My adventure in South Korea started in the capital city of Seoul, where I decided to visit some of its museums, and hopefully learn a bit about both the country and the city. The first museum I visited was the National Museum of Korea. Across several floors the exhibitions told the story of South Korea from the early days of the Paleolithic era all the way to modern times.
Although there were tours in English, I was not aware of them at the time and instead explored the museum by myself. Even without an official tour guide, it was pretty easy to follow along, as there were English signs as well as Korean pretty much the entire way, explaining the history of the place and what happened in those ancient times. The museum was quite large, and there were many exhibits to look at (and read about), so it was quite easy to spend a few hours in that place.
As I barely knew anything about Korea and the situation there prior to arriving at the country, my next stop was The War Memorial Of Korea. That building, too, was divided into floors, each one of them telling a different part of the story, and in addition to that there was also an outdoor exhibit. There was an audio guide app available, but I was getting too confused when I tried to use it and quickly gave up on the idea. Luckily, in this museum too there were signs and explanations in English.
When I got to the first floor I was surprised by how much it reminded me of the National Museum. It was dedicated to general war history in Korea, from the Paleolithic era to the time of the three kingdoms, and all the way to the Joseon Kingdom and the fall of the Korean Empire when it was taken by Japan. As this museum was dedicated to war, there were plenty of weapons to be found, as well as various armor pieces.
The second floor was about the modern war between the south and the north of Korea. From the end of World War II to the beginning of the war and all the way to the current state. The exhibits of course included many different weapons and military uniforms, as well as some documents and other items such as binoculars. In addition to that, there were some video segments in various locations that provided some more insight about the war.
The third floor was about the UN and its involvement in the war, which was a great way to learn about the different countries that were involved and their contribution. The exhibits on this floor were from all of those different countries, showing another part of the war and the effects it had on people not just in this country, but in other countries around the world.
Outside, there was a collection of different vehicles that were used during the war. Planes, ground vehicles, and a few boats, all had a different role to play in it. This exhibit was fairly small compared to the rest of the museum, and once I had a look around, I left the grounds toward my next destination.
I wanted to finish off the day by visiting the Leeum Museum of Art, but unfortunately, when I got there I was told that it is fully booked and I need to make a reservation in advance if I want to get in, so I had to turn away from there.