{
  "id": 15861143,
  "title": "Gwanghwamun memorial garden draws 500,000 visitors, celebrates Swedish ties",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/gwanghwamun-memorial-garden-draws-500-000-visitors-celebrates-swedish",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-21T08:12:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/lifestyle/people-events/20261021/gwanghwamun-memorial-garden-draws-500000-visitors-celebrates-swedish-ties"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Seoul's Garden of Gratitude has welcomed over 500,000 visitors in its first 160 days, as the memorial space gets ready to honor its connections with Sweden through a weekend filled with cultural performances and a special light display. The Seoul Metropolitan Government reported that the garden had recorded 500,157 visitors as of Monday, based on an automated counting system. Situated at Gwanghwamun Square, the garden pays tribute to nations and veterans who fought in the 1950-53 Korean War, encouraging visitors to contemplate freedom, peace, and global unity. Its outdoor installation, \"23 Lights of Gratitude,\" represents gratitude towards the countries that assisted Korea during the war, while an underground exhibition hall known as Freedom Hall utilizes digital media to narrate the conflict's history and Korea's evolution from an aid recipient to a donor state. Sweden has contributed a unique element to the memorial, presenting syenite stone sourced from Ekeröd, Sweden, in August. The dark stone, with flecks of green and shimmering silver, purple, and gold crystals, marks the inaugural stone donation to the memorial.",
  "summary": "Seoul’s Garden of Gratitude has drawn more than 500,000 visitors in its first 160 days, as the memorial space prepares to celebrate its ties with Sweden through a weekend of cultural events, performances and a special light display. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said the garden recorded 500,157 visitors as of Monday, according to an automated counting system. Located at Gwanghwamun Square,…",
  "key_points": [
    "Gwanghwamun memorial garden welcomed over 500,000 visitors in first 160 days.",
    "Garden honors ties with Sweden through cultural performances and light display.",
    "Sweden donated syenite stone from Ekeröd in August for the memorial."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The memorial's rapid popularity and new Swedish stone donation signal a shift toward using public spaces to transform wartime history into a platform for modern international diplomacy and gratitude.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Gwanghwamun memorial garden draws 500,000 visitors, celebrates Swedish ties",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/gwanghwamun-memorial-garden-draws-500-000-visitors-celebrates-swedish-15864630",
        "published": "2026-10-21T08:47:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}