About The Korea War Memorial
The Korea War Memorial in Seoul, South Korea, is both a memorial to and a modern museum about Korea’s history of war. The main focus of the Korea War Memorial is the Korean War, but it also looks at other conflicts and military events dating back as far as prehistoric times.
In terms of its role as a memorial, the Korea War Memorial has a hall inscribed with the names of UN and Korean soldiers killed in several conflicts including the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
An average visit for a military history enthusiast is probably around 3 hours.
The Korea War Memorial history
The Korea War Memorial was built to commemorate both veterans and victims of wars that led to the modern nation state of South Korea. The memorial was completed in 1993, the result of discussions with military figures, and opened in June 1994 displaying a wide range of military artefacts inside.
The Korea War Memorial today
From weapons to planes, tools to multimedia presentations, the Korea War Memorial has a collection of over 13,000 items displayed through 7 galleries of different themes: Memorial Hall, War History, Korean War, Expeditionary Forces, ROK Armed Forced and Large Equipment.
Objects on display include a full-sized turtle ship replica as well as various tanks and a Soviet-made limo used by Kim II Sung. There are also several outdoor monuments surrounding the memorial, such as the Statue of Brothers.
The weapons and equipment are not limited to modern warfare, and reach back into prehistoric times. The Korea War Memorial exhibitions also include art such as battlefield paintings and sculptures such as that of An Jung-geun – 1909 assassin of former Resident General of Manchuria.
Getting to The Korea War Memorial
The immense memorial is hard to miss, but is best reached via public transport around Seoul. The memorial is closest to both Noksapyeong, Samgakji and Namyeong metro stops on the brown and blue lines respectively.
