Explore Museums!

By Bernard Rowan

A great way to learn about South Korea is by visiting her museums. Korean museums are a technology for advancement. They record the path of this Tiger's ascent and lasting goals. They are living symbols of Korean history, society, culture and civilization. I've visited South Korea many times, but I always find a new museum to view. I'd like to share some of my favorites, in particular around Seoul.

Wikipedia points out there are 100 or so museums in Seoul alone. Find thousands more in Korea's major and minor cities and rural areas, universities, and institutions. Foreigners and citizens alike benefit from exploring museums in Korea.

The first museums I visited in Seoul were the National Folk Museum and National Palace Museum, found near the grand palace Gyeongbokeung. For those interested in Korea's high culture and the kinds of artifacts that appear in history books, you can't better the National Palace Museum. From the beginnings of Korean civilization to the present, dozens of rooms record the accomplishments of old kingdoms and developing Korean peoples.

However, I prefer the National Folk Museum. Found next door to the National Palace Museum, it offers many glimpses of Korean rural life, agriculture, and developing Korean society. It's a commoners' version of the National Museum! To understand how most people lived, the Folk Museum is your best bet.

In Gangnam, I enjoyed escaping the Beverly Hills aura of the district by finding my way to a museum that records the history and variety of Korea's signature food, kimchi, the Kimchi Field Museum. I learned how to make this important food and its role in Korean history and society, as well as the names of those side dishes I'd enjoyed but never understood.

Within and surrounding museums may be gardens, plazas, parks and walkways. These spaces often provide other interesting information. For example at the Kimchi Field Museum, I recall an outside garden that honored several heroes in Korea's struggle for liberation from Japan.

University museums may sound like a bore, but they aren't. I've visited several Korean universities, and most of them have museums, some extensive. In particular, I recommend a trip to Korea University or the University of Seoul. You can begin or continue to learn about the role of Korea's higher education institutions in her development and advancement.

The history and importance of women's contributions to Korean society, as well as their struggles for respect and equality, feature prominently at the Museum of War and Women's Human Rights. Learn about the bravery and persecution of Korea's comfort women and efforts to gain respect for their rights.

One my favorite early memories is a visit to the Seocho district and its museums associated with the Seoul Arts Center. I learned about Korean traditional music and instruments, including ''munmyo jeryeak." I saw Korean calligraphy and other traditional arts on display. I also enjoyed viewing sculptures and other works of art. While today the arts of hallyu capture mass attention, there remain the arts of Korean historical cultures. They inspire present-day art in both traditional and adapted forms.

A serious museum is the Seodamun Prison History Museum that explains Japanese colonization. Found on the site of a former Japanese prison, the exhibits remind and teach Koreans and visitors of the excesses of fascism in practice. I don't recommend this museum for young children. It realistically depicts the underside of cultural imperialism and false efforts of advancement.

In an era of false religious inspiration for political projects in various parts of the world, visit Jeoldusan Martyrs Shrine and Museum in Mapo district. Learn that Joseon Korea lacked tolerance for Catholicism and about the martyrdom of early Catholics. More broadly, learn the way that many more Korean people came to embrace Catholicism. Like many religions, Koreans found a way to make this faith part of their culture.

Of course, wonderful traditional villages crop up in many places. I like Korean Hanok Folk Village in Jung-gu. See how Koreans, like many Asian peoples, organized their homes as multi-generational households. You can enjoy a traditional Korean table meal and musical performances too!

Other museums are the magnificent palaces of Seoul, starting with Gyeongbokeung. Changdeokgung with its secret garden, Biwon, also houses the living quarters of the last Korean royal family. Deoksugung houses part of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art but is more famous for its changing of the guard ceremonies. My favorite palace is the small Unhyeonggung, near Insadong cultural district. I've viewed a reenactment of a royal marriage at this palace and find its scale less overpowering and easier to grasp as a microcosm of Korean royal life.

Even if you're a lifelong resident of Korea, pick up the well-prepared tourist maps available at transport stations. You'll find new museums and other citadels of culture. Enjoy Seoul's museums! They frame a wonderful curriculum in Korean culture and progress!

Bernard Rowan is assistant provost for curriculum and assessment, professor of political science and faculty athletics representative at Chicago State University, where he has served for 22 years. Reach him at browan10@yahoo.com.