A Depressing Afternoon At The Seodaemun Prison

Seodaemun (서대문 형무소) is a former prison in the middle of Seoul, which now acts as museum displaying the stories of the activists who were captured and held there during the Japanese rule around the time of World War II. 

The exterior of the prison looks exactly like how I had imagined a prison to be like.  On the day we visited, it was quite overcast and the gray, gloomy weather added to the depressing atmosphere. 

September 5, 2009 - Prison Grounds (5)

September 5, 2009 - Prison Grounds (1)

September 5, 2009 - Prison Grounds (6)

Once inside the museum was separated into several different halls, including the Prison Life Hall and the Korean Struggling Hall.  Inside each of these halls were rooms filled with life sized dolls re-enacting many of the torture scenes that took place.

September 5, 2009 - In Prison Life Hall (1)September 5, 2009 - In Prison Life Hall - Patriotic Activists Dragged to Torture Racks

September 5, 2009 - In Prison Life Hall - Women Activitists on the Rack

September 5, 2009 - In Prison Life Hall - Water Torture

September 5, 2009 - In Prison Life Hall - Interim Imprisonment Cell #2 (1)

September 5, 2009 - In Prison Life Hall - Instigating False Testimony

September 5, 2009 - In Prison Life Hall - Imprisoning After Torturing

September 5, 2009 - In Prison Life Hall - Activists on the Rack

Lastly, there was an exhibit of information to teach the public about some of the horror that went on within these walls.

September 5, 2009 - The Korean Struggle Hall (1)

This was the first prison I had visited and I left with an overwhelming feeling of sadness.

 

Seodaemun Prison
Address: 251 Tongil-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Phone: +82 2-360-8590

0 comments on “A Depressing Afternoon At The Seodaemun PrisonAdd yours →

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *