Seodaemun Prison Museum

Last Saturday, over a pizza lunch, Nate and I decided that it was about time we headed off for another around-Seoul exploration adventure. A few minutes of flipping through through the LP Korea book (as my parents inadvertently hijacked my Seoul City Guide) landed us on a page about the Seoul Grand Park. Part zoo, part hillside hike and located just next door to the Seoul Contemporary Art Museum, the Grand Park sounded like an excellent way to pass a crisp but clear Saturday afternoon.

We plowed through the rest of the pizza and met up only a short while later, ready to head south on the subway. Part of the reason we decided to head towards the Grand Park was because it required no subway changes as it is located on the blue Line 4 which we board, and are guaranteed a seat on, at Sanggye Station.

Getting a rather late start on the day we soon realized that our intended destination would take at least an hour to get to, leaving us no more than an hour or so of daylight to explore. While we didn't have a ton of information on the Park, we assumed the zoo didn't stay open, or at least wasn't worth seeing, much past dark. Thus, already on the subway, we began racking our brains for alternatives.

With a little hesitation we decided to try and head towards the Inwangsan Shamanist Hillside Walk, recommended by both the LP Korea and Seoul City Guide. The only problem is that neither of us remembered exactly what subway stop to get off at and where it was from there. For somereason I decided that it had to be the one stop adjacent to Gyeongbokgun Palace as I remember seeing it somewhere near there on a map. So, we headed towards Dongnimmun Station. Though we never did end up making it to this shamanist hillside walk, I later learned, after double checking the book, that I did indeed remember the correct station but simply didn't wander far enough. . .why, well because we got a bit distracted by a little piece o' history.

Coming up out of Dongnimmun Station we paused at an area map to decided which way to go. While we saw no traces of Inwangsan (which is what we thought we were supposed to look for) we did notice that the prison museum was located just topside. Having both heard about it from others and seen it mentioned in our guides, we figured we'd at least check it out real quick to score some culture points and check it off the list of Seoul to dos.

Going out Exit 5 we found our selves only a minute walk away from the museum. After noting the ticket price of 1,500 won (or just over a dollar) we decided it was worth heading in, even if it wasn't too interesting. So, ticket in hand, we proceeded through a small opening in a brick wall that bordered the prison grounds.

Enlarge the photo to read about Seodaemun Prison. . .if you'd like

One of the few remaining watchtowers along the outer wall built in 1923.

Inside the wall we were greeted by a large institutional looking building that really reminded me more of the DMZ than any prison I had ever seen (though on second though, I don't recall ever really being inside a prison before. . .do I?). Not too impressive of a museum from the outside but we headed in to check it out.

Administration Building housing the Exhibition Hall

Immediately inside on our a left a half a dozen locals were watching what I can only assume was an introductory video. Given that it was all in Korean and more of a slide show than a movie, we decide to press onwards, picking up an English brochure on the way. According to this pamphlet, the seven minute video program explains, "the background of the establishment of Seodaumen Prison (Hyeongmuso) where a number of patriotic independence fighters were imprisoned for the their resistance against Japanese invasion and tyranny, and historical changes of the prison." (<-minor editing undertaken while correcting misspelled words) Down a short hallway to our right we entered the Special Exhibition room. The walls of the room were lined with a sort of pictorial timeline that showed the prison's construction, historical uses and multiple additions. While English explanations were sparse, the pictures, and overwhelming sense of national pride, gave a pretty good idea of what was going on. In short, as I haven't taken the time to really thoroughly research the issue, during the early 1900's Korea was overtaken by Japan. It was the Japanese that originally built the prison in order to detain a number of important Korean thinkers as well as the numerous Korean patriots who fought adamantly, and often to the death, for Korea's independence. After years of suffering, Japan was eventually expelled from the Korean peninsula and the prison was in turn left to the control of Korea. It was then operated for a number of decades until finally all prisoners were moved in 1987. The Prison Museum, or History Hall as it's referred to, was opened only ten years ago in 1998. Following signs pointing 'This Way,' we made our way upstairs to the National Resistance Room. With a bit more English that the Exhibition Room, but hardly enough to excite, we breezed through this hall quickly, finding ourselves in the Prison History Room. Here we saw a number of pictures, presented chronologically, that highlighted the prison's many transitions through the years as it changed hands and nationalities. Before returning downstairs we passed through the In-Prison Life Room where pictures and full sized dioramas show depict the atrocities committed against Korean 'patriots' by the Japanese. On the far wall we were even able to enter a life sized 'wall coffin' in which prisoners were locked for days without being able to move; a torture that supposedly led to paralysis, though I'd imagine psychosis would hit first!

A Japanese Torture Device, the Wall Coffin

Following the instructions to head 'This Way,' we were led back down past the first floor and into the Administration Building's basement were we were met by a rather unpleasant surprise. Here we were able to view the Temporary Detention Room and Torture Rooms that were used by the Japanese. However, rather than just leave the rooms dark and empty, which would have been scary enough, a creative curator decided to fill the rooms with life sized dioramas depicting torture scenes.

Far from G rated, these displays, filled with fake blood and graphic wounds would have a hard time making it in to any politically correct museum back Stateside. Furthermore, motion sensor triggers set off blood curdling screams that echoed through the empty halls as we wandered from display to display. Oh, and if that wasn't enough, every few figures were slightly animated (is that the right word) so that rather than just depicting the shoving of sharp blades under a woman's finger nails, the fake guard actually made jerky lunges at her with the knife, just to help you better understand!

I'm not quite sure why I don't have any pictures of this to share though I don't really know if you'd like to see it. It might have been that there were 'no photo' signs, which I think I recall, but more so probably just because I was trying to get through it as quickly as possible. . .this was not a pleasant place to spend a Saturday afternoon!

The Central Building for Prison Guards

Exiting out back of the Exhibition Hall we followed an arrowed path around towards a rather large construction, or remodeling project taking place on the prison grounds. Inside the Central Building for Prison Guards we were greeted by a slew of Korean and nothing much worth hanging around for. So, we quickly scrambled on through towards the Prison Buildings themselves.

While the pamphlet indicates that there are normally a number of prison halls that one can walk through, due to construction we were only able to visit Prison Building No.11, which was okay with me. The long narrow building seemed to be constructed for no purpose other than detaining prisoners. The walls were lined with cells from end to end divided by a long concreted hallway. As far as I could tell, there were no other rooms, offices or anything other than cells in the building.

Again, in a totally un-American fashion, visitors are left to their own whims while exploring the prison as no signs, guards or velvet ropes separate the exhibition from the patrons. Thus we were able to actually climb into the relatively large (10x10ft) cells and take some pictures. While the presence of natural light made it a bit less threatening than the horrific basement display, anyone who has seen The Rock enough times knows the danger of entering a supposedly 'harmless' prison cell. . .thus we made our temporary detentions extremely quick. . . just long enough to snap a few photos.

Welcome to Seodaemun Prison

Get me outta here!

Seodaemun Prison Building No. 11

The next building over, the Engineering Work Building, we were treated to more displays of Japanese torture and brief descriptions of the work that Korean inmates were forced to undertake. In one room, pictured below, I got the privilege of facing a Japanese Trial Court. Little did I know that the stool I sat on, awaiting my verdict, would suddenly drop out from under me, eliciting a terrifying scream that sent the Korean family who had just exited the room running back in to laugh at the foreigner. . . awesome!

On Trial.

Behind Bars

Back out into the safety of daylight, what little was left of it, we made the last few passes marked by our Guide Map. A stop at the Execution Building proved to be less exciting then the name suggested as the wooden building, which we weren't allowed to enter, simply resembled an old prairie style school house more than a place of ultimate judgement.

Out back of the Execution Building we eagerly searched for the Corpse Removal Exit which turned out to be no more than the entrance to a tunnel where bodies were dropped after being hung. Intense but not incredibly interesting to look at. I'd share a picture with ya but there were no cameras allowed inside the brick walls surrounding the building, and really, not much to photograph!

Prison Grounds at Sunset

Finally, before heading out, we made a stop at the Underground Cells. This pagoda looking building, encircled in glass had a fully excavated floor that revealed underground cells where women inmates were kept. Apparently the cells were built so short that even Korean prisoners could not stand fully upright. . . after all this, you really start to better understand why Koreans exhibit such a hatred for all things Japanese!

At the entrance/exit to Seodaemun Prison. . .which I believe it says in Hanguel above my head!

With the sun not quite below the horizon we decided to spend a few minutes wandering around the giant park that encompassed the prison museum. We later learned, off a large sign, that we were wandering Independence Park, established to memorialize the patriots who valiantly fought the Japanese for Korea's independence. Though most of the park was blocked off due to pending construction (which there seems to be a great deal of in this city) it was really rather peaceful to be so removed from the city through we were still right in the middle of it, only a few miles from 'downtown.'

A Monument in Independence Park

Having been taking about my desire for a real sandwich all day, we finished up around Independence Park and strode south towards the city center in search of a Subway that remembered seeing in Myeong-dong; a bustling commercial area that caters primarily to youngsters while boasting the ninth highest rent per floor space in the world. I also remember seeing somewhere, perhaps anecdotally but I'm not sure, that the Myeong-dong Starbucks, which spans three floors, is the chain's highest grossing branch in the world. . .seems possible to me!

On the way towards Myeong-dong we wandered first through a high rise suburban district then along an overpass that spit us out right near City Hall. Coming out into a big city square we were surprised by the sudden emergence of a lights and activity. Apparently we had stumbled upon a mid-city out door ice rink. Well, two actually. The two miniature rinks were connected to each other by a narrow iced over pathway. I considered renting a pair of skates for a moment until I realized that Koreans are even worse at skating then they are at skiing. More so, there were willing to skate on ice with a human density that I don't feel comfortable standing in, more or less skating in! So we snapped a couple pictures of the crowds and lingering Christmas lights before moving onwards.

Merry Christmas from Downtown Seoul

Skating near City Hall

A little further down the road we happend across the Lotte Winder Wonderland that I had once found myself at during the night of the first snow. While much less romantic and awe-inspiring without snow, the mass of lights still manages to bring a bit of cheer to an otherwise cold and dark evening.

Lotte Winter Wonderland

Winter Wonderland Cnt'd

Just past Lotte we wound up at Cheonggyecheon, the recently uneartherd stream that runs through downtown Seoul. We paused at an announcement over a pair of loudspeakers that brought our attention to an enormous group of Koreans packed together tightly along a bridge spanning the stream. We eagerly searched for whatever it is they were watching but couldn't find anything of note. Thus we assumed that they were waiting for something grand to happen and decided it would be worth sticking around.

We hadn't waited more than ten minutes before a number of hoses in the stream began lauching a mist into the air that immediately froze on anything it touched. Music began playing and through the mist a laser show began, originating from the bridge we had just crossed. We waitied for a few minutes for something interesting to happen but eventually decided that the the few beams of light that shown in the mist were the entire spectacle. . .so we trudged onwards.

A less-than-thrilling light show

Not far up the road we managed to miraculously come across the Myeong-dong Subway which provided us with everything that I had been waiting for all day. A hot sub, on real bread with meat that didn't require deboning, vegetables that weren't chili peppers, cheese yes, cheese, and of course a fountain Pepsi. . . where as I once ate Subway almost daily in St. Thomas I have now come to hold it in such high regard that finding one on our journeys provides me with an overwhelming sense of satisfaction. . .odd, I know.

From Subway we headed towards the Wolfhound in Itaewon where I met up with Phil Kwak, a younger buddy from Tulane who was in town visiting family. We stayed in the 'Twon only for a few minutes as he and his Korean cousin, (meaning she's actually from Korea) who's aiming to be a big time movie/tv star, decided that there were simply too many foreigners to handle. They both admitted that they had never seen such a place in all of Seoul before and had no idea that it existed. The only reason I say this is to give you a sense of why Nate and I return to Itaewon every so often to kind of 'escape' Korea. . . .I hope you can understand.

So, to show Kwak (having an interesting last name and being ROTC has lead Phil to become known solely by his surname) a real 'Korean Nightlife,' Jen (his cousin), Nate and I decided that we should head towards Hongdae. To our surprise and enjoyment, we quickly came across an outdoor performance by a band called Soundbox that Nate and I have now had the pleasure of seeing/hearing a couple times. We spent at least an hour dancing around in the freezing cold as this 10+ piece (including a number of tapdancers who also play instruments) jam band lit up the night with their funky (for Seoul at least) tunes and tin can fires.

Lemme hear it for Soundbox!

As the show wound down to an end we turned to each other to figure out what to do when we were approached by a group of three. The large, middle aged man made some comment to us about the younger woman, who he was accompanied by, having an interest in us. This clearly turned out to be a lie and I still can't quite figure out why this man, who could easily have been our father, devised a quirky pick up line ot get the attention of two young foreigners.

Anyways, after a few minutes of chatting he invited us to join him as a bar just down the street. Enjoying the opportunity to talk to someone with pretty good English, always down for an adventure, and, acknowledging that this guy would likely be footing the bill (as he is older and native Korean) we decided to give it a shot.

Turns out homeboy went to Princeton a couple decades ago to study chemical engineering before returning to Columbia to pick up an MBA. He know manages a hedge fund, that is apparently rather successfuly, and employs the two other people in his party, Sung-woo and Su-hee. While I don't remember exactly, neither of these two were much older than Nate or I and had no real greater qualifications for working on a hedge fund than either of us. In fact, a few pitchers of maekju deep, the Big Boss (as we referred to him, having never given his name and it being more respectful in Korea to refer to someone by their position anyways) had suggested that we get in contact with Sung and Su about possibly coming to work for him. As silly as it sounded, he insisted that Sung take down our information.

The night progressed to the point where Big Boss Man ended up passing out at the table. . .after showing us a drinking 'tick' that he supposedly invented while at Princeton. Helping him down the stairs Nate and Sung made it a couple steps before Boss Man decided that it'd be quicker to just fall. . . which he did, face first on to the hard metal stairs. . .not of course with out taking Sung and Nate down in a painful heap with him. Why didn't they stop him you ask. Well, this man is hardly your average Korean. He was at least as tall as Nate but built like a professional rugby player. . .oh yeah, which he might have played during his time playing professional soccer in Ireland. . . anyways, this guy weighed in at well over 250 lbs which, when it decides it wants to roll down the stairs. . .well. . . it's going to roll and no ones going to stop it!

For a moment I wondered whether we should start running for the hills as the immoble Boss Man indicated to me that he was certainly dead. When the pool of blood coming from his head that I was waiting for never arrived, Sung, Nate and I again got the Boss to his feet and started down a second flight of stairs. We made it all the way to the bottom this time beofre Big decided to throw himself through the door, this time faceplanting on a solid concrete step. Okay, now here comes the pool of blood. . . .

Well, luckily, that never happend, but he sure as heck wasn't moving anywhere by himself. Me, nursing a hand that got jammed into the door, Nate, nursing a knee twisted on the first fall, and Sung, nursing his embarassment, helped Boss Man up and out into the street before tossing him into the back of a cab.

We said good bye to Sung and Su who hopped in with their unconscious employer to ensure that he survived the trip home. Whether he did or not, I'll probably never know, but I wish him the best. . .it's not every day you meet a trained chemical engineer from Princeton who formally played professional soccer in Ireland and offered you a job working at his hedge fund before faceplanting, twice, onto a rock solid surface after drinking nearly an entire bottle of Jack Daniels to himself. . . .It's too bad that Kwak had left soon after we met Big as I'm sure it would have been a side of Korea that even he had never expereienced!

Nate and I caught the next cab back to Junggye and called it a night. I sent Su and Sung a note the other day thanking them for their boss' generosity, hoping for some sort of response, either indicating his status as a living human being or perchance a job offer with a starting salary in the millions. . .neither have come through yet, but I'll let you know if I hear anything!