Civil activists said that some of the remains may belong to people who went missing during brutal crackdowns on civilians during the pro-democracy uprising in Gwangju in May 1980.

On May 18, 1980, the military cracked down on demonstrators, including students, protesting against then President Chun Doo-hwan, who had taken power in a military coup a year earlier.

The tank-led quelling of the uprising left hundreds of people dead and thousands wounded.

The ministry had managed the graveyard where the remains of 110 people were buried, but the newly found remains were outside the government's jurisdiction.

"Currently, it is hard to prejudge whether the remains were related to the democracy movement. But we have to check the possibility," Vice Justice Minister Kim Oh-soo said at the site.

Now designated a historic site, the compound of the Gwangju prison saw troops operating under martial law firing shots at civilians.

The government plans to establish a "law park" at the site that will function as a law-related educational facility. (Yonhap)