Museum
Seodaemun Prison History Museum
서대문형무소역사관
Official name
About this place
Seodaemun Prison was built under the Japanese administration to imprison independence movement activists. It first opened on October 21, 1908 under the name Gyeongseong Prison. Eventually, so many activists were imprisoned that the building had to be expanded. At that time, the name changed to Seodaemun Prison on September 3, 1912. Eighty years later, the prison was turned into Seodaemun Independence Park on August 15, 1992 to commemorate the Korean patriots who were tortured in prison, giving their lives for freedom. Of the many buildings, only seven were preserved for their historical significance, among which three prison buildings and the execution site were designated as a Historic Site. In 1998, the park underwent another transformation into today's Seodaemun Prison History Hall to educate the public on the importance of Korea's independence and the sacrifices of those who fought to achieve it.
- Address
- 251 Tongil-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul
- Korean address
- 서울특별시 서대문구 통일로 251
- Opening hours
- March-October 09:30-18:00 November-February 09:30-17:00 * Last admission 30 min before closing
- Closed days
- Mondays (closed the following business day if Monday is a public holiday), January 1, the day of Seollal (Lunar New Year's Day) & Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving Day)
