The Independence Hall of Korea

A while ago, I visited the Independence Hall of Korea, the largest museum in the country. It is devoted to the rememberance of those who suffered or gave their lives during Korea's struggle for indepence against Japan during the Japanese colonial period, from the late 1800's to the end of World War II.




You might say the pervading spirit of the place was somewhat... patriotic.




The museum consisted of 7 buildings. The first building was under construction; it highlighted Korea's historic struggle for independence prior to the Japanese occupation. The second building began with a depiction of life in Korea leading up to the colonial period. The arrival of the Japanese was a gradual process that spanned several decades before Japan's official declaration of Korea as a colony in 1910.




I found the portion about the torture of Korean prisoners especially informative, if gruesome. One method involved confining prisoners in a wooden box lined with nails, and kicking them around.




There was a section depicting the plight of comfort women, Korean women who were taken from there homes to serve as sexual slaves for Japanese soldiers. Although I am familiar with the story of comfort women in Korea, I learned that women from other countries under control of the Japanese empire, including China, Taiwan and the Philipines, were also forced to become comfort women.



Perhaps the climax of the exhibition were these white statues, parading towards a massive monument of patriotic souls. And of course, what memorial for national independence would be complete without an appearance by Ghandi.






It was morale-boosting to learn about the Korean armed resistance against the occupying forces. Koreans of all classes organized various guerilla militias in Korea and in the areas of Northern China, just beyond what is today the North Korean border. Many ethnic Koreans still live in those parts.




The heroic deeds of various leaders and martyrs were well documented. I might point out that the stories of North Korean leaders, such as Kim Il Sung, who played a major part in the resistance, were omitted.


The section culminated in this rather creepy congregation of wax figures of the South Korean government in exile.



The memorial grounds were huge. Outside were various monuments and the ruins of a demolished government building that was built by the Japanese.



The hall is located near the city of Cheonan, south of Seoul. It is known for its Hodogwaja, walnut shaped bean cakes. My grandmother used to get these for us when we lived in Toronto. They are awesome!