Seodaemun Prison History Hall 서대문형무소

Seodaemun Prison was originally built in 1907 and opened in 1908 to imprison Korean independence fighters who resisted the Japanese colonization. Originally called Gyeongseong Prison, at its height held more than 2,000 prisoners when it was only meant to house 500.

After purchasing a ticket, visitors follow signs throughout the quiet complex. The first building is the museum itself which offers three floors of information. The first floor is “A Place of Reverence” to learn more about the prison and its history. Visitors then follow the signs up to the second floor which is “A Place of History” with one room that might be the darkest of all, three walls covered from top to bottom with photographs of those that died here and finally the signs lead into the basement where the torture scenes are depicted. Videos and lifelike mannequins portray what the imprisoned went through and though the English subtitles and translations are lacking they are unneeded with these representations.

After this in depth look at the grounds and the history, arrows lead visitors into the prison halls. The doors swing open and some rooms house mannequins to allow visitors to see how they communicated by knocking on the walls and how they got through the daily struggles housed here.

Amenities: Wheelchair rental, bathrooms, parking (parking fee is W1,000), English and Japanese tour guides are available but must be reserved one week in advance by calling 82-360-8586

101 Hyeonjeo-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, South Korea

W3,000

Mondays, January 1st, Seollal, Chuseok. If a holiday falls on the Monday, the museum will be closed the following Tuesday.