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wylies99
Joined: 13 May 2006
Location: I'm one cool cat!
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 Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2012 7:54 pm Post subject: History museum to open Dec. 26 next to US embassy |
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http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/culture/2012/12/148_127400.html
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The National Museum of Korean Contemporary History in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, will finally open next week, after four years of construction.
Located right next to the U.S. embassy, it is one of the major cultural projects of the Lee Myung-bak administration.
The purpose of the $41.3 million museum to open Wednesday is to honor the modern economic and social achievements of Korea.
The glass-walled seven-story museum houses about 43,000 items in a collection covering the period from 1876, when the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) opened its doors to the outer world. It also touches on Japan�s colonization of the Korean Peninsula, the 1950-53 Korean War and the economic growth of the 1970s and 80s.
There has been criticism that the museum is devoted to honoring certain leaders, namely the military dictator Park Chung-hee, who is widely recognized as the president that led Korea�s economic miracle after the Korean War.
But the director of the museum refuted such views during a press conference Thursday.
�We tried to show the economic and political advancements of our country with a balanced viewpoint,� Kim Wang-sik, director of the museum said. �This museum is not dedicated to a certain leader by any means.�
The 6,445-square-meter museum was formerly home to the culture ministry.
Visitors will see Korea�s first mass-produced �Pony� car and �GoldStar� radio. The Pony was a small rear-wheel drive automobile produced by Hyundai Motor Company from 1975 to 1990. The museum purchased the car from a collector in New Zealand.
Visitors can also view a photo slideshow capturing the historic meeting in June 2000 at a Pyongyang airport between the late former President Kim Dae-jung and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il for the first inter-Korean summit since the Korean War.
For foreigners who follows news on Korea, there are editions of U.S. weekly TIME and Newsweek magazines from the 1980s with cover stories on Korea�s economic growth and the 1980 Gwangju democracy uprising.
The museum also shows belongings of all presidents of the Republic of Korea, starting with Syngman Rhee.
The museum will officially open on Dec. 26. Admission is free and it is closed on Mondays. For more information, call 02-3703-9200.
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atwood
Joined: 26 Dec 2009
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| Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2012 6:16 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for the heads up.
I'm all for more museums in Korea, especially accesible ones. |
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dairyairy
Joined: 17 May 2012
Location: South Korea
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| Posted: Tue Dec 25, 2012 5:08 pm Post subject: |
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| atwood wrote: |
Thanks for the heads up.
I'm all for more museums in Korea, especially accesible ones. |
The National Museum of Korea will be opening a moving sidewalk from inside Ichon station to the museum on the 28th of December. There are pictures on the National Museum's Facebook page. |
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atwood
Joined: 26 Dec 2009
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| Posted: Tue Dec 25, 2012 5:41 pm Post subject: |
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| dairyairy wrote: |
| atwood wrote: |
Thanks for the heads up.
I'm all for more museums in Korea, especially accesible ones. |
The National Museum of Korea will be opening a moving sidewalk from inside Ichon station to the museum on the 28th of December. There are pictures on the National Museum's Facebook page. |
Thanks for the info. Nice museum. |
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rabidcake
Joined: 10 Aug 2009
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| Posted: Sat Dec 29, 2012 1:09 am Post subject: |
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Was there yesterday, overall very nice and modern style museum. Covers history from 1894 to modern day Korea.
I felt it was very objectively told and included the bad and good things that the international community has done. In contrast to Chinese museums, I felt that they objectively explained how the Japanese influenced the Koreans, and after the war how they helped them with aid and international cooperation/developement. |
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PatrickGHBusan
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Location: Busan (1997-2008) Canada 2008 -
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| Posted: Sat Dec 29, 2012 5:33 am Post subject: |
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| Thanks, we will check it out on our next visit to Seoul. |
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wylies99
Joined: 13 May 2006
Location: I'm one cool cat!
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| Posted: Sat Dec 29, 2012 6:25 pm Post subject: |
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This will be a good museum to see during winter break for newbies and for those who've "seen it all" in Seoul. It's in Gwanghwamun square next to the giant statue of King Sejong.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwanghwamun_Gate
It's very close, as in walking distance, to many other tourist attractions like: Insadong, Seoul City Hall, the National Folk Museum, Cheong Wa dae, the Seoul History Museum, the National Palace Museum, two palaces, and historical Buddhist temples. Plus it's close to Myeong Dong and other shopping areas in Seoul.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_museums_in_Seoul
Make a day of it, eat lunch, and enjoy some coffee near City Hall or on the Cheonggyecheon stream.
It's also located on the existing stop at Gwanghwamun for the Seoul City Bus tour. |
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dairyairy
Joined: 17 May 2012
Location: South Korea
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