Visit to the National Museum of Korea: History, Culture, & Art
The National Museum of Korea, located just north of the Han River off of Ichon Station, is home to more than 420,000 artifacts showcasing Korea’s art, culture, and history. As it’s quite famous, the museum offers their services in English, among other languages, and even provides a guided, narrated tour through the app so you can listen along as you walk through the various exhibits.
We first began our tour in the earliest period of Korean history with the nation’s ancient history. Here, we saw the early stages of Korea, with ancient artifacts, crude tools, and early pottery, showcasing Korea’s gradual transformation into adopting Bronze Age technology. Included in the Ancient History section was an Immersive Digital Gallery where projections of early artifacts and ancient rituals were put on the surrounding walls of the room.
The next section, while still a part of Korea’s ancient history, delved deeper into the Goguryeo Kingdom, Baekje Kingdom, Gaya Confederacy, and Silla Kingdom. These 4 ancient Korean kingdoms and polities make up an important period in Korean history as this was referred to as The Three Kingdoms of Korea.
Up a level, on floor 2, we encountered the Calligraphy and Painting section, showcasing a variety of scrolls, texts, and paintings depicting anything from landscapes to portraits and iconography. Here, the lights were noticeably dimmer, giving a contrasting atmosphere to the previous rooms. I learned that the reason for this was to protect the delicate works of art showcased as the bright lights could potentially damage it.
The very last exhibit we saw was the Room of Quiet Contemplation. This room was perhaps the most fascinating thing I had seen so far. In a dimly lit, fairly large room were two statues of the Pensive Bodhisattva at the center. As the name of the room might suggest, it was quiet, giving off an eerie, but at the same time, a relaxing and meditative atmosphere.
As our time at the museum came to a close, we visited the Great Hall Café, where they served refreshments and a selection of pastries. I opted for an iced coffee as I was quite tired. Then we made our way back to Ichon Station where we parted ways as some of us lived in different areas. This experience also included my first time taking the Seoul Subway since I’ve only taken taxis and walked thus far.
I’m looking forward to coming back and visiting the rest of the exhibitions!
Originally published on medium.com
