Daily Archives: 26 October, 2023

National Museum of Korea (Seoul, South Korea)

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National Museum of Korea

Part of Cebu Blue Ocean Academy-sponsored South Korea tour

After lunch at Korea House Restaurant at Lotte Tower Mall, we all boarded our van for the 10.6-km. (20-min.) drive to the 295,551 sq.m. (3,180,000 sq. ft.). National Museum of Korea, the flagship museum of Korean history and art in South Korea.  The largest museum in the country and the sixth largest museum in the world in terms of floor space, the museum has been committed to various studies and research activities in the fields of archaeology, history, and art, continuously developing a variety of exhibitions and education programs.

Here’s the historical timeline of the museum:

  • In 1909, Emperor Sunjong established Imperial Household Museum, Korea’s first museum, at Changgyeonggung Palace.
  • In 1945, when South Korea regained independence, the collections of the Imperial Household Museum and the Japanese Government General Museum (administered during Japanese rule of Korea) became the nucleus of the National Museum’s collection.
  • During the Korean War, to avoid destruction, the museum’s 20,000 pieces were safely moved to Busan.
  • After the war, when the museum returned to Seoul, it was housed at both Gyeongbokgung Palace and Deoksugung Palace.
  • On July 19, 1972, the museum moved again to a new building on the grounds of the Gyeonbokgung Palace.
  • In 1986, the museum was moved again to the Jungangcheong, the former Japanese General Government Building, where it was housed (with some controversy and criticism) until the building’s demolition in 1995.
  • In December 1996, the museum was opened to the public in temporary accommodations in the renovated Social Education Hall.
  • On October 28, 2005, the museum was officially reopened in its grand new building in Yongsan Family Park in the Yongsan Districtin Seoul.
  • On June 24, 2021, in celebration of the museum’s 20th anniversary, the National Museum of Korea opened a new branch in the boarding area of Incheon International Airport, in front of Gate No.22.

The museum is situated on what used to be a golf course that was part of the Yongsan Garrison, the central command of the United States Forces stationed in Korea. In 1992, the US Army returned a part of the land to the Korean government, which went on to become the Yongsan Family Park. In, 1993, the plans for the museum inside the park but its opening was delayed repeatedly by a helipad, which was eventually relocated in 2005 by agreement.

Special Exhibition Gallery

Designed by Chang-Il Kim of Junglim Architects, this museum is divided into three floors with the left part symbolically supposed to represent the past, while the right side represents the future. The museum contains over 310,000 pieces in its collection with about 15,000 pieces on display at one time. It displays relics and artifacts throughout six permanent exhibition galleries such as Prehistory and Ancient History Gallery, Medieval and Early Modern History Gallery, Donation Gallery, Calligraphy and Painting Gallery, Asian Art Gallery, and Sculpture and Crafts Gallery.

Main Auditorium

As of June 2012, the museum houses 67 national treasures, 131 general treasures and four folklore assets.

The museum is made from fire-resistant materials and, in order to protect the artifacts inside, the main building was built to withstand a magnitude 6.0 Richter Scale earthquake and the display cases are equipped with shock-absorbent platforms. There is also an imported natural lighting system which utilizes sunlight instead of artificial lights and a specially designed air-conditioning system.

Open plaza

The vast steel frame and reinforced concrete building has a fine stone interior that interacts with the water element in front (Mirror Pond and the scenery of Namsan Mountain behind.  The ground floor also contains parks; an outdoor stone garden with indigenous plants; waterfalls and pools; and traditional dye botanical garden are harmoniously arranged in the green space of the museum to create an elegant cultural space.  There’s also a collection of pagodas, stupas, lanterns, and steles including National Treasure of Korea No. 2, the Great Bell of Bosingak, the exemplar of Korean bells of the Joseon period.

The museum also has special exhibition halls, education facilities, a children’s museum, huge outdoor exhibition areas, restaurants, cafes, and shops. The Open Plaza, designed to evoke the image of a maru (wooden floor), an architectural element unique to Korea, serves as a gateway to every point in the museum, including the exhibition halls and performance facilities. It also naturally connects with the neighboring Yongsan Family Park through Mirror Pond, Mir Falls, and Barong Tree Pond.

 

Prominently displayed at the lobby is the “Gyeongcheonsa Ten-Story Pagoda” from Gyeongcheonsa Temple (National Treasure of Korea No. 86), the first known Korean stone pagoda to be made of marble (most were made from granite).  Originally erected at the monastery Gyeongcheonsa (at the foot of Mt. Buso in Gwangdeok-myeon, Gaepung-gun, Gyenggi-do Province) in the fourth year (1348) of King Chungmok of Goryeo, it was illegally smuggled, from its original site, to Japan in 1907 by by Tanaka Mitsuaki, the Japanese Minister of Imperial Household Affairs but, in 1918, was eventually recovered with the help of two Western journalists, Ernest T. Bethell from England and Homer Hulbert from America, who launched an international press campaign denouncing the theft.

Grace and the author

L-R: Frank, Grace, Oca, the author and Kim

In 1960, it was reconstructed and restored at Gyoengbokgung Palace but, because of acid rain and weathering, proved difficult to conserve. So, in 1995, it was dismantled again to repair serious damage. After an exhaustive conservation treatment project that took ten years, the restored pagoda was reconstructed at its current location inside in the National Museum of Korea’s ‘Path to History’ when the museum reopened in 2005.

Exploring the museum….

This pagoda, extraordinary in terms of its form, is much more complex than most other pagodas. Its shape is very unusual, with a three-tier base, a complex polygonal shape for the lower part (from the first to the third tier), and a square upper part.

The Ten-Storey Stone Pagoda

The base and the main body are elaborately decorated with carvings of Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and floral designs.  On the body of the first storey is an engraved inscriptio, stating that the pagoda was built in 1348 (4th year of Goryeo King Chungmok). The eaves of the roof stones reflect the influence of Goryeo wooden architecture.

L-R: Injun, James, Kim, Engr. Ganzon, the author, Mamel, Grace, Frank and Oca

National Museum of Korea: 137, Seobinggo-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul 04383, South Korea. Tel : +82-2-2077-9000.  Open Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, 10 AM – 6 PM., Wednesdays and Saturdays, 10 AM – 9 PM. Entry closes 30 minutes before the closing time.  Closed on New Year’s Day, Seollal (Lunar New Year’s Day and Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving Day. Admission free but charges apply for special exhibitions. Website: www.museum.go.kr. Coordinates: 37°31′26″N 126°58′49″E.

How to Get There: By subway, take Line 4 or the Gyeongui-Joungang Line (Munsan-Yongmun) to Ichon Station. Go out Exit 2 and walk 150 m. toward Yongsan Family Park. Information on elevator: An elevator is located in the direction of Exit 1 and Exit 2 of Ichon Station.

Cebu Blue Ocean Academy: Building 5, EGI Hotel and Resort, M.L. Quezon National Highway, Looc, Maribago, Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu 6015, Philippines.  Tel: (032) 888-9868.  E-mail: pinesbaguio@gmail.com.  Website: www.cebublueocean.com.  Baguio City (Benguet) Sister School: Pines International Academy, Romel Mansion, 3 Ignacio Villamor St., Brgy. Lualhati, Baguio City, Benguet, Philippines. Tel: 1 754-255-9818. E-mail: pinesbaguio@gmail.com. Website: www.pinesacademy.com.

Lotte World Tower Aquarium (Seoul, South Korea)

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Lotte World Tower Aquarium

Part of Cebu Blue Ocean Academy-sponsored South Korea tour

The family-friendly Lotte World Aquarium, home to the world largest ocean ecology tank, is the longest public aquarium in South Korea.  Located at the bottom floor of the mega popular Lotte World Mall and on the way to Lotte World Amusement Park in the Jamsil neighborhood, it was opened in 2015 and contains thirteen diverse “theme zones” meant to represent different ecosystems, allowing visitors to experience the five oceans of the world. From river to coast and coast to ocean, you can follow the flow of the ecosystem and have a phenomenal experience with nature.

Check out  “Lotte World Tower” and “Lotte World Mall”

E. Ganzon, Inc. at Lotte World Tower Aquarium

The aquarium is home to over 55,000 marine animals from 650 different species, ranging from freshwater fish in the Hangang River to a lone, shy but playful beluga whale (a visitor favorite) from the Arctic, all living in harmony.

After passing through the entrance gates, you can explore the aquarium along a self-guided 840-m. (2,756-ft.) long route (designed so you can experience all 5 oceans zones of the world), starting in the Korean river zone, then continuing through tropical rivers, the Amazon, the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, Atlantic Ocean and, finally, ending in the Polar Region zone.

You’ll first enter the Nature Zone, which is inhabited by various freshwater fish (check out the color-changing chameleons).

Archerfish and Mono Angel Fish. The former is known for their unique predation technique of “shooting down” land-based insects and other small prey with jets of water spit from their specialized mouths

Black Caiman

Next are the Tropical and Amazon River Zones, where you can see crocodiles, piranhas, and tropical sea creatures, like the pirarucu (Arapaima gigas, the largest existing freshwater fish).

Here, you’ll find Korea’s longest underwater tunnel, stretching 85 m. (279 ft.) in length.  It allows visitors to gaze upon the mysteries of the ocean above their heads. There’s a fast lane and a slow lane for those that wish to take their time watching the sea animals gliding all around them.

The 85 m. long Underwater Tunnel

In the Sea Lion Zone, you can get up close and personal with adorable sea lions from California which can swim at speeds up to 40 kms. per hour and dive down to 247 m..

The Ocean Gallery

The Ocean Gallery, spanning 2 floors, houses the biggest main water tank in Korea, allowing visitors to get close up views of the diverse marine life.  With over 10,000 sea animals in the tank, including cownose rays, nurse sharks, sea turtles, and stingrays, it measures a whopping 7.3 m. high, 25 m. wide and 2,200 tons.  The total volume of tanks in the aquarium is 5,200,000 liters (1,374,000 US gals.).

The Coral Reef Garden

After exploring the colorful Coral Reef Garden, kids can get active in the Play Ocean. There’s an aquatic petting zoo, an interaction area here where, after paying a nominal fee, visitors can physically touch and play with the marine animals such as turtles, smaller fishes, starfish, conch, sea squirts and other water creatures. Bottle feeding the koi fish (paid activity) is also an option.

Play Ocean Area

In the Marine Gallery, look out for anemone, puffer fish, and shrimps.  The soothing Jellyfish Gallery, a perfect time-out from all the activity in the aquarium, is cleverly darkened.  Here, you can watch the neon jellyfish hypnotically bobbing gently in their tanks.

Sea Turtle (sometimes called marine turtles) are reptiles of the order Testudines and the suborder Cryptodina. There are 7 existing species

There’s a second Ocean Tunnel in the Aquarium.  Here, you can see Bella the Beluga, and the creatures of the Ocean Tank swimming above and around you. Belugas are undeniably appealing to look at, but they haven’t done that well at the Lotte World Aquarium. Despite the beluga tank being double the regulated size, 2 out of the 3 original belugas have died, making it clear that these sensitive animals are not meant to be in captivity.  The final beluga – Bella – is currently undergoing wildlife adaptation training, before she’s transported to a wildlife sanctuary next year.

Leopard Shark (Triakis semifasciata), a species of hound shark in the family Triakidae

In the Sardine Zone, you can observe the fascinating schooling behavior of a family of sardines, tightly grouped together and swimming in synchronicity.

Humboldt Penguins at the Polar Zone

The Polar Region, the last of the 13 zones, is full of adorable Humboldt penguins, frolicking in and out of the water. At the end of this zone is a slide that’s very popular with the kids. From here, you’ll pass through the gift shop and back out into Lotte World Mall.

The Gift Shop

Even though the interior of the aquarium is dark, the displays are well-lit and easily locatable. Information about the displays are displayed in Korean and English. The various aquariums are well-kept and information relating to the animals are clearly displayed on an electronic board. There is also a café in the centre of the aquarium.

Napoleon Wrasse (Cheilinius undulatus) is a large species of wrasse mainly found on coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific Region

During feeding time, you can see all the marine animals in the massive tank crowd around the diver to get at the food. You might have a hard time trying to locate the diver as sometimes there are just too many animals around him.  Be on the lookout for MIRO, a robot fish swimming innocently along a school of real fish.

Stingrays which are common in coastal tropical and subtropical marine waters around the world

Lotte World Aquarium: 300 Olympic-ro, Songpa-gu, Seoul, South Korea. Tel: +82 2-3213-5000 and +82-2-1661-2000. Open daily, 10 AM – 8 PM. Open Mondays – Thursdays, 10 AM – 8 PM, and  Fridays – Sundays, 10 AM to 10 PM.  Last ticketing and admission 1 hour before closing.  Admission: 35,000 won (adults) and 29,000 won (children and seniors).

How to Get There:  Take the subway to Jamsil Station on Line 2 or 8, head out from exit 10 and turn right where you will see the Lotte Mall. Enter the mall and take the nearest escalator down to basement level 1 where you should see the ticketing office of Lotte Aquarium. Directional signs are also prominently displayed to guide you to the aquarium.

Cebu Blue Ocean Academy: Building 5, EGI Hotel and Resort, M.L. Quezon National Highway, Looc, Maribago, Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu 6015, Philippines.  Tel: (032) 888-9868.  E-mail: pinesbaguio@gmail.com.  Website: www.cebublueocean.com.  Baguio City (Benguet) Sister School: Pines International Academy, Romel Mansion, 3 Ignacio Villamor St., Brgy. Lualhati, Baguio City, Benguet, Philippines. Tel: 1 754-255-9818. E-mail: pinesbaguio@gmail.com. Website: www.pinesacademy.com.