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​ Seoul's Museums: Getting to Know Seoul 

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Museums are spaces that are packed with a region’s history, culture, and life, while also tell of a region’s origins and paths that were taken to achieve its current landscape, the culture of the locals, and various anecdotes about travel destinations.Thisis the very reason as to why it’s so critical to visit local museums prior to embarking on an exciting vacation and travels.

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Fortunately, there are plenty of museums in Seoul. In fact, there are actually many museums, each with a different theme. Not only is there a museum that introduces the lives of those who lived in the Seoul region during the Neolithic Age, but thereisalso a museum that captures the era of rapid growth of the country‘s modernization. There is a museum that provides visitors a peak into the daily lives of common residents living in present-day Seoul, and also a museum that presents the traditional culture that has been passed down from generation to generation. Seoul is home to museums that are based on a truly wide array of themes, and we would like to introduce a few of the more notable ones. Choose among the following Seoul-based themes that catch your eye for the perfect opportunity to become more familiar with the nature and history of Seoul.

​#Gangdong-gu

Amsa-dong Prehistoric Site

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When did human civilization begin in Seoul? Where is the city’s oldest village and what form did it originally take? Such questions can be answered in Amsa-dong, Gangdong-gu, more specifically, at the Amsa-dong Prehistoric Site in Seoul. The site is completewithtraces of life dating back to the Neolithic Age, and serves as the oldest site in Seoul with signs of the communal lifestyle that has been preserved to this day. Now, let’s hop in a time machine and travel back in time to the Neolithic Age.

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Here, the Neolithic Age, which was six thousand years ago, unfolds before your eyes. Nine dugout huts were restored over actually excavated sites to fully realize their original form. The Prehistoric Experience Classroom was formed for a closer look intolifeduring prehistoric times. Stroll through the historical site to travel back through time to the Neolithic Age.

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The museum features various relics that offer information on the lives of the Neolithic people. There are relics that are unique to the Neolithic Age, such as comb-patterned pottery, stone knives, and stone axes that were sharpened on one side, and grindingstonesandmilling stones that were used to grind or split acorns and other gathered foods. Visitors can enjoy comparing the detailed development of comb-patterned pottery in different parts of the world. The museum also has a hands-on zone for children.

​#Jongno-gu

Presseum, ​Newspaper Museum 

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The Presseum is the nation’s first newspaper museum and is operated by Korea’s newspaper giant, Dong-A Ilbo. It offers visitors a clear glance into the history of Korean newspapers over the span of 130 years, starting with the country’s first modern newspaper, HanseongSunbo, which was published domestically for the first time in 1883.

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Taking a step into the museum, visitors are greeted by 66 newspapers from around the globe published on January 1, 2000, introducing the start of the 21st century. The exhibition displays the cultures and features of newspapers from around the world thatrangin the new millennium. The sections, History of Newspapers, examines the history of Korean newspapers, fully laying out the history of rapid change throughout the Korean Peninsula during the late 19th century.

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This exhibition is followed by the front pages of newspapers reporting on important events in Korea and extra pieces covering headline news. One section of the hall displays a reporter’s desk, a pivotal site for a newspaper, together with newspaper printing equipment that steadily evolved in line with technological developments. Advertisements, illustrations, photos, and comics infused with the cultural aspects of the times provide a peak into the interests of the people by time period.

​#Jongno-gu

Hanyangdoseong, Seoul City Wall Museum

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Four mountains protect the former capital, Hanyang, where the palaces of Joseon are clustered. Along these mountain ridges exists a city wall, which passes through Sungnyemun Gate and Heunginjimun Gate, followed by Sukjeongmun Gate and the site whereDonuimunGate once stood. Also known as part of the Hanyangdoseong, the Seoul City Wall, it was all built to protect the capital during the early Joseon period. Hanyangdoseong is one of Korea’s representative historical properties that encompasses Seoul’shistoryand culture, starting from the Joseon period until the present day.

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The Seoul City Wall Museum is a museum based on the city fortress. The museum thoroughly introduces Hanyang, the capital of Joseon, while explaining the details of the story surrounding Hanyangdoseong. It all begins just after the founding of Joseon andtheestablishment of the capital in Hanyang, followed by the construction of the Hanyangdoseong, itself, in the vicinity. The museum also depicts images of the people who lived within the walls, along with stories of foreign invasions and modernization that stripped the city wall of its original purpose, leading to its currently ongoing restoration project. Visitors are offered a complete history of Hanyangdoseong, serving as a reflection of the 600-year Joseon period.

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After visiting the museum, we recommend taking a stroll around the Naksan Mountain section of Hanyangdoseong and Heunginjimun Gate, which connects to the backside of the city wall. This course will offer you an entirely different view of the beautiful SeoulCity Wall.

​#Jongno-gu

Bukchon Museum Old Fragrance

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Bukchon was originally a village of the  yangban , or the nobility, home to royalty and nobles. Life was good for the people of this village, thanks to its proximity to Gyeongbokgung Palace. In the late 19th century, Joseon fell, as did the conditions of those who resided in Bukchon. Places of residence in Bukchon eventually started being sold off, while spatial houses once occupied by dignitaries were torn down and replaced by several small homes that became the residence of country people who were moving into Hanyang (Gyeongseong) at the time, seekingouta new life. Bukchon’s houses became what they are today because of the events that took place about a hundred years ago.

The lives of the village people living in Bukchon from that period onward to the present day remain encapsulated within the Bukchon Museum Old Fragrance. This museum is filled to the brim with furniture and a variety of objects that commonly furnishedhomes40-50 years ago. The museum summons memories of drawers inlaid with mother-of-pearl that couples brought to their new homes after getting married, typewriters and rubber shoes, pots and millstones, cast iron pots, sticks for beating and smoothingcloth,abacuses, and other miscellaneous goods. Personal stories embedded in each collection of traditional  hanboks  and  jukbuins  are extremely impressive. Visitors can even touch most of the objects that are on display. Although the museum lacks any fancy décor, it offers in-depth anecdotes of the people who lived, and still live, in Bukchon Hanok Village.

​#Jongno-gu

Ujeongchongguk

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The lonely  hanok  that sits by Jogyesa Temple was built in the 16th century, just after the Japanese invasion of Korea. It is the oldest existing government building to stand outside the royal palace. At first, the hanok  was originally intended for use as a jeonuigam  , or the palace’s medical office, which had an equivalent standing to a national hospital. There are records stating that it was used as lodging for envoys from Japan. The name, Ujeongchongguk, was given to this government office because of its postal services in 1884. The king at the time demanded the direct enforcement of postal services, which was one of the duties of the modern administrative system. As a result, the Ujeongchongguk was established here, marking the start of the postal business.

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Ujeongchongguk is a building that encompasses the phases of the late Joseon period, which was a time of great turbulence. The Gapsin Coup of the radical Enlightenment Party occurred here in 1884, while the anti-Japanese mass rally led by the Korea PreservationSocietyalso occurred at Ujeongchongguk. It is said that Chungdong School, the cradle of national historical studies, also held classes here.

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The Ujeongchongguk building is currently used as a museum that exhibits articles, which tell stories of its early establishment. Centered around the bust of Hong Young-sik, the first postmaster general, known as the father of Korea’s postal services,themuseumfeaturesdocuments and relics of postal duties that were in place almost one hundred years ago.

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Waterworks Museum

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What marks the beginning of Korea’s tap water history? Ttukseom Island holds the answer to this somewhat peculiar question. The island is where Korea’s first modern waterworks facility was once located. The Waterworks Museum was completed in 1908 andisarecreated space of a section of the Ttukdo Reservoir Purification Plant I that supplied tap water to the areas within the four mains gates and Yongsan.

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The old water pump station, a building made of red bricks, was preserved and is now used as the head office of the Waterworks Museum. The signboard that hung at the entrance upon completion of construction and the sign on the outer wall displaying theyearsofconstruction are kept intact to display its 110-year history. Inside, equipment that used to pull water from the Hangang River into Ttukdo Reservoir Purification Plant I is on exhibit, along with a transparent floor for a look into the valveslaying under the building.

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The Annex Building is home to an introduction centered around the old waterworks culture. The Water and Environment Exhibition Hall is an educational space for learning about the value of water through the natural environment and human life. The inner workings of the Slow Filtration Basin, one of the old water purifying facilities, are also open to the public. This facility is the oldest of the reinforced concrete structures that exist in Korea today.

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Multiculture Museum

What do you say to a trip around the world without having to leave Seoul? You can leave your passport at home without it bothering to book a flight! There is just one thing you need to show Immigration when leaving for this global expedition an readinesstounderstand and enjoy various cultures from around the world. If you are ready, head over to the Multiculture Museum in Eunpyeong-gu. Exhibits and experiences that offer insight into traditions and cultures of countries around the world await you.

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The Multiculture Museum is a space that shares a plethora of cultural stories while offering more than just an appreciation of foreign objects as it heightens people’s understanding of one another through discussion and listening in on the different backgroundofeachartifact. Foreign teachers volunteer to help visitors with this process, offering explanations of the exhibitions while visitors naturally gain an understanding of and interest in other cultures.

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The Multiculture Museum also offers regular experiential programming for visitors to experience world cultures first hand. Seasonal and regular programming are in operation every weekend.

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Seoul Museum of Korean Folk Music

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The founders of this museum visited 20,000 individuals from 904 villages in 139 cities and districts to collect their sounds and put them on display. The nation’s first folk music museum, Seoul Museum of Korean Folk Music, recently opened its doors acrossthestreetfrom Changdeokgung Palace’s Donhwamun Gate and offers a space to appreciate and learn about Korea’s traditional folk music and songs passed down throughout the eight provinces in Korea.

The permanent exhibition is organized under the theme, Living through Korean Folk Songs. The exhibit introduces songs embedded in the lives of Koreans at work, during off hours, and even during ceremonies. The museum’s way of presenting “sound“ is quiteunique.The museum is home to a sound system that plays different versions of traditional Korean tunes recorded around the country. An interactive video that moves in harmony with each tune is on display to heighten the immersion of visitors. Experientialfacilitiesalso make for a fascinating encounter that turns traditional beats into a rhythmical game.

This space does more than act as a museum as it provides the opportunity for some leisure based on the theme of folk music. Anyone can easily access and listen to traditional folk music in the Audio Room, while the Archive Room is equipped with books,CDplayers, and a reference desk for a closer peek into folk music.

​#Jung-gu

National Theater of Korea, Museum of Performing Arts

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Asia’s first national theater sits at the bottom of Seoul’s Namsan Mountain. Established in 1950, the National Theater of Korea recreates 70 years of traditional Korean arts to keep pace with contemporary trends, introducing them to the world stage.Themuseumpresents performances year-round, from  pansori  and  changgeuk , traditional dance, and orchestral music, to operas and contemporary dance.

The Museum of Performing Arts is located in the National Theater of Korea’s annex building, Byeoloreum Theater. The museum offers a compilation of the 70-year history of the National Theater. Performance arts materials are introduced thematically by genresof plays, dance,  changgeuk  , operas, and  pansori.  The museum also introduces the roots of Korean and international performing arts, their processes of development, and even varied historical angles. The space provides a look into artists’ work spaces and interesting behind-the-scene stories of what happensbackstage, things typically difficult to access among audiences. Visitors can also take in the unique and colorful costumes worn by performers that are on display.