MangoVine
Adventures in East Asia
The Excellent and Comprehensive War Memorial Museum of Korea
21 July, 2009Tuesday
The War Memorial Museum of Korea is a massive and impressive place documenting the history of warfare in Korea. It was where Linh and I discovered more about the Korean War that divided the country - a highly significant event in Korea's history, with repercussions still happening today.
Having arrived in the afternoon at the nearby Samgakji metro station (Line 4 or 6), we ended up spending four and a half hours going through the three floors and the outdoor exhibition area.
Taking in the outdoors first, we got a chance to examine lots of military hardware close-up and personal. Compared to the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, there was alot more equipment, including a huge B52 bomber, tanks, helicopters, missiles, launchers and submarines.
Once inside the War Memorial Museum, we found a convenient route laid out in the guide to view all three floors and the six exhibition rooms they harbour.
On the ground floor, there was a replica of one of Admiral Sun-sin's famous turtle warships, an impressively armoured ship that protected its passengers whilst allowing them to fire during fierce battles.
Further exhibition rooms documented Korean war history since the prehistoric age as well as a variety of ageing military equipment.
Most of the second floor documented the Korean War, beginning with the background behind the Southward invasion of North Korea up until the Armistice Agreement several years later in 1953, which sought to stop the war and cease acts of armed force.
The third floor contained the interiors of a navy ship but of the other exhibits, most harrowing of all were the displays of people's lives during the war which depicted scenes of refugees coping with poverty.
There were also a couple of interactive facilities - a War Experience Room which was closed by the time we reached it and a Laser Shooting Range.
Bizarrely (I thought) set up in the ground floor special exhibition room, visible from the third floor, were some bouncy facilities for kids.
In all, the War Memorial Museum of Korea's size made sure we ended exhausted, albeit worn out with a highly relevant and interesting view of Korea.
More photos of the War Memorial Museum on Flickr.
Visit the War Memorial Museum of Korea website.
More information on the Korean War on Wikipedia.
This entry posted in : Attractions. History. South Korea.
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In February 2009, Mark and Linh moved from the UK to the Far East to spend 16 months living in Hong Kong and traveling around East Asia. This website documents their journey.
Find out more on the MangoVine About page.
There are 435 entries on MangoVine.
East-Asian places visited so far:
Hong Kong (Throughout 09)
Vietnam (March 09)
Tokyo (May 09)
Macau (June 09)
Taiwan (July 09)
South Korea (July 09)
Singapore (September 09)
Malaysia (September 09)
Thailand (December 09)
Cambodia (December 09)
China (April 10)
