War Memorial of Korea
Established in June 1994, the War Memorial of Korea exhibits and preserve materials related to the Korean War and serves as a national moral educational venue. The museum houses about 33,000 artifacts with around 10,000 on display at indoor and outside exhibition halls. There are six separate indoor halls, while the outdoor exhibition hall showcases large-sized weapons.
We had less than two hours to explore the entire site, which was not nearly enough time. Luckily I possess the skill of power reading and was able to cram as much into my time as possible, meaning I read through all the exhibits on the bottom floor of the museum. These exhibits focused on the history of Korea, from prehistoric ages to the major dynasties up through the Korean War (1950-1953).
As I read the history, multiple names and events jumped out at me from the labels, words I recognized from the definitions of the many Taekwondo (태권도) forms I've learned over the years. Seeing these short snippets of history inserted into the larger narrative, threading together and melding to form a rich tapestry of Korea's history, absolutely thrilled me.
The first slideshow I've created for you is a brief history of the Japanese occupation of Korea during the first part of the 20th century, an essential narrative to know if one wishes to understand the Korean War.