A playground near the main entrance of the National Museum of Korea.

Korean soldiers taking in the view from the central plaza between the museum's main buildings.

A view of Seoul Tower from the museum's observation area.

Even though I've only been in Korea for about three weeks, there's a lot that I've seen. One of the most impressive has been the National Museum of Korea in Seoul. Since I'm studying Korean history at SCH, I thought it would be a great way to preview some of that history in person. Little did I know just how much was in store for me as I rode the subway with our group towards it. Finding the museum is very simple - it's just a matter of riding to the Ichon (not to be confused with Incheon) station and walk a block or so. Standing at the end of a somewhat long drive are twin ten story structures, one of which houses the permanent collection of artifacts and art.

Just the walk up to the museum is full of impressive sights. There's a man-made pond with a pagoda in the middle (see above picture), a row of columns, plenty of trees and a very nice plaza-like area from which you can observe Ichon for a very long distance. Seoul Tower is visible from here as well as the gardens behind the museum. Though I didn't go to the gardens, they looked incredible just from the vantage point above. Inside the main building of the museum are housed myriad artifacts, some as old as 4,000 years old. To be able to see all of these pieces in person was an amazing experience.

A gold crown and belt from the Silla period (57 BCE-676 CE).

Ancient Korean jade jewelry, a symbol of status and power in that day.

Parts of a distinctively Korean sword, I belive from the Three Kingdoms period (early 1st milenium.

Recreation of a Silla warrior's arms and armor.

A towering piece of work that stands near the end of the museum's first floor, from the Joseon dynasty, built in the 1300s (if I remember right).

Reconstruction of a Confucian scholar's study inside the museum.

A Joseon period Buddha statue at the front of a room full of such works.

A room full of large Buddha statues from several different periods.

The first floor is dedicated to prehistoric and neolithic Korea, as well as the Gojoseon and Three Kingdoms periods. You can see how Korean pottery and artwork advanced from primitive means to intricate pieces of expressive art, as well as how weaponry evolved as well. Many signs are in Korean, but an audio tour is likely available in English. Having limited time in the museum, I didn't take the opportunity to ask. Displays also explain in English the history of each period. Each of the Three Kingdoms of Korea are given an introduction and examples of their work are on display to compare and contrast. Of them all Silla appears to have been the wealthiest, and eventually the Silla kingdom unified the nation. That period, Unified Silla, has its own side of the first floor. Due to time constraints, I was unfortunately unable to view the treasures there.

Even so, the Buddhist artwork on the top (third) floor was amazing as well. Everything from the statues to paintings of Buddhist mythology can be seen here. Especially interesting to view were the paintings of the 7 kings of hell, each of which had very intricate details involved in the work. Due to a prohibition on flash photography, I wasn't able to get any good pictures of these fine (yet violent, in the kings of hell case) works of art. The Joseon and Yi dynasty artifacts are located on the second floor, but again due to time constraints I was unable to enjoy them either.

Most impressively to me, the National Museum of Korea is free. There's no charge for the permanent collection. This makes the museum a must-see if you come to Korea; you will learn so much in an afternoon that you never knew before. I highly reccommend taking a full day to really soak up everything the museum has to offer. It is more than worth the commitment of time that requires. I know that I plan to return to finish exploring it before I return to America, and that it has me very excited about learning a bit more in depth about Korea's history.