The National Museum of Korea was founded on December 3rd, 1945 after the liberation from the Japanese Occupation Government. The museum was relocated numerous times over the years due to war and the increase of relics. In the mid-nineties the government decided to build a permanent and dedicated building and [...]]]>

The National Museum of Korea was founded on December 3rd, 1945 after the liberation from the Japanese Occupation Government. The museum was relocated numerous times over the years due to war and the increase of relics. In the mid-nineties the government decided to build a permanent and dedicated building and choose Yongsan Family Park.

On October 28th, 2005 the National Museum of Korea opened it’s doors to the public. The new building with total floor space of 137,542.56 ㎡ makes it one of the top 10 biggest museums in the world. To view all the items and learn about the history of Korea you would need to visit the museum a couple of times. The museum holds many of the National Treasures of Korea and other artifacts. Outside the museum there are a number of open green areas, big ponds, open air theatres and a waterfall.

The museum has 3 floors. Each floor is split up into different sections. Floor 1 consists of the Prehistory, Ancient History Gallery, Medieval and Early Modern History Gallery. Floor 2 houses a gallery made up of donations by individuals and the Calligraphy and Painting Gallery. Floor 3 holds the Sculpture and Crafts Gallery, the Asia Gallery and a small exhibition about the G20 Summit in Seoul 2010. It was here that the G20 members attended their first meeting in Korea, had a banquet and a took a tour of the museum.

Opening Hours / Admission:
Tues, Thurs & Fri: 09:00 ~ 18:00
Wed & Sat: 09:00 ~ 21:00
Sun & holidays: 09:00 ~ 19:00
Closed on Mondays and January 1st. If Monday is a national holiday the museum will stay open and close the following day.

Admission is free to the museum.

How to get to the National Museum of Korea:

Take line 4 to Ichon station, leave exit 2 and head straight.

Located in the same building as the National Science Museum, Animal Science 2011 is an exhibition about animals. All of the animals displayed in the exhibition are real. These animals once lived in the zoo or the aquarium. All of them died of natural causes or sudden death. When they died they were preserved by [...]]]>

Animal Science Exhibit Seoul 2011

Located in the same building as the National Science Museum, Animal Science 2011 is an exhibition about animals. All of the animals displayed in the exhibition are real. These animals once lived in the zoo or the aquarium. All of them died of natural causes or sudden death. When they died they were preserved by plastination and taxidermy.

This exhibit will run until August 28th, 2011. Special exhibit at the National Science Museum usually change every 6 months or yearly. Animal Science is educational and fun for children. They can see stuffed animals up close and learn all sorts of facts about the animals. There are video explanations for some of the animals. The exhibition is broken up into different sections such as sea mammals, amphibians, birds, felidae and bears. Towards the end of the exhibit there is the gift shop and an experience room. In the experience room children can feed, observe and touch hamsters while learning interesting facts about them. After the experience room if you head up the stairs onto the roof you can find a small outdoor exhibition. Located here are 2 old style Korean trains and an F-86D fighter plane which the Republic of Korea Airforce acquired in the 1950′s.

To make it a family day out I suggest you visit the National Science museum in the same building for an extra 1,000 won.

Link to the main site of the Animal Science Exhibition http://www.animal-science.co.kr

Opening Hours / Admission:
9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. (last admission 6:30pm)

Adults: 11,000 won
Youth: 10,000 won
Elementary: 9,000 won

How to get to the National Science Museum:
Take line 4 to Hyehwa station and leave exit 4. Head straight past the cinema until you reach the museum.

The Korean War Memorial Museum was built to commemorate victims in the many wars of Korea that led to the modern nation-state. The War Memorial in Seoul was completed in December, 1993 and officially opened on June 10th, 1994 and became the largest landmark of it’s kind in the world. The museum offers visitors an [...]]]>

Korean War Memorial museum

The Korean War Memorial Museum was built to commemorate victims in the many wars of Korea that led to the modern nation-state. The War Memorial in Seoul was completed in December, 1993 and officially opened on June 10th, 1994 and became the largest landmark of it’s kind in the world. The museum offers visitors an educational tour of the many wars that Korea have been involved in. The Museum houses over 13,000 items under different themes. The best part is the large display of War Tanks, Planes and Guns in the outside exhibition area. See below for photos.

Upon entering you can find a small exhibit informing people of what really happened on March 26th, 2010. The Cheonan, South Korean Navy Ship carrying 104 personnel sank off the coast of Korea, killing 46 seamen.  On May 20th, 2010 international experts published their summary of the incident and concluded that the ship was sank by a North Korea Torpedo. The exhibit at the Korean War Memorial Museum presents the facts, photos and a picture of all the seamen that lost their lives.

The War memorial is broken up into six themes.

• Memorial Hall

• War History

• Korean War

• Expeditionary Forces

• Republic of Korea Armed Forces

• Defence Industries

While outside you can view the large display of Military equipment and monuments scattered around the building. Also, outside the entrance Military musical Performance, traditional martial arts and marching can be seen. Usually they are held on Public holidays, Special events, April 4 ~ June and October 17 ~ November at 2pm on Fridays. Here is a short Video I took:

Admission and Opening Hours:
Open from 09:00 to 18:00 (Entrance closed at 17:00)
Closed Every Monday. If Monday is a Holiday it is closed the following day.

THE MUSEUM IS FREE TO ALL VISITORS.

How to get to the Korean War Memorial Museum:
Take line 4 or 6 to Samgakji Station and leave Exit 12. It is a 5 minute walk North of station Exit 12.
Also you can get off at Namyeong Station on line 1.

Seodaemun Prison History Hall preserves and displays the suffering and pain of Koreans during the modern period. Here independence activists and pro-democracy activists were jailed by the Japanese during the Japanese rule of Korea and then later it was taken over by the South Korean Government after the Japanese occupation ended in 1945.  The prison [...]]]>

Seodaemun Prison History Hall Entrance

Seodaemun Prison History Hall preserves and displays the suffering and pain of Koreans during the modern period. Here independence activists and pro-democracy activists were jailed by the Japanese during the Japanese rule of Korea and then later it was taken over by the South Korean Government after the Japanese occupation ended in 1945.  The prison opened as Gyrongseong Prison on Oct 21st, 1908 and closed Nov 15th, 1987.

The prison has held many policital prisoners over the years. Most of whom have statues around Seoul now for being patriots and resisting the Japanese Occupation of Korea. Outside the prison in the courtyard you can view the hanging chamber. It was here that many prisoners were executed and their bodies then dumped in a cellar nearby.

Opening Hours:
Mar. ~ Oct. – 09:30 ~ 18:00
Nov. ~ Feb. – 09:30 ~ 17:00
Closed: Jan. 1, Lunar New Year, Harvest Moon Festival (Chuseok), Mondays (If a holiday falls on a Monday, closed the next day.)

Admission:

Adults: 1,500 won – Age 19 to 64
Youths: 1,000 won – Age 13 to 18
Children: 500 won – Age 7 to 12

Directions: How to get to Seodaemun Prison History Hall: Subway line 3, Dongnimmun Station, exits 4 & 5. It is right beside the station exit. You can’t miss it.

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