Places in Korea: The National Folk Museum of Korea

Basic Information

• Name: National Folk Museum of Korea
• Where: Seoul, South Korea
• Cost: ~$3.00 US
• More Information: Official website

Narrative

One of the benefits of visiting Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul, South Korea is that on the palace grounds is the National Folk Museum of Korea which can be visited for free with the paid admission to the palace:

The National Folk Museum is in the shape of a large pagoda, but before going inside it is worth checking out the replica village that shows what life in South Korea was like after the Korean War.  For example here is an old hanok house:

These types of homes are now very rare to see in South Korea though modernized homes with some hanok architectural features is becoming more popular in South Korea:

From the hanok I next walked over to the replica village:

The village street has various businesses that can be looked inside of:

For example this is what an old barber shop looked like:

Here is a look inside of an old restaurant:

Here is a look inside of a comic book shop:

Here is a coffee shop:

Here is a photography store:

Here is a record dealer:

After walking through the village I then went inside the National Folk Museum to view its collection.  Having visited the National Museum of Korea before I found the collection at the National Folk Museum to be quite underwhelming:

For example here is an example of farming tools that were used a long time ago:

Here is an example of partitions that were used in wealthy homes:

Here is an exhibit of photographs and items from foreigners in Korea:

Here is a traditional weaving loom:

Of course no museum in Korea is complete without a kimchi display:

Conclusion

Since entry is free with the paid admission to Gyeongbok Palace it is worth stopping by to see the National Folk Museum.  Personally since I have been to the National Museum of Korea the museum was not that interesting, but the replica village outside was pretty fascinating since it gave me a glimpse into the post-Korean War lifestyle of South Koreans that ultimately built into the modern thriving nation we see today.