written and illustrated by Choi Kyungsik, O Sori and Hong Jihae


The building the title refers to is the current Democratic Movement Memorial Hall, which was once the Namyeong-dong Anti-Communist Division. During the military dictatorship of the 1980s, it was a notorious torture chamber under the National Police Agency that specialized in counterintelligence investigations. At the time, few people knew what it was used for, and its victims didn't know it was located in the heart of Seoul. It was a horrific building designed for torture and interrogation by some of the country's top architects, but it also marked a turning point in South Korean democracy. “The Memory of the Building” explores the memory of this place that trampled on human rights and the spirit of democratization through the eyes of perpetrators, victims, and architecture.

This book presents what three writers felt and experienced about the Namyeong-dong Anti-Communist Division through their own voices. The writers closely captured three different perspectives by visiting the site, examining the testimonies of the victims, and following the traces of the perpetrators. In the introduction, the writer, Choi Kyungsik, describes the building from various angles, vividly capturing the atmosphere of the actual space. The writer, Oh Sori, expresses the violent mentality of the perpetrators and the horror of torture by showing pictures and texts that evoke a sense of anxiety. The illustrator, Hong Jihae, depicted the unbearable pain of those who have passed through the place in cold, calm blue. However, the story ended with their voices, expressing their inner struggle to move forward, not just dwelling on the pain. “The Memory of the Building” sympathizes with the pain of the past, honors the pro-democracy movement that led to democracy after many struggles, and conveys that we can move toward a better future on the basis of that movement.