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.