Every Friday afternoon a ceremony by honor guard takes place at the Peace Plaza of the War Memorial of Korea located in Yongsan in central Seoul. Honor guards from three branches of the military – the army, the navy, and the air force – twirl their rifles in unison and with precision. Their disciplined movements and the commander’s booming orders overwhelm visitors.

-They look great. All 100 of them move as one. I’m a man and a soldier, and I’m still impressed.
-I’m going to grow up to be a soldier.
-They look nice in their white uniforms and red berets. I used to think of servicemen as harsh and rigid. I didn’t know that they can be so great-looking.
-They’re awesome. I’ll never look at them the same way again.

Roughly 200 soldiers take part in the 50-minute military music and honor guard ceremony. Starting with a performance by the traditional military music band, a martial arts demonstration and a female honor guard demonstration soon follow, and the military show wraps up with a joint performance by three military branches. Here’s Lee Gyeong-eun from the PR team of the War Memorial to explain more.

The honor guard ceremony is composed of, among other events, a traditional swordsmanship demonstration and performances by the female honor guard and the joint honor guard. This ceremony highlights the imposing spirit of Korean troops and makes us proud. Foreign visitors have answered in a survey that this honor guard ceremony was the most memorable event they’ve seen in Korea. About 300 thousand people watch the ceremony every year and they’re all in awe when they see the discipline of Korean servicemen and women.

Many have sacrificed their lives to defend Korea throughout the nation’s 5,000-year history. Here at the War Memorial Korea the records of those brave men and women have been preserved and displayed. In marking the 60th anniversary of the start of the Korean War this year, let’s go on a tour of the War Memorial of Korea, the keeper of the nation’s military history from the prehistoric days to the present.

The War Memorial of Korea stands just a distance away from the Samgakji station of subway line number 4. Since its opening on June 10, 1994, roughly 1.5 million people have visited this comprehensive war museum every year.

The War Memorial of Korea is a war museum that looks at Korea’s 5,000-year history through a unified subject of war. From prehistoric days to today Korea had to fight off foreign invasions to protect people’s lives and properties numerous times. During the colonial days Korean civilians banded together to rebel against the Japanese colonial regime. Visitors can see the bloody struggles of the Korean people to defend the land and their way of life.

Built on a plot measuring over 116 thousand square meters, the War Memorial of Korea boasts of a six-story building with nearly 36 thousand square meters of exhibition area. It is the world’s largest museum of its kind. There are six regular exhibition rooms, including the Memorial Hall. It takes more than three hours to see them all. If you pass through the Peace Plaza and enter the museum building, you’ll see two black stone tablets engraved with tiny letters. Here’s Lee Gyeong-eun from the PR team of the War Memorial again.

They’re the names of the war dead. One tablet has the names of some 170 thousand Koreans who died for the country since the establishment of the Korean armed forces. The other one contains the names of the UN troops from 16 countries who died during the Korean War. The tablets were put up lest we should forget their noble sacrifices. The museum is visited by about three or four thousand foreign dignitaries each year and they thank us for making this memorial for the foreign war dead. The tablets were made to remember the dead, but they also help boost Korea’s image and strengthen alliance with other countries.

tour of the War Memorial starts at the Memorial Hall. The busts of famed military figures like General Eulji Mundeok, Admiral Yi Sun-shin, and resistance leader Ahn Jung-geun, placed in a semicircle greet visitors and in the other side of the hall the Light of Sacrifice shaped like a tomb illuminates the list of 170 thousand fallen soldiers. The place seems to be alive with the honorable spirits of the war dead.

The War History Room is beyond the Memorial Hall. Here visitors can see a variety of videos, materials, and relics depicting the nation’s past dotted with numerous invasions.

-I learned a lot about Korean history and the rise and fall of many Korean kingdoms. It was interesting to learn about the last days of the Baekje Kingdom.

Now visitors enter the Korean War Room at the center of the museum. The Korean War Room features models and videos of the three-year war. The materials show how the war erupted and how the South Korean troops and the U.N. forces fought back North Korean attacks. The terrifying atrocities are so vividly displayed that frightful memories return to those who had lived through the war.

-I was 12 years old when the war started. My hometown was Naehae and North Koreans came down there, too. The Nakdong River area was the only place remaining outside the North Korean power. The atrocities committed then were unspeakable. It was horrible.
-My mother took us all to evacuate. I didn’t even have shoes on and I used to cry all the time. My father got drafted, so my mother had to take her five children and a bull to a safe place. I still remember the dead bodies and injured people sprawled on the streets. I’m afraid another war may start.

In the Korean War Room a hands-on program that reenacts a nighttime battle provides a chance for the post-war generation to experience the horror of war.

This room has recreated a nighttime battle scene. You are standing on a trench dug out to avoid bullets. Imagine yourself trying to dodge North Korean bullets while defending the foxhole. Since this is night fighting, the lights will go off. Please be careful. Let’s begin.

When the lights go out the room is filled with tense music and a black-and-white video footage taken during the war. Soon visitors hear the blaring sound of bombs and gunshots and even smell gunpowder. Following the special effect-filled program is a demonstration of biological and chemical warfare. These special effects are enough to drive fear into young visitors who have never experienced war.

-I honestly didn’t know much about war. But here I can indirectly experience the horror of war and learn about things I didn’t know.
-I only heard my parents talk about war. I think I’d be really scared if war broke out. We are grateful to the people who sacrificed their lives and we hope to pass down the lessons learned to our children.

People’s hearts grow heavy as they see the bloody combats, lines of dreadful-looking refugees, and the overwhelming presence of tanks on the large screens in the video room.

Past the Korea War Room is the Expeditionary Forces Room, where the history of Korea’s overseas military missions is presented. Then visitors can move to the ROK Armed Forces Room with the historical records of the Korean military services and the Defense Industries Room showcasing bazookas, rifles, antiaircraft guns, and many different types of artillery before exiting the building to see the outdoor exhibition. Outside the building actual fighter jets, helicopters, and tanks are displayed. This is children’s favorite attraction, because visitors are allowed inside the vehicles and equipment.

Manning the controls of jet fighters and tanks, children shout in delight. Looking at their innocent faces makes people realize how important it is to safeguard peace.

The year 2010 marks the 60th anniversary of the start of the Korean War. Those who remember the tragic days pass away one by one, and so do their memories of war. The War Memorial of Korea has, therefore, arranged a special exhibition on the Korean War from May 4th through November 30th to keep the fading memories of the war alive. Here’s Mr. Yu Eul-gyu of the War Memorial of Korea.

This year is the 60th anniversary of the Korean War, yet 30% of the Korean people don’t know when the war erupted. Some elementary school students think the war was between Korea and Japan. Most Korean War veterans are over 80 and their deaths mean that Korean War-related memorial events are declining. This is why we planned a special exhibition on the war. We want to express our gratitude to the surviving Korean War veterans and show the young generation how much Korea has grown since the war.

Step into the special exhibition room and you’ll be transported to the 1950s. The displays show not only the development and significance of the Korean War, but also how Korea was able to perform the “Miracle on the Han River” and undergo a phenomenal economic growth in the aftermath of the war. Also available for viewing are the “North Korea of Today” exhibition, which present the present day conditions in the North, and “Inside the DMZ” where visitors can see the images of the demilitarized zone and the lives of Korean troops manning the border posts. There is even a program where visitors can experience a North Korean prison camp for political dissidents.

-It’s awful. It’s hard just to get in, so just imagine how painful it must have been in here. I’m now in a small prison, so small that my shoulders can’t squeeze in. it’s hard to spend even a minute in here and unimaginably painful.

An old couple reminisces about the horrible days of war as they tour the special exhibition. The old man who was only 17 years old at the time is now 77.

I remember those days six decades ago. My home used to be in North Korea. I wish today’s young people learned our history properly. I am all teary now, because my mother was left behind in the North and I still don’t know what happened to her.

Korea is able to exist today because of the extraordinary sacrifices of these soldiers commemorated in the War Memorial of Korea. Not an abstract or short-lived event, the war museum keeps the spirit of peace alive and illustrates the military might of Korean armed forces throughout history.

-I remind myself about Korean history through these photos. Korea lost a lot in the battlefield, but our ancestors made sacrifices for the posterity.
-I saw the special exhibition on the Korean War and was very moved by the model of people fleeing. It’d be awful for everyone if there is another war, so we must do everything to prevent it.