in central Seoul near Namyeong subway station, this building has recently been repurposed for a new purpose.

The Korea Democracy Foundation owns and oversees the museum, which aims to be a hub for learning about democracy, nurturing its roots, and fostering global solidarity in the ongoing pursuit of democratic ideals.

Exhibits at the museum also explore global democratic movements, with a special emphasis on Asia. A spokesperson for the museum revealed plans for a 'democracy theme park,' though the details of this concept remain unclear.

Park Jong-chul's legacy endures. In 2016, renowned South Korean author Han Kang wrote about the violent 1980 Gwangju uprising, where students were brutally assaulted by police, in her novel 'Human Acts.'

In 2017, the film '1987: When the Day Comes' brought the events surrounding Park's death and the subsequent June Democratic Movement to the big screen, dramatizing the pivotal moment in South Korea's history.

Democracy and Human Rights Memorial Hall, located at 98-8 Galwol-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea. For inquiries, call +82 2-6918-0104.