If you remember, I told you about Korean language courses in South Korea and about the fact that some universities have cultural lessons in the open air? Now I will let you know and show you how one of these lessons during my studies at the HUFS Foreign Language University.
In Korea, you can often meet groups of students or students in museums and parks. Because educational institutions try to organize cultural events regularly outside schools, institutions, and even kindergartens. For the youngest, also, there is a very interesting museum or garden where they can not only chew granite science, but also play in the wild!
Yes, and I think that in practice everything assimilates much faster and easier!
After we were all gathered and taken to the Military Museum. This trip took place even at the beginning of my life and studied in Korea, so traveling by public transport was also a kind of adventure and chelenge, which we did successfully.
And now, I will tell you about the museum itself.
In general, it is more appropriate to call this museum "War Memorial" (전쟁 기념관), this is how to translate it from Korean. The entrance to the museum is free, and is one of the reasons why it can be added to the list of places that can be visited during a visit to Korea. And if you are a fan of various military equipment, including airplanes, helicopters, tanks, ships, then you definitely need to visit this museum. Outside the museum there are reconstructed and neutralized military equipment, which remained in South Korea after the war.
The opening of the Military Memorial took place in 1993, just 25 years ago, to commemorate Korean military history. Once on the museum site is the headquarters of the Korean army.
I already hinted at the external exhibit and showed you, but now let me take you to the inside of the memorial.
Inside the museum is divided into 6 exhibition halls. Perhaps the most important hall can be called the first hall - where in marble tiles the names of all those who died in this Korean war or were stamped.
Next comes the hall with various types of weapons, starting with the Paleolithic era. And modern weapons are on display in other halls.
Very important is the hall, which tells of the most tragic war - between brothers, between North Korea and South Korea.
The museum's fourth hall is equipped with modern media technology, and here the Koreans try to show clearly, on video clips, with all possible special effects (smell of gunpowder, smoke, sound), fighting and different battles. We must admit that Koreans know this very well. In this room, it seems you suddenly find yourself in the middle of the battlefield and around you sweeping soldiers and whistles ...
In addition to exhibitions dedicated to Korean military history, the museum also has a lecture hall, which regularly organizes lectures and open seminars. True, they all speak Korean, although I would not be surprised that the lecture will soon appear in a foreign language. At least in Chinese, you can safely do such a lecture.
Last year, in one of these lecture rooms, a seminar was held on Dokdo island, which is still disputed by Japan and Korea. Two countries can not reach a consensus about the island's geographical ownership. In Korea there are even associations involved in research and research on this island.
The biggest exhibition inside the museum is the Kobuxon ship, built by the great general, Lee Sun-Sin, during the battle with Japan.
On the first floor of the museum is a bookstore, containing books and encyclopedias about war and Korean history. I remember two years ago, at the entrance to the museum, thick books about the Korean war were distributed free of charge. The books are in 3 languages (Korean, English and Chinese). Very binding and apart from the intricacies of historical facts, everything is arranged at a very accessible level.
Since my first visit to Korea War Memorial is within the framework of cultural lessons in Korean language courses, after visiting the museum we have to write an essay. I remember what kind of "gentle" feeling I felt for this museum at the time ... Even in your native language you can not always choose words exactly and tell some historical facts, but here you only learn to write in the language Korea, and soon you have to write an essay.