After Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonialism, the Korean War erupted amidst conflict between the left and right among the established leadership and the political disorder, and as the country entered the late 1950s and saw active discussions on the freedom of universities, intellectuals’ participation in reality, and nationalism, students’ discontent regarding the reality of politics began to coagulate.
Thus, extensive student demonstrations denouncing the corruption of the Liberal Party’s regime and the illegal election of March 15 therupted nationwide, reaching its zenith on April 19th, leading to the end of a totalitarian government that had reigned for 12 years and developing into a democratic movement. At the time of the April 19th Revolution, 185 people died, and countless others were injured.
Constructed on September 20th, 1963, this cemetery houses the 273 people who died during that period, and as a part of the government’s project to turn it into a holy ground, the first construction began on October 1883 to expand the 43,000㎡ cemetery into a 135,000㎡ one. The Cabinent meeting of April 18th, 1995 elevated the April 19th Cemetery into a national cemetery, and the cemetery is currently managed by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs.