Seodaemun Independence Park ( ko, 서대문독립공원) is an educational and cultural park located in

Hyunjeo-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul Hyeonjeo-dong is a legal '' dong'', neighbourhood of the Seodaemun-gu district in Seoul, South Korea and is governed by its administrative dong, Cheonyeon-dong's office. There are in the Historic Sites " Dongnimmun (Independence Gate)" and Yeonge ...

, South Korea. The park contains various monuments and buildings, most notably the

Seodaemun Prison Seodaemun Prison History Hall is a museum and former prison in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, South Korea. It was constructed beginning in 1907. The prison was opened on October 21, 1908, under the name Gyeongseong Gamok. During the early part of the Japa ...

Museum. The park receives nearly half a million visitors annually.

Overview

The name Seodaemun means literally "West Great Gate." This refers to

Donuimun Donuimun (Hangul 돈의문, Hanja 敦義門; also known as West Gate) was one of the Eight Gates of Seoul in the Fortress Wall of Seoul, South Korea, which surrounded the city in the Joseon Dynasty. The gate's historical location is also know ...

, one of the former Eight Gates of Seoul, which was torn down in 1915. Even though the gate no longer survives, this area of Seoul still carries the name Seodaemun. Seodaemun Independence Park contains: #

, originally built in 1907, currently a museum #

Independence Gate Dongnimmun () or Independence Gate is a memorial gate at Seoul, built by Soh Jaipil in late 19th century, as a symbol of Korea's commitment to independence around the world. It is designated as Historic Sites of South Korea in 1963, and reloc ...

(독립문), completed in 1897, modeled after the

Arc de Triomphe The Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile (, , ; ) is one of the most famous monuments in Paris, France, standing at the western end of the Champs-Élysées at the centre of Place Charles de Gaulle, formerly named Place de l'Étoile—the ''étoile'' ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

Plinths of Yeongeunmun Gate, Seoul The Plinths of Yeongeunmun Gate, Seoul ( ko, 서울 영은문 주초) are one of the Historic Sites of South Korea, as remnants of the Yeongeunmun destroyed in the year 1895. They are currently located in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, inside of the Seo ...

, which is remnants of intentionally destroyed

Yeongeunmun The Yeongeunmun () or Yeongeunmun Gate is a historical structure once located in the Joseon Dynasty. Since it was a symbol of China's diplomatic influence on the Joseon, the Gaehwa Party of the Joseon government intentionally demolished it in Fe ...

in 1895 #Patriotic Martyr Monument #Independence Hall (독립관), rebuilding of a structure originally built in 1407 #Statue of

Seo Jae-pil Soh Jaipil or Seo Jae-pil (January 7, 1864 – January 5, 1951), also known as Philip Jaisohn, was a Korean- American political activist and physician who was a noted champion of the Korean independence movement, the first Korean naturalized cit ...

, Korean independence activist #

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the ...

Monument #Independence Square (the southwest entrance to the park) #Visitor Center

Location

Seodaemun Independence Park is easily accessed from exits 4 or 5 of the Dongnimmun Station on .

References

External links

Official Seoul City Tourism Independence Park site
Seodaemun District Parks in Seoul {{SouthKorea-struct-stub