Reading Korean War History at the Former Army Headquarters in Yongsan: The War Memorial of Korea

Why it opened on June 10, 1994, on the site of the former Army Headquarters

The War Memorial of Korea was established to collect, preserve, and exhibit materials related to war and to contribute to peaceful reunification by conveying the lessons of war. The project was directly prompted by President Roh Tae-woo's directive to pursue it on June 22, 1988, and by the Yongsan site secured when Army Headquarters moved to Daejeon in 1988. The War Memorial Association was founded on January 31, 1989.

After construction began on September 28, 1990, the museum opened on June 10, 1994, following approximately four years of construction and exhibit collection. It opened on the former Army Headquarters site in Yongsan-dong 1-ga, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, which at the time covered a site of 35,000 pyeong and had a total floor area of 23,000 pyeong. Current official tourism information introduces approximately 33,000 items in the collection and about 10,000 exhibited items.

From admission at 09:30 to closing at 17:00: the viewing order for the six indoor galleries

The indoor viewing hours at the War Memorial of Korea are 09:30–18:00, and admission closes at 17:00. The museum is closed every Monday; when Monday is a public holiday, it closes on the first weekday afterward. The regular permanent exhibitions are free, but special exhibitions may require a separate fee, so it is safest to check the day's programs on the official website.

According to the official tourism guide, the indoor exhibition areas consist of six galleries: the Overseas Dispatches Room, Patriotic Remembrance Room, War History Room, Korean War Room, Armed Forces Development Room, and Large Equipment Room. On a first visit, begin by surveying the history of warfare from the Three Kingdoms period onward in the War History Room, then follow the story from the outbreak of the Korean War through the armistice in the Korean War Room before moving to the Patriotic Remembrance Room. This sequence makes it less likely that you will miss the overall flow of the exhibitions.

• Short visit: 2 hours 30 minutes, including the indoor highlights and outdoor equipment
• Recommended visit: 3–4 hours to see the Korean War Room and remembrance spaces thoroughly
• Last admission: 17:00, one hour before closing

The outdoor exhibition area with the Statue of Brothers and large equipment: what to see before the indoor galleries

The outdoor exhibition area features equipment from the Korean War, large weapons from various countries, a sculpture symbolizing the Korean War, the Stele of King Gwanggaeto the Great, the Statue of Brothers, and the Peace Clock Tower. The two corridors on either side of the memorial also contain name steles for soldiers and police officers killed in action during the Korean War and the Vietnam War, as well as a name stele for United Nations service members killed during the Korean War.

Because the indoor exhibitions end at 18:00, visitors who want to see and photograph large equipment such as aircraft and tanks should plan the outdoor route for 09:30–10:30 or around 16:00 after touring the indoor galleries. On rainy days or in the height of summer or winter, it is better to prioritize the indoor exhibitions over the expansive outdoor sections. When the weather is agreeable, viewing the outdoor sculptures and equipment in sequence helps reduce the burden of getting around.

About 250 m from Exit 12 of Samgakji Station on Line 6: the simplest route for first-time visitors

The address is 29 Itaewon-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul (Yongsan-dong 1-ga 8-beonji), and the main telephone number is 02-709-3144. By subway, use Samgakji Station on Lines 4 and 6. Local guidance indicates that the main entrance to the War Memorial of Korea is about 250 m from Exit 12 of Samgakji Station on Line 6, making access relatively straightforward even for travelers with luggage.

There are many bus routes along the Hangang-daero and Itaewon-ro corridors, but first-time visitors are less likely to make a mistake if they set “Samgakji Station (War Memorial of Korea)” as their destination rather than relying on the stop name. The museum is also accessible on foot from Namyeong Station on Line 1, but the route closer to the exhibition entrance is from the Samgakji side. The 1330 tourism helpline is available in Korean, English, Japanese, and Chinese.

• Subway: Samgakji Station on Lines 4 and 6; about 250 m from Exit 12 on Line 6
• Tourism information: 1330, available in Korean, English, Japanese, and Chinese
• Main contact: 02-709-3144

Parking calculation: 3,000 won for two hours by car and a 20,000-won 24-hour maximum

The War Memorial of Korea has a parking lot. Passenger cars and vans with 15 or fewer seats cost 3,000 won for the first two hours, then 1,000 won for each additional 30 minutes, with a 24-hour maximum of 20,000 won. Buses with 16 or more seats cost 10,000 won for the first two hours, then 3,000 won for each additional 30 minutes, with a 24-hour maximum of 50,000 won.

For a passenger car visit planned to last three hours, the posted rates indicate an expected cost of 5,000 won; four hours would be 7,000 won. Since the permanent exhibitions are free, parking time rather than admission fees determines the actual expense for visitors arriving by car. Additional charges for large group buses rise quickly after two hours, so groups should decide their expected end time in advance.

Do not leave after seeing only the Korean War Room: a three-hour route extending to the Remembrance Corridors

The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture explains that the War Memorial of Korea's indoor exhibitions consist of the Patriotic Remembrance Room, War History Room, Korean War Room, Overseas Dispatches Room, Armed Forces Development Room, Defense Equipment Room, and Large Equipment Room. Exhibition-room names and classifications may be updated by the institution, so on the day of your visit it is advisable to check both the on-site guide map and the official website's notices about viewing restrictions.

If the Korean War is your main focus, allot about 40 minutes to the War History Room, 70–90 minutes to the Korean War Room, 30 minutes to the Patriotic Remembrance Room and name-stele corridors, and 40 minutes to the outdoor exhibition area, for a total of roughly three hours. Conversely, visitors with little interest in weapons and military equipment or those traveling with young children may find it more suitable to select the outdoor equipment and key galleries and shorten the visit to about two hours rather than rushing through everything.

• History-focused: War History Room → Korean War Room → Patriotic Remembrance Room → name-stele corridors
• Equipment-focused: outdoor exhibition area → Large Equipment Room → Armed Forces Development-related exhibitions
• Note: Special exhibitions and some galleries may operate separately or have viewing restrictions depending on the schedule

Yongsan's role, reflected in 33,000 collection items and 10 million cumulative visitors

The War Memorial of Korea is not simply a facility devoted to the Korean War. It is an institution that connects the history of warfare from ancient times to the modern era, overseas military deployments, the development of the armed forces, and remembrance in one place. The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture records that cumulative attendance exceeded 10 million on May 15, 2009, and that more than 1.5 million people were visiting annually at the time.

Yongsan was long an area where military facilities and national administration were concentrated. Because the War Memorial of Korea was built on the site made available when Army Headquarters moved to Daejeon in 1988, it serves not only as a place to explore military history but also as a starting point for understanding how Seoul's military and urban spaces have changed. The official website is https://www.warmemo.or.kr/, and operating notices and special-exhibition information can be checked again before departure.