Seoul｜A bloody history at the foot of Bukhansan Mountain: Seodaemun Prison and the Korean Independence Movement

When it was first built, the red brick fortress was called Gyeongseong Prison, and it was the first modern prison on the Korean Peninsula. During the Japanese annexation period, more than 3,000 prisoners were held here, most of whom were anti-Japanese independence activists. Because of overcrowding, another prison was built in Mapo in 1912, using the name of the Gyeongseong Prison, and this place was renamed Seodaemun Prison. The temperature in Seoul has been still below 2 or 3 degrees Celsius during the day these days, and it is even more bone-chillingly cold once you enter Seodaemun Prison. The main building recreates the Japanese Empire period, when in order to purge independence activists, they used water torture, needles piercing their fingers, or locking them in a needle box and shaking them to extract confessions. Wax figures are used to recreate the disasters that Korea suffered during its turbulent modern times. Projections were also used to tell the stories of the victims who were brutally hanged. The information cards of prisoners left behind at that time are combined into three huge walls. The pain of history is displayed in the exhibition hall so that future generations can remember history. In order to convey messages, they would knock on the wall like Morse code, for fear of being discovered by the prison guards. The small, dark prison cell carries the heavy history of South Korea. Seven buildings were preserved, including three prisons and the execution house, which were listed as historical monuments. According to official data, not only were death row inmates from Seodaemon Prison executed here, but all death row inmates from the entire Korean Peninsula also ended their lives here. At that time, there was a fear that the news would leak out and cause greater resistance, so a channel was built to transport the bodies out secretly. There is a "weeping tree" outside the execution room. After it fell down due to the typhoon, new trees grew from its roots, as if reminding people of this dark history. South Korea is now about to celebrate the 106th anniversary of the March 1st Movement. Surprisingly, there are a lot of people visiting the prison, most of them are parents bringing their children to visit, which has profound educational significance. On the contrary, there are relatively few foreign tourists. If you come, you can arrange it together with Independence Park and Independence Gate. 📍Address: 251 Tongil-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, South Korea Subway Line 3, Independence Gate Station, Exit 5 #2月好地方2025