Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Icewontolla]

Want to see a museum this weekend, any recommendations that are really good and had english. I've looked at some of the sites and a couple jumped out at me. I'm interested in history so I looked at the folk one inside the old palace, the war museum, and the seoul national history museum. I'd also like to look at old time weaponry so if anyone has a different suggestion feel free.

Thanks for any ideas.

[Modernist]

First: I don't know your experience with truly great museums, but if you have any at all please dial back your expectations. I have been to a huge number of museums in this country and almost all of them are pretty bad. If you want something that ISN'T about Korea, well, good luck. They're ALL about Korea, which just isn't a very interesting country by global or even regional standards. Next to China's and Japan's flagships, Korean museums are frankly pathetic.

That said, some are less pathetic than others. A few are actually not that bad. My sense is this:

The best one for the time is the War Memorial. This is actually a quite impressive place with all kinds of weapons from the war, really nice exhibits, a decent building and just a nice overall feel. Lots of foreigners come here, especially USFK personnel, so it's set up well for us. This would be a solid B museum in the US.

If you want to look at Korean art, the only one worth any time is the National Museum in Yongsan. It's the 'best of the best' stuff, though that's relative. The building is kind of hulking but not too bad, a LONG walk from the subway though. Grounds are pretty if it's not cold or raining. Cafeteria has non-Korean food.

There's a branch of the Contemporary Art Museum in Deoksugung, worthless except to see the 1 'Western building' the Koreans managed to build before the Japanese took 'em over. The main Contemporary museum in Gyeonggi is even worse except for the sculpture garden. The Seoul Art Museum next door is decent but it all depends on the exhibits this month.

At Gyeongbokgung, AVOID the so-called 'Palace Museum' which is AWFUL, a huge waste of time. It's a joke compared to the Palace Museum in Beijing, just a bunch of old scrolls and stamps and some hunks of metal. Their big water clock is a freakin' REPLICA. I don't go to museums to see replicas, Korea. The ONLY thing there that's cool is the cars from the puppet emperor in the 1920s.

The Folk Museum up around the corner is better, but beware: it's one long slog hearing about how Koreans washed their clothes in the 1400s, etc. Personally I just don't care that much about the utterly common day-to-day, especially with SUCH detail, double-especially about Korea. If you do, you'll like it. The re-created late 1800s street outside is cool though.

The City History Museum isn't great, but a few things are cool. They have a nice photo comparing old Seoul's cityscape to the current one, very interesting. And of course there's the big city model, which they basically ruin with a ridiculous multimedia show shooting lights all around and yammering on about the Great Progress they've made. Worth maybe 45 minutes on the way someplace better, only 'cause I am a sucker for museums

Not a museum exactly, but I did like the Coex Aquarium. Too expensive but still cool. The Kimchi Museum is disgusting, of course, but it's kind of mesmerizing, like a bad car wreck.

FYI, all Korean museums have English guides [and Chinese and Japanese, 'cause they're just lining up ]. Often the display signs are triple-translated, but if not you can get an English audio guide for about 1000.

[Jane]

A somewhat interesting place to visit in Seoul that is historical is the Seodaemun Prison. I'm sure you can find info online about if you do a search. It's primarily outdoors so if it's really cold it might not be the best place to visit, but it brings history a bit more alive than some of the museums.

[climber159]

[fermentation]

The war museum is the only one I liked in Korea. But be prepared to take everything with a grain of salt.

[toby99]

The War museum is pretty good, but other than that, keep your expectations low (very low) and you probably won't be disappointed. No promises though.

[iselynjenniep]

the war memorial is pretty cool; i just went this weekend. right now they also have the "body worlds" exhibit.
http://teflorbust.wordpress.com/2011/11/21/sunday-in-seoul-body-worlds-petra-lantern-festival/