The War Memorial of Korea

Last Friday I visited the War Memorial of Korea in Seoul. I was blown away by its enormous size and scope. I was expecting a modest homage to the Korean War, but was thrilled to find a grand panorama of Korea's entire history of war.





The first stop on the way from the subway was this monument of two brothers embracing during the Korean War. I was intrigued that the stand brother is a South Korean soldier, while the fallen brother is North Korean. Apparently, this statue is based on two actual but anonymous brothers. The crack in the dome symbolized the separation of North and South Korea. Inside the dome were two murals on either side, and a series of plaques in the ground recognizing the different countries that fought on the South Korean side. In the center was a raised cylinder with the South Korean and UN flags above a world map.




Outside the main building were various monuments and actual vehicles used in the war.


The first item on display inside the museum was this impressive drum symbolizing Korea's independence. The tiger is Korea's national animal. This painting was impressively detailed. Props to the artist!





On display were models, paintings, artifacts, replicas, and information explaining Korea's early feudal period and struggles with invading forces from beyond its borders, including the the Chinese, the Manchus, and the Mongols. Being the boy that I am, I was especially excited by their collection of Korean swords from those time periods.




And of course, what Korean war memorial would be complete without a turtle ship and a shoutout to Yi Sun-Shin. They had a whole section on him, with actual swords that belonged to him, as well as a few other of his possessions. Above is a bust of his likeness (right), paired with Gwon Yul (left), the General of the Korean Army that led the Korean ground forces simultaneously with Admiral Yi to repel Hideyoshi's invasion.






There were several areas dedicated to the Korean War, which constituted the majority of the museum's exhibition. Among the new facts I learned, was an incident that took place at a South Korean high school in which student volunteers were attacked by North Korean forces while conducting a routine training drill, and a bloody battle ensued. I try to imagine myself going to school one day only to find myself in the midst of a life or death onslaught.








The high point for me was this monument directly in front of the main building. It was featured two complementary parades of statues of characters from the Korean war: soldiers, civilians, heroes and victims, rotating around a central monolith that towered above. This was literally the most awesome contemporary Korean work of art that I have ever seen. Each figure was beatifully sculpted and transmitted a unique emotion of the passion and suffering experienced in the war. I must have spent half an hour just marvelling at this artistic feat. It was a fulfilling climax to the best museum I have visited in Seoul.