5 days in Seoul, Korea-5/17-5/22/2023
Day 5: War Memorial Museum in Seoul-5/21/23
The War Memorial Museum of Korea is located in the Yongsan-dong area and in the heart of Seoul. Opened in 1994, the building and grounds were strategically placed on the former army headquarters of Korea in the “Dragon Hill” district of Seoul. It was built for the purpose of preventing war through lessons from the Korean War and for the hope for a peaceful reunification of North and South Korea. The War Museum honors all the South Koreans and United Nations soldiers who participated and died in the Korean War from June 25, 1950 to July 27, 1953.
The memorial building has six indoor exhibition rooms and an outdoor exhibition center displaying war memorabilia and military equipment from China, South Korea and the United States.
We got off the subway and on our way to the War Museum. We are in the Yongsan-dong neighborhood with lots of high rise building around.
We are approaching the main entrance gate of the War memorial museum.
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Sign leading to the War Memorial Museum.
The Korean War Memorial monument standing tall in the distance.
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The Korean War Memorial monument was installed in 2003 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the armistice of the Korean War to stimulate the postwar generation's security awareness.
The Statue of Brothers located in the south-west corner of the outdoor exhibition area at the museum symbolizes the Korean War and the hope for reunification.
The upper part of The Statue of Brothers shows the moment when a South Korean officer and his younger brother, a North Korean soldier, encounter each other and embrace on the battle field.
The lower part of the statue is shaped like a bomb. It was built with pieces of granite collected from locations across Korea and is symbolic of the sacrifices made by South Korean patriots.
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Inside the lower section of The Statue of Brothers is a mosaic wall painting that shows the spirit of the Korea people and the 16 United National countries that came to the aid of South Korea.
Mosaic panting inside the dome.
Paintings of the 16 United National countries that came to the aid of South Korea.
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Closer look at the entrance of the dome (crack in the dome) and on the right is the story behind the statue of Brothers.
Peace Plaza with the War memorial monument at the far end.
In the center is the Korean War tower that symbolizes the long history and military spirit and the tree of life, the peace, and prosperity of the Korean People. The tower is surrounded by 38 figures of the Patriotic heroes.
The stone bowl at the bottom of the statue embodies the image of the lustral water to express the people's aspiration for prosperity, peace, and national reunification.
Figures of the Patriotic Heroes surrounding the War tower.
Sculptures of Patriotic heroes that show the spirit of sacrifice and patriotism of the martyrs by embodying the people of all walks of life who participated in the Korean war
The second sculptures of the Patriotic heroes.
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The monument is also for the participating Nations of the Korean War honor the casualties from 21 countries that participated in the Korean War.
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We are now walking toward the main building of the museum.
Flags of the Nations that participated in the Korean war surrounding the main building.
View from the Peace Plaza at the main building with the flags of the Nations that participated in the Korean war.
View of the city from the stairs going up to the Museum.
Flags of the nations flying high.
Panoramic view of the war memorial museum.
View of the Peace plaza in front of the War Memorial Museum.
Monuments for the participating Nations of the Korean war. All the stands with flags were installed in 2015 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations to express the gratitude of the Korean people to the countries that participated in the Korean War.
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There are 22 stands symbolizing 22 countries and ranked in order of the date of participation in the Korean War.
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The stands are made of Indian black stone, granite, and stainless steel. Each stand is engraved with the country's name, laurel wreath, unit mark. details of participation in the war, and words of tribute to the veterans in the country's language and in Korean.
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There is also an extensive garden area around the memorial with an artificial waterfall, and a lake that is so beautiful landscaped.
View of the pond with water sprouting from a bunch of water jets.
Open Air exhibition area with tanks, planes, boats and submarine.
Lots of thanks on display.
K-1 Tank developed with domestic technology in the late 1970 and was deployed to the army in 1987.
B-52D bomber
B-52D bomber has been is service for over 60 years since it was deployed in 1955.
It is referred to as the plane that three generations ride, including grand-father, father, and son. It is known to be solid, safe and was designed to carry nuclear bombs.
NEXT...Day 2: Inside the war memorial museum
