Are you a warfreak?
Let's redefine the word warfreak at least for this article. Let's make it more positive. What I mean when I say warfreak is having an utmost desire to learn or study more about war. It is not about making it as a habit, but making the "study" about war as a hobby.
I think it's interesting to learn more about war because it's part of the world history, and when we talk about it, I mean the misunderstanding between nations, Korea is one of the many countries who took part in so many kind of wars in the world. As a Filipino who is working here in Korea, everytime I see statues, museum or anything related to war, it reminds me of the darkest time of South Korea but it gives me a jolt of pride since Philippines helped South Korea to survive during the momentum of chaos against North Korea.
If this subject is something that trigger your interest, let me bring you to The War Memorial of Korea (전쟁기념관).
It was such an amazing experience to ride on every piece in the exhibit.
The stuff look so real, of course they're real, just inactive.
Look, everyone is taking poses together with the weapons.
Let's redefine the word warfreak at least for this article. Let's make it more positive. What I mean when I say warfreak is having an utmost desire to learn or study more about war. It is not about making it as a habit, but making the "study" about war as a hobby.
I think it's interesting to learn more about war because it's part of the world history, and when we talk about it, I mean the misunderstanding between nations, Korea is one of the many countries who took part in so many kind of wars in the world. As a Filipino who is working here in Korea, everytime I see statues, museum or anything related to war, it reminds me of the darkest time of South Korea but it gives me a jolt of pride since Philippines helped South Korea to survive during the momentum of chaos against North Korea.
If this subject is something that trigger your interest, let me bring you to The War Memorial of Korea (전쟁기념관).
I spent one fine afternoon last summer at War Memorial of Korea or we could just call it a museum. This museum was not only built just to showcase the grandeur of Korean warcrafts and weaponries, it is also a tribute to the victims and to the people who participated to all the wars that involved Korea. There are a lot of interesting stories and artifacts that 2 hours is not enough to really savor what this museum has to offer. If you really want to know everything about the place, you must spend half a day.
This "Statue of Brothers" built in the southwest part of the memorial park is not simply a stone built in human form and fixated in a cracked dome made with granite. There's a story behind this statue, a mere proof that the museum has a heart that could capture the attention of many tourists aside from the fact that it is the biggest museum in the world of its kind. This statue depicts the story of the brothers, one working for South Korea and the other one working for North Korea. They met in the battlefield in the middle of the war. This is a profound image that showcase the greatness of love over any hatred and misunderstanding.
Another Interesting sculpture at the museum is this statue made with bronze. I love the details of the sculpture because it does not only show an action of escaping but the expression on their faces conveys tensions and troubles. I don't have any idea about the story of this statue but I find it very interesting.
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| Photo credit to www.exploringkorea.com |
For the pleasure of your eyes, if you are not really into history and you just want to see their weapons, you can visit the Large Military Equipment Exhibit where you can see 3 types of weapons they used during the war. The Large Military Equipment is just one of the many halls for exhibits you can see at the museum.
You can see a lot of types of weapons. This one is obviously used for battles that take place in the sea.
There are also a lot of land based warcrafts being displayed in the large military equipment in the exhibit like this:
We tried to operate it like we are one of the armies, but of course this is just for the show.
And more acting like this.... LIKE A BOSS!!! :)
It was such an amazing experience to ride on every piece in the exhibit.
And of course, the air based equipment are all there too. They are all huge!!!
The stuff look so real, of course they're real, just inactive.
Look, everyone is taking poses together with the weapons.
I think this is just one way to remind people that all these weapons and equipment can be as fun as cars and stuff toys if not being used to something horrible like killing people. Nobody wins in war, but everybody can be happy to see these stuff if being used in some activities that could contribute to the progress of the nation, like in this case in the area of tourism.
For those who are curious enough and want to visit the War Memorial of Korea, you can take this direction:
Take the subway line number 4 or number 6 to Samgakji Station. Go out at Exit Number 12. The museum is just 5 minutes away from this station. The War Memorial of Korea opens at 9 in the morning until 6 PM.
