"Joh-eun achim (Good Morning) Seoul"
Our Day 2 in Seoul is a DIY using Seoul's public transportation.
After a hearty complimentary breakfast at Metro Hotel, we made our way to Myeongdong Station and headed to the first item in our itinerary.
The War Memorial of Korea
The museum is easily accessible via Subway Line 4 through Samgakji Station, Exit 12.
If you have limited time to tour Seoul and want to see at least one of the city's museums, I highly recommend visiting the War Memorial. We also visited the National Museum of Korea and liked the War Memorial better.
We spent hours touring the Outdoor Exhibition Area alone. The warships and aircrafts exhibition is truly remarkable.
This particular ship is a replica of the Korean Naval Vessel PKM 357, which was involved in bloody naval battle between North and South Korea in 2002.
The battle is immortalized in a Hollywood movie entitled Northern Limit Line. Hubby saw the movie and was deeply moved seeing the life size replica of the actual patrol ship on display. If you have not seen the movie, there is a 4D show in a theater located at the ground level of the naval ship, reenacting the heat of the battle. I was teary-eyed myself while watching.
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The inside of the War Memorial main building is equally amazing.
Check out this Turtle shaped battle ship (scale 1:2.5) designed by Admiral Yi Sun-sin, one of Korea's noteworthy war heroes. The ship played a pivotal role in leading the Royal Korean Navy to defeat the Japanese in several naval battles.
See also the memorabilia of war relics during the Korean Civil War, which divided the country into the South and North Korea we knew now.
Pictures below are from the Philippines section of the gallery. The Philippines was the first Asean country to send combat troops to Korea at that time.
History books documented 7,400 Filipino officer and men fought and served in Korea (one of them is Former President Fidel V Ramos). I was really amazed to see his photos and uniform in display.
The Battle of Yuldong was the greatest Filipino victory in the Korean War. A mere 900 Filipino soldiers withstood the night attack of an the communist Chinese army that numbered 40,000 men at peak strength.
The place is huge and I recommend at least a day to really appreciate everything.
My personal favorites:
The Statues of Brothers
It depicts a real life story of two brothers who fought in the Korean War on opposite sides, accidentally reunified in the battlefield.
It was really heart breaking, especially for a mother with 2 boys.
And "The Tear Drop" an artwork fashioned into a giant tear drop using 1,300 identification tags of fallen soldiers in the UN side ~ A symbol of respect and remembrance for a noble sacrifice.
WAR MEMORIAL OF KOREA
Admission Hours : 09:30 ~ 18:00(Entrance closed at 17:30)
Exhibition Hours : Hours 09:30 ~ 18:00
Closed every Monday (If a Monday is a holiday, then we are closed the day after the holiday is over)
Admission is FREE.
For more information please check their website:
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Are you planning a trip to N Seoul Tower, click don't miss our post of our Day 1 in Seoul: Namsan Tower
Follow our Day 2 in Seoul - Part II (War Memorial of Korea, Grevin Wax Museum and the funny Nanta Show).
Got so inspired to visit the country and that museum, too. Places like that are so much fun to visit as you recall your teacher's lesson or things you've read from the history book. I also find it a perfect timing to travel with kids that age as they know how to appreciate places already and they could remember the experience, too.
ReplyDeleteI will include this in our itinerary if ever we will go to Seoul because it is FREE. Aside from that, we will learn new information. I did not know that Philippines sent troops to Korea, nice trivia.
ReplyDelete900:40,000 men was really extraordinary! That was pure will and faith I guess.
DeleteMy son will definitely think this is so cool! He's into planes, ships and trucks so he'll definitely love this. Not only will it be fun for him but educational too.
ReplyDeleteIt was a wonderful tour for my boys, they would not leave the outdoor exhibit area. We spent hours just viewing and checking out the war planes.
DeleteWow this is so amazing. What an awesome place. I agree with you the statues of the brothers it's a heart breaking and being a mom relate tayo sa statues na to. Galing naman ng mga artist at nakaisip nito.
ReplyDeleteThey were very good right? I was really teary eyed and heart broken with some of the exhibits we saw.
DeleteSeeing this plus the thought that NK and SK finally made peace after decades gives me a feeling of serenity. Hopefully, these will just remain a memorial and that no war will ever happen to any country anymore. Definitely a lovely and memorable place!
ReplyDeleteHopefully they can be at real peace again! It is heartbreaking to hear testimonials of families separated during the war.
DeleteVery historical. Gandang puntahan. PArang nag field trip na rin. =) I love the tear drop made from soldier's tags. That's so cool. =)
ReplyDeleteYes, its good to see and live the real Korea, which id more than just Kpop and Kdrama.
DeleteAhh I'm so jealous! I love learning about different cultures, and I especially love Korea's. The statue of brothers is so profound. Thank you for sharing this with us!
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome Sis! I am glad you find this post useful.
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