Seodaemun Prison History Museum (서대문형무소역사관)

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.

Scale

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

Duration

Approx. 1 hr - 1 hr 30 min  

Opening Hours

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

Fee

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)  

Holiday

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)  

Parking

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

Parkingfee

[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  

Inquiry/Information

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

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