Seodaemun Prison History Museum (서대문형무소역사관)

Explanation

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.

Inquiry

+82-2-360-8590

Homepage

sphh.sscmc.or.kr

Information Use

Contact and Information : • 1330 Travel Hotline: +82-2-1330
(Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese)
• For more info: +82-2-360-8590

Parking facilities : Available (Inquiries: +82-2-312-2958)

Parking Fees : [Independence Parking Lot]
Large vehicles: 450 won per 5 min / 5,400 won per hour
Small & mid-sized vehicles: 150 won per 5 min/ 1,800 won per hour

Day off : 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)

Charges : Individuals - Adults 3,000 won / Teenagers 1,500 won / Children 1,000 won
Groups - Adults 2,400 won / Teenagers 1,200 won / Children 800 won
* Adults (ages 19-64) / Teenagers (ages 13-18) / Children (ages 7-12)
* Free admission: Preschoolers (ages 6 & under), senior citizens (ages 65 & over)

Hours : March-October 09:30-18:00
November-February 09:30-17:00
* Last admission 30 min before closing

Scale : Land area 29,216 ㎡
Building area 3,347 ㎡

Touring Time : Approx. 1 hr - 1 hr 30 min

More information

Foreign Language Intepretation Services
Docent tour available
- Reservation required one week before visiting
- Available in English & Japanese
- Groups: 30 people or fewer
- Inquiries: +82-360-8586