Remembering The Forgotten War

Before leaving South Korea, we visited Seoul's War Memorial.  The building and grounds house a broad collection of military equipment, statues, and memorabilia which span several wars and many centuries, but our attention was drawn primarily to the Korean War exhibits.

The Korean War is referred to as "The Forgotten War" and with good reason.  Our exposure to this conflict was minimal prior to visiting the memorial, having likely learned more from watching MASHthan from high school and college history courses.  It is hard to believe that a protracted battle of three years with 35,000+ U.S. casualties, thousands of MIAs, and many hundreds of thousands of others killed in action can be footnoted as a blip on the historical radar between WWII and the Vietnam War.  We felt fortunate to have the opportunity to expand our knowledge of this specific conflict while in Seoul, a city with more than its share of battle scars.

The memorial was well presented and impressive.  It shared its message through:

1. Outdoor displays of military hardware (tanks, trucks, planes, missiles, etc.)
2. Impressive commemorative statues paying tribute the the many sacrifices of war
3. Well presented indoor displays exhibiting physical memorabilia and interpretive memorials, both informative and moving

The displays were English language friendly as were the numerous video installations.  One portion of the museum presented a large collection of personal items that had been donated by Korean War veterans and their families.  Uniforms, medals, diaries, letters, sketches, and coins, the miscellanea that one might stash away for a lifetime after living through something so traumatic.  These artifacts provide direct links to the people who wore or carried them into battle.

We left the memorial appreciative of what we had seen and learned, greatly pleased to find that admission is free of charge, making it readily available to the people of Seoul and the world beyond.

Comments

[Steve]

I have not been to Washington DC since the WW II memorial has been built, but I had always thought the Korean War Memorial was the most moving. The expressions on the faces of the statues is haunting. http://media.photobucket.com/user/13greengirl13/media/Washington%20DC/DSCF0341.jpg.html?filters[term]=korean war memorial&filters[primary]=images&filters[secondary]=videos&sort=1&o=3

[DINKS Travel]

Steve - We loved Washington DC when we visited a few years ago. The monuments, free museums, and outstanding restaurants make it a great spot for a long weekend jaunt. The Korean War Memorial in DC was very moving indeed...So many monuments are interpretive and symbolic whereas the Korean War Memorial presents something a little more relatable and personal.