Overview
On June 10, 1994, the War Memorial Foundation established the War Memorial of Korea in Yongsan-dong, Seoul, to preserve and exhibit materials that reveal the reality of the National Defense War, serve as a national spiritual education center, commemorate the noble sacrifices of the patriots, and honor their achievements. The War Memorial is divided into indoor and outdoor exhibitions, and out of its approximately 33,000 artifacts, about 10,000 are on display. The 10,900-pyeong indoor exhibition hall consists of six exhibition rooms: the National Defense Memorial Room, War History Room, Korean War Room, Overseas Deployment Room, Armed Forces Development Room, and Large Equipment Room, as well as an outdoor exhibition room displaying large weapons. The three-story indoor exhibition hall dynamically and three-dimensionally displays the 5,000-year history of South Korea's military history, as well as the merits and medals of those who dedicated themselves to the nation, from the Three Kingdoms era to the present, using various exhibition methods including physical objects, dioramas, replicas, documentaries, and videos. In particular, the Korean War Room is equipped with hands-on facilities to help readers easily and correctly understand the causes of the war, its progress, and the entire process leading up to the armistice. The outdoor exhibition features large weapons from around the world, symbolic sculptures from the Korean War, the Gwanggaeto Stele, statues of brothers, and the Peace Clock Tower. It exhibits equipment used during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, including the K-1 tank, howitzers, missiles, helicopters, and transport aircraft. On both sides of the memorial hall, there are memorial tablets engraved with the names of over 200,000 South Korean and UN military casualties, and the War Memorial plays a significant role as a venue for national defense culture. In addition to offering over 20 educational programs for a wide range of groups from children to the general public, it also hosts a variety of cultural events annually, including military band and honor ceremony events, Children's Day cultural festivals, Memorial Day drawing contests, and Korean War cultural events, providing visitors to the memorial hall with new attractions. The character of the War Memorial is Mudori, characterized by a cheolmo symbolizing the nation and laurel leaves symbolizing peace.