Remembering Korea

Remembrance Day is not commemorated as a holiday here in Korea. This year I really missed seeing people wearing poppies. This article appeared in the Chilliwack Progress, and is an interesting account of a Canadian veteran's experience in Korea. Looking around today, it is hard to reconcile his experience of war with the Korea of today.

I decided to mark Remembrance Day with a visit to the War Memorial of Korea. Despite this graphic taken from the official website which makes it look like a visit to Disneyland, the museum documents with a somber tone Korea's tragic state of almost perpetual war from the Three Kingdoms period through present day involvement in Iraq. As expected, the heaviest emphasis is on the Korean War. The cavernous museum makes extensive use of model dioramas to detail the brutal fighting between the two Koreas. English signs and display descriptions are few and far between, so I highly recommend the inexpensive audio guide that offers excellent commentary on all the displays.

If you plan to visit the War Memorial, try and do it on a Friday. At 2:00 pm on Fridays there is an Honour Guard ceremony that is quite an eyeful. Members of all branches of the Korean armed forces demonstrate weapon twirling and marching precision, then pose for photographs after the show. Watching the Koreans go crazy taking pictures after the show was as entertaining as the show itself. Click below to view a video clip from the performance.

To see my pictures from the War Memorial click here. Or, to view them as a slide show click here.