For this update, I bring you details of the free admission museum I most recently visited: the War Memorial of Korea. To get here you'll need to get on line 3 or 4 and disembark at Samgakji (a transfer hub for both lines), then follow the signs to get to the surface down the street from the museum. This was another place I'd not gone before, but had been aware of pretty early on. Yet every time I went Samgakji I was transferring to one line or the other and never bothered to have a look at the War Memorial. So last weekend I decided to just go and have a look at long last.

Above is the view of the street just outside the exit from Samgakji station; at first I wasn't sure which direction to head. The travel guide helped out yet again by showing which direction the famous statue of two brothers was from the exit. As it turned out the War Memorial is directly adjacent to the statue, so it's easy enough to find by heading that way. However the statue itself was fenced off when I visited, possibly in conjunction with the concert that was being held in the evening (and which tickets were required for).

The War Memorial itself was bigger than I'd imagined it would be, with two corridors leading up to the main building. There's also a large plaza in front of the museum portion, but this was blocked off because of said concert in honor of Korea's wartime UN allies. Each corridor has plaques bearing the names of all those who fell in defense of the Republic of Korea during the 1950-53 war. Those of American servicemen and women are organized by state. It was impressive to see how many flags were flying in recognition of the UN forces as well - I honestly hadn't been aware that so many nations had participated in the Korean War.

I had been under the impression that the museum was only inside the Memorial, but was in for another big surprise. Because I had to go around the long way in order to reach the main hall of the museum I came across a huge courtyard full of military vehicles and aircraft. Many were used or were examples of those used during the war, while others are later ROK military issue. I'm admittedly a big history buff, especially for military aviation, so this was a wonderful discovery. While I've been to many air museums in the USA, this was so much more interactive since I could go right up to the planes, touch them, and in some cases go inside.

Being that it's open air too, it was a nice and relaxed feel as I made my way around the courtyard to look at all the exhibits as it were. A lot of Korean families were present too, so it was an opportunity to see how they look at such an outdoor museum. Many children were happy to play on the gun turrets that were on display elsewhere, as well as climb up to look at tanks more closely. To have these machines designed for killing turned into something that children can enjoy was very peculiar. While climbing out of an armored personnel carrier's back, one little boy even smiled and greeted me with an 'anyung haseyo'. So going to the War Memorial can be a chance to interact with Korean people as well. One father even took stopped with his son and offered to take a picture of me alongside an airplane. I was very greatful for his assistance, which had been unsolicited but very appreciated.

Another thing that surprised me was that there weren't only South Korean and UN planes and vehicles to see. Captured North Korean aircraft and tanks were also present. Included in the assorted Communist exhibits was the above MiG fighter, which was flown by a North Korean pilot who accepted an offer to defect to the South in 1953. According to the plaque this is the actual airplane, not a replica, so you can actually touch history! Not to mention getting to see and touch something that was once in North Korea. A very unexpected but oddly cool experience; there were also Soviet and Chinese-manufactured tanks, including the T-34 seen below.

What impressed me most was just the sheer number of things to see and do outside the actual museum and its exhibits. Not only are there airplanes, tanks and APCs, but also rockets, a full scale mockup of a Korean warship to tour, a North Korean semi-submarine, and naval guns you can actually sit in. A full size turret is there, and you can climb inside to see how cramped it really is to be in one. The last picture above was taken out of the turret's top hatch.

It's easy to forget that the rest of the museum exists when you're having a look at everything outside the building. I probably spent an hour and a half going around to see all that had been set out and learning about the different vehicles and weapons. Indoors the museum is also pretty cool, but that will be reserved for another blog that will be forthcoming soon. All in all I can heartily reccommend adding the War Memorial to your To-Do list if you have an interest in modern Korean history.

For today's update, I'll be writing about another phenomenon I've discovered here in Korea that helps make your experience more memorable. Speficially the pretty large amount of museums that are totally free to view. Compared to sightseeing in the US, this is a pretty impressive option to have when you're wanting to go learn more about the country. The impressive National Museum of Korea was the first of these attractions, and the second one will be discussed today.

First though, a quick word on subway stations in Korea. Navigating them can be confusing at first, especially if the station is a location for transfers to multiple other lines. However, signs are posted periodically in hangul, English and Chinese to ensure that travellers can find where they need to go. As is shown in the sign above, the arrows will point you in the right direction, so long as you know what station (and thus direction) you want to head for. Thus it pays to do a little research before heading out if your destination doesn't share its name with a subway station.

Today's featured free museum is the Sarangchae museum near Gwanghwamun and the Blue House, home of the President of Korea. To get to the area, you can either get off Line 5 at Gwanghwamun or Line 3 at Gyeongbokgung. I got off the latter, intending originally to go to Gwangwhamun Plaza which is home to a number of locations of cultural interest, as well as the US Embassy. A lot of subway stations here have artwork decorating their interiors, and above you can see a carved mural at Gyeongbokgung showing a Joseon dynasty procession. Totally unexpected to find, but it was worth taking a picture of.

A statue in front of the Sarangchae Museum.

I found out about the Sarangchae by glancing at the newly indispendsible Korea travel guide that I picked up on a whim at Soonchunhyang University. For something I just happened to pick up, it's really useful. On the map of the Gwanghwamun area, it mentioned the Sarangchae - which displays various gifts foreign dignitaries have presented to the Korean president. Deciding that this sounded pretty interesting and less likely to be crowded than a palace, I figured why not go?

Near the museum is a small park where one can rest, enjoy the shade, and contemplate a little bit of nature in the middle of the bustling metropolis that is Seoul. It's a memorial garden of some sort, though I've forgotten for what. However, it's quite pretty to look at all the same. Not many people seem to go to the park, so it's a nice break from the huge numbers of people that will be found near the palace.

Before getting to talking about the museum, above you'll see something that I think is pretty unique to Korea: exercise parks. In some parks you will find multiple stations for doing aerobic exericses, just sitting in the middle of an otherwise normal city park. This is because Koreans are so busy working that they sometimes just have no time to exercise otherwise. Stopping at the park for a quick workout is a convenient way to stay in shape without having to make a special trip.

Inside the museum there's a couple of diferent permanent exhibitions you can see, neither of which are terribly big. On the first floor is cultural information about Korea, including future visions of Seoul as a modern, green capital. A display shows Korean sporting triumphs as well, and there is a history of the Korean currency through the years. Above is the current set of won, which you will become very familiar with when you study here for a semester. Most commonly you'll see the 10 and 1 thousand won bills.

Upstairs is the presidential history area, where the diplomatic gifts are on display. While they are very fascinating on their own there was something even more interesting that I stumbled upon. Just like my discovery of the Sarangchae itself, I didn't even know it existed until I arrived upstairs (albeit that I came up from the end of the exhibit).

Behold: something that was just too odd to pass up.

Here I am, as the president of Korea!

Amongst the other things you'll see at the Sarangchae are the gifts themselves - some are quite intricate items here. Such as the jeweled elephant from the Thai ambassador, and the above horse which was a gift from President Lyndon B. Johnson of the US. Also there's an exhibit about traditional Korean food and cooking, though it's just an introduction to the cuisine at best. Foreign leaders' signatures can be viewed as well, including Hu Jintao and Barack Obama. Pictures of President Lee Myung-Bak with his foreign contemporaries are displayed as well, including the above one of a taekwondo pose alongside President Obama. While small, the Sarangchae is an interesting experience and provides some nice information about Korea's presidents and the Republic itself.

And outside the Sarangchae, you'll also have a nice view of the Blue House. Unless you schedule a tour two weeks in advance, this is the closest you're likely to get to the president's home. A large number of police officers were on duty in the surrounding area, and several asked me where I was going. While they helpfully pointed me to the Sarangchae, it's a reminder that this is a highly secure and policed area.

Seoul, being the largest city in South Korea, has a lot of different districts to explore. In the short period that is one semester it might not be possible to see all of them when factoring in other school responsibilities. I've been to the capital a number of times, and this week I'll tell you some things about another part of the city. This week: Dongdaemun.

As you exit the Dongdaemun subway station, one of the first things you'll see Namdaemun Gate. This historical site was the victim of an arson attack in 2008 by a disgruntled, drunken Seoul citizen with greivances against the government. So far it's still under reconstruction, and may take a couple more years to complete in an appropriate manner. As such you cannot visit the gate at this time, but it still presents an impressive sight from afar.

One of the features of Dongdaemun that you may not hear about as much is this stream that runs down the middle of the market area. It's actually Cheonggyecheon stream, built when current South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak was a city chairman. Its construction increased Lee's popularity and helped him win the presidency. Now president Lee is embattled by a populace that is hesitant or outright opposed to his Four Rivers plan, which involves building dams that will harm Korea's natural beauty.

The stream itself runs 5.8 km through Seoul, including Dongdaemun. There are many places to sit and cool off by the stream, and just sitting and listening to the water pass by is quite peaceful. After a long day of walking around the area it's an ideal spot to rest and enjoy the scenery, including the occasional mural. This was something I didn't know existed until I arrived in Dongdaemun, so it can pay off to just go somewhere and look around. You never know what might be waiting for you.

Dongdaemun is most famous for being a center for various street and indoor markets. One of the first ones I found was a block full of book vendors whose stalls were stacked full with tomes. It was really remarkable to see all of the books just sitting out in the open like that, almost more of a warehouse than a market look. Most of the books are in hangul, but you can definitely find an English-Korean dictionary here! Try as I might, I couldn't find one at a bookstore in the US. So when I found several in Dongdaemun I bought myself one to help supplement my study of the Korean language. At 10,000 won it was also cheaper than it would have been in the USA, had an American bookstore carried it. Another thing you can find in the book market is Japanese manga translated into Korean. So if you're on the look out for this, and/or can read Korean and like manga, Dongdaemun should be a stop for you on your trip to Korea.

Another big item in Dongdaemun is clothing, fabric and sewing items (zippers, buttons, etc). Besides these you can also find a number of shops that custom make patches in-store and sell their prodcuts fairly cheap. The above picture was taken outside one of them, and shows how familiar some of these patches are to the Western eye. Just on display there was everything from TGI Friday's to the Nigerian Football Association. I'd assume that if you wanted a patch of something, you could take an image in to one of these shops and have it made for you.

Then there are the fashion markets: huge multi-block, multi-story buildings that are literally stuffed full of all kinds of clothing related items. I only went to the Pyeonghwa Market, so I can't speak for the others you'll find there. From what I saw in Pyeonghwa though, this is the place to get those zippers, buttons or other accoutrements. Also, several booths had nothing but neckties or belts and on the cheap no less. Neckties can be purchased with elastic around them so tying becomes unnecessary! Kind of a different alternative to the clip-on tie.

Elsewhere there are stores full of nothing but hats - baseball caps, fedoras, knit hats, etc. - for reasonable prices. Most of the actual clothing for sale is women's or children's clothing, since those are the higher volume sales items. Some booths sell hanbok, traditional Korean outfits; there's another market in Dongdaemun that specializes in just hanbok too. Some of the prices I saw in Dongdaemun, though, aren't much better than what you could get in another market in Myeongdong or a different city entirely (Cheonan comes to mind). All the same, it's definitely an experience to visit Dongdaemun just to see how many people shop there and how many booths there are.

To illustrate just how vast the Pyeonghwa market is, the below image is useful. As my friend and I were navigating our way through the market, we began to wonder if the market itself would ever end. Down as far as the eye could see, there were more booths, more people. It was almost an optical illusion.