War Memorial of Korea

When you first hear the name 'War Memorial', you can't help but think it's all about the Korean War. Actually the place is a museum dedicated to warfare and weaponry. It showcases all the important battles in Korea's history plus the people, weapons and equipment through the ages. The Korean War of course is the sort of centerpiece of it all. There's also the static open-air display of tanks, planes, cannons and missiles which one could view for free without having to enter the museum. Definitely for the military history buffs.

The place gives me special pride as my country helped South Korea in its darkest hour, which is why the Philippines' participation is mentioned in the exhibits.

Admission is free; open 9 am - 6 pm Tues - Sun.

The Korean War Memorial was, to my surprise, not just about the Korean War. I guess that is an American assumption due to the fact that we were involved in that war. It covers the entire history of Korean Wars. Very interesting and HUGE. You need the better part of a day to see the whole museum. Lots of school kids which was great. (Boy are Korean children well behaved!)

I think I made three young boys day by giving them a USA dollar bill each. They were brave enough to walk up to us, ask our names, shake our hands, and tell us their names. It was evident by their jumping up and down, the repeated bows, and thank yous that they had a special gift that they could show their friends. Made my day too!

The War Museum. Its pretty neat looking at all the vehicles and such that was used 50 yrs ago. When you start walking up these wings there are big blocks with korean names of all who faught in the war, along with altars or tables that have huge books of others who died. The most striking thing is this bubble room where you walk in and its all dark and in the center is a giant black bowl fountian. The roof of this room is a dome and at the top is a hole, where this intense lightbeam shines down into the center of this bowl fountian. Of course it depends on the sun that day but when we were getting around, it was hotter than hell and sunny. Was qutie a site. I only made it to the 2nd floor but i think there are 4 or so.. The first floor is Korea history, which is cool to look at but unfortunately its all in Korean.. Still neat to look at.. then once you go up stairs its the Korean war in the 50's. Its something people should check out, its really worth it

This War Memorial place are top tourist attraction place.
displying more than 8,000 war reilcs and weapons.
it,s a used from ancient to today.
very interesting and get a special experience
place of Seoul.
( See more picture to Travelogues )

This massive museum covers the many wars Korea has been involved in up until the Korean War.
Outside is a large collection of military vehicles - planes, tanks, even a mini-submarine.
This museum is really big and you will need at least half a day to see everything.
Entry costs W3,000

The War Memorial of Korea is a very huge and interesting museum in Seoul. It covers not only the Korean War but also other wars where Koreans were involved.

Take enough time to go around all over the Museum. And believe me, 2 hours is not enough. Not enough by far. I suggest at least 4 hours.

Entrance fee is 3'000 Won.

To borrow a line from the movie "Hot Shots 2" War, it's fan-tastic! Actually, it isn't. But the war stuff can be cool to view. The War memorial of Korea is a museum with all kinds of war toys to look at. Everything from Korean Turtle boats which sank the Japanese Navy under Admiral Yi back in the 1500's to the Korean war and expeditionary missions of today.

There are a lot of exhibits which show you just how brutal and ugly the Korean war got, and probably why it should never happen again. Surprisingly though, the museum is not openly anti-North Korean. It has a neutrality to it that is unexpected.

It is walking distance from the evil that is Itaewon, and easily accessable from the subways.

The large museum and monument of the Korean War Memorial (전쟁기념관) are dedicated to those who died in defense of democracy during the 1950-1953 Korean War. There are hundreds of aircraft, vehicles, and guns used by both North and South Korea during and since the War. Inside the museum are exhibits with some 13,000 items covering the history of war in Korea. The large wings of the museum house tablets that list the names of 300,000 allied dead from all 22 nations that participated in the Korean War as part of the United Nations Command.

The facility was completed in December 1993 and opened in June 1994, as the largest war monument in the world.

Also outside are numerous statues and works of art such as the Statue of Brothers symbolizing the divide between the north and the south

This is a really interesting museum. You have everything concerning wars in this museum. From the very first war up to to Korean war and even the Vietnam war. It is a really complete museum. You can learn a lot in this museum and you can stay there for few hours if you like to read everything. Outside this museum there is some old aircrafts, helicopters, etc... Cost is really cheap as well for all that. It cost 3000 Won (approx 3$ canadian). You must go there if you like the history.

The War Memorial was built on the site of the Korean Army Headquarters in June 1994. The exhibits, occupying approximately 198,000 square meters of the six-story building (four above ground and two below ground), include the Commemoration Hall, War History Hall, Korean War Hall, Foreign War Hall, and Army History Hall. At the center of the front plaza stands a sculpture of two brothers, the older brother, a South Korean soldier and the younger one a soldier from the North, symbols of the pain and suffering of our divided nation.

The Korean War Memorial is a great treat for history buffs. I visited the place in March 2008 and spent most of the morning there. Aside from the military/war/history stuff which fills up all 3 floors of the memorial (basement pre-Korean War, 1st floor Korean War and 2nd Floor Korean Armed Forces) and the static display on the east grounds of the complex (armor, artillery, tanks, APCs, aircraft, missiles etc.), there is a poignant statue on the main entrance where a South Korean soldier meets and embraces his younger brother in the battlefield. Both are standing on earth that is split, signifying a divided country but not a divided people. The best part? All of these for only 1,000 KRW, the price of a can of soda.

The war memorial museam depicts all the wars and invasions that Koreans endured. I did not go inside the museam but the grounds itself have many interesting items.
Everywhere you look there are anti-war memorials. Many depict the pain and suffering caused by war. The grounds also display all the weapons used in the Korean war. I found this really impressive. Items range from mortars, tanks, aircraft and even a submarine.
The names of all the casaulties from the Korean war are displayed along three corridors. It is one way to visually grasp how many people died during the war.
Every Friday that have have a very impressive display from all branches of the military. The parade starts at 2 pm. If you are in Seoul for a couple of days, then plan to come to the War Museam on a Friday