February 28th Jungang Memorial Park

Right in the middle of downtown Daegu, where the Dongseong-ro shopping streets end, there is a park of lawns and shady trees. February 28th Jungang Memorial Park honours the February 28 Democratic Movement of 1960, when Daegu high-school students took to the streets. It is a place to remember what is often called the first step of Korea's democracy movement, in the middle of a busy city walk.

A protest sparked by Sunday classes

28 February 1960 was a Sunday. Ahead of the 15 March presidential and vice-presidential election, an opposition rally was held in Daegu that day, and the ruling Liberal Party government ordered eight public high schools in the city to hold classes so that students could not attend. In response, students at Kyungpook High School read out a resolution and marched into the streets, and pupils from other schools joined them. Around 2,000 students took part and more than 200 were detained. The protest became a spark for the 15 March Masan uprising and the April 19 Revolution that brought down the Syngman Rhee government. The movement was made an official national day of remembrance in 2018.

A park on a former school site

The park stands where Daegu Jungang Elementary School used to be. After the school closed in 1995, the site became a park of about 14,000 m², opened in June 2003. In the dense Banwoldang and Dongseong-ro area it is one of the few places with open sky, so besides being a memorial it serves as a meeting point and a lunchtime break spot for locals.

Between August 2023 and December 2024 the city spent KRW 2.2 billion on a makeover. Dense trees that blocked the view were thinned out to create a large lawn, and the entrance plaza was widened for busking. The park reopened on 31 December 2024, in time for the New Year's Eve bell-ringing event.

What to see

• The lawn: a flat open lawn designed for large outdoor events. On fine weekends many people bring mats and relax here.
• Busking zone: street performances are often held on the entrance plaza on the Dongseong-ro side.
• Stone-wall path and lighting: a stone-wall walkway with landscape lighting runs along the edge of the park, so it is pleasant after dark too.
• February 28 Anthem monument: a song stone unveiled on 28 February 2018, paid for with donations from local businesses and media.

Walking on from here

Several sites of Daegu's modern history are close by. About 500 m north is Gyeongsang Gamyeong Park, the site of the Joseon-era provincial government office, and about 400 m away is National Debt Redemption Movement Memorial Park, dedicated to the 1907 campaign to repay Korea's debt to Japan. A little further west are Gyesan-dong Cathedral and the modern-history alleys. Together they make a 2–3 hour city walk.

Tripto tips

• Opening and fees: open all year round, free of charge.
• Getting there: the park lies on the south side of Dongseong-ro, between Banwoldang Station (Daegu Metro Lines 1 and 2) and Jungangno Station (Line 1). Both are a 5–10 minute walk.
• Parking: there is no car park of its own, so use nearby public car parks or come by metro.
• Time needed: 30 minutes to 1 hour for the park itself.
• Best time: evenings, when the lights come on. On hot summer days, the benches under the trees along the edge are the most comfortable.