The (old) Naju Station was the originating point for the Gwangju Student Independence Movement that showed the fighting spirit of the people of Naju during the Japanese occupation period.

Around 5:30 p.m. on October 30, 1929, a group of Japanese male students harassed Korean female students, and when Korean male students attempted to stop them, it suddenly led to a fight between Japanese and Korean students. This was the incident that ignited the Gwangju Student Independence Movement of 1929. This served as an impetus for the students of Gwangju High Regular School to collectively refuse to participate in the worship service at a Shinto shrine following the celebratory ceremony held for Myeongchijeol (Meiji-setsu; Emperor Meiji's birthday), which was one of the four major holidays celebrated in Japan. The students, instead, took the streets in protest. The news of the anti-Japanese movement led by the students in Gwangju spread across the nation, and it resulted in more than 54,000 students from 194 schools around the country to participate in the movement.

In recognition of its historical significance as the originating point for the Gwangju Student Independence Movement, Naju Station was designated as Jeollanam-do Monument No. 183. At present, the old Naju Station houses exhibits of wax figures of stationmasters and staff in the reproductions of the opening of Naju Station and the operations of the station. Next to the station is the Gwangju Student Independence Movement Memorial Hall, where visitors can watch videos on the Gwangju Student Independence Movement.