From the Editor – August 2026

I have spent a large portion of my life living in Gwangju – first, when Gwangju was part of the surrounding Jeollanam-do province, and then for 40 years when Gwangju was a separate entity from the province. But I no longer live in “Gwangju.” No, I haven’t moved away. I live in the same apartment that I’ve lived in for two decades, but it’s no longer in Gwangju. As of July 1 of this year, Gwangju, as an administrative district in the Republic of Korea, has been dissolved. I now live in a different “city,” – one that has consolidated the old Gwangju and the old Jeollanam-do: Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City. It is both wordy in name and vast in the territory that it covers.

What will this integrated special city of Jeonnam-Gwangju mean for its residents? Gwangju News publisher Dr. Shin Gyonggu breaks down the potential benefits that this merger will hopefully produce as well as the challenges that it will face. Elected as mayor of this newly formed city is Min Hyung-bae. Go to the biosketch on Min to see who he is and what his plans are for the special city.

The past two months have been FIFA World Cup season. A Gwangju News writer has dispatched himself to Mexico to file a report. Take your own trip this summer; our article on traveling to Jeju Island describes the many attractions that the island paradise has to offer.

What does the Gwangju International Residents Center (GIRC) have to offer? In this new column, the first service introduced is one-stop counseling. Read also what the Gwangju International Center (GIC) is doing, focusing on nurturing global leaders and the San Antonio Sister Cities Youth Summit.

With the sun beating down on the heart of the summer season, it’s a prime time to talk about selecting your home solar energy and the effects of urban heat islands. We have for you an informative article on each of these topics.

And there is so much more in this August issue: learning Korean, learning about Jinju, Korea’s 100-day “birthday,” Gwangju as an AI hub, café reviews, a book review, poetry, Blackpink K-pop, sports (Kia Tigers, Gwangju FC, Soop Supers, Pilates), and upcoming events.

We hope this August issue helps to make your summer a refreshing and rewarding one. Enjoy!

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