Seodaemun Prison History Hall () is a museum and former

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where Prisoner, people are Imprisonment, imprisoned under the authority of the State (polity), state ...

Seodaemun District Seodaemun District () is one of the 25 List of districts of Seoul, districts of Seoul, South Korea. It has a population of 313,814 (2010) and has a geographic area of 17.61 Square kilometre, km2 (6.8 sq mi), and is divided into 14 ''Dong (admi ...

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

, 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 Japanese colonial period it was known as Keijo Prison (). Its name was changed to Seodaemun Prison in 1923, and it later had several other names.

History

The prison was used during the Japanese colonial period to imprison Korean independence activists. It could originally hold around 500 inmates. It had a separate facility for women and young girls. In 1911, notable activist

Kim Ku Kim Ku (; August 29, 1876 – June 26, 1949), also known by his art name Paekpŏm, was a Korean independence activist and statesman. He was a leader of the Korean independence movement against the Empire of Japan, head of the Provisional Gove ...

was imprisoned here. In 1919, shortly after the

March First Movement The March First Movement was a series of protests against Korea under Japanese rule, Japanese colonial rule that was held throughout Korea and internationally by the Korean diaspora beginning on March 1, 1919. Protests were largely concentrated in ...

, the number of imprisoned increased drastically. About 3,000 activists were held here. Among the imprisoned after the March 1 Movement was

Yu Gwan-sun Yu Gwan-sun (; December 16, 1902 – September 28, 1920) was a Korean independence activist. She was particularly notable for her role in South Chungcheong during the March 1st Movement protests against Japanese colonial rule. She has since be ...

, who died from the torture inflicted on her.

Park Jin-hong Pak Chinhong (; 1914 - ?) was a leader of the Korean labour and independence movement in the 1930s under Japanese colonial rule. She spent ten years of her life in prison in the 1930s. After liberation, she was a delegate to the Supreme People's A ...

was a nationalist who spent over ten years of her life in Seodaemun Prison between 1932 and 1944 after being arrested five times. There are statues of the friends Lee Hyo-jeong and Park Jin-hong reunited in one of the women's prison cells. Shortly before the end of the colonial period in 1945, the number of prisoners was 2,980. After liberation, the prison was used by the South Korean government, and between 1945 and 1950 the prison population tripled. When

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

n forces captured Seoul in late June 1950 they released over 8,500 prisoners from the prison. Those inmates were soon replaced by 7-9,000 political prisoners, of which at least 1,000 were executed by North Korean forces as they abandoned Seoul in late September 1950. The prison was known by various official names, including Seoul Prison until 1961, Seoul Correctional Institute until 1967 and Seoul Detention Center until its closure in 1987. In 1983 the

Chun Doo-hwan Chun Doo-hwan (; 18 January 1931 – 23 November 2021) was a South Korean politician, army general and military dictator who served as the fifth president of South Korea from 1980 to 1988. Prior to his accession to the presidency, he was the cou ...

government decided to move the detention center out of central Seoul in preparation for the

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and officially branded as Seoul 1988 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. 159 nations were represe ...

. In 1986 it was announced that the prison would be demolished and replaced with a public park, however public pressure led to the decision in March 1987 to preserve the site as a memorial for colonial history. In February 1986 families of 25 detained students presented a petition calling for the end of torture of their children at the prison. In February 1987 the Democracy Youth League released a statement detailing the torture of their leader Yun Yoyong. Also in 1987 families held a protest outside the prison calling for the end of the torture and release of the students. The prison was decommissioned and inmates were transferred to the

Seoul Detention Center The Seoul Detention Center (; Hanja: 서울拘置所, alternatively Seoul Prison) is a prison in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea, operated by the Korea Correctional Service. History The Detention Center was completed in July 1967. Accordi ...

Uiwang Uiwang (; ) is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It is one of many satellite cities that ring Seoul, making up the Seoul Capital Area. Its largest immediate urban neighbor is Anyang. The low peaks of the Gwangju Mountains (including M ...

Gyeonggi Province Gyeonggi Province (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Seoul, the nation's largest city and capital, is in the heart of the area but has been separately administered as a provincial-level ''special city'' since 1946. Incheon, ...

by the end of 1987. Most of the prison's post-1945 buildings and the southern section were demolished as part of the redevelopment, minimising future maintenance needs, while also erasing the recent history of the prison in favor of its colonial past. Protests over the retention or demolition of the prison's outer wall in 1990 delayed redevelopment for several months. On 5 November 1998, the site was opened as the Seodaemun Prison History Hall, part of

Seodaemun Independence Park Seodaemun Independence Park () is an educational and cultural park located in Hyeonjeo-dong, Seodaemun District, Seoul, South Korea. The park contains various monuments and buildings, most notably the Seodaemun Prison Museum. The park receives ...

which opened in 1992. Eleven of the prison complex's original 98 buildings, including the gallows area are preserved as historical monuments. The History Hall covers topics related to the prison during the Japanese colonial period and continues to serve as a memorial hall. The History Hall has been criticised for focussing almost exclusively on the colonial period, while the prison's use in the postcolonial and democratization period is largely ignored. During a visit to Seodaemun in August 2015, former

Japanese prime minister The is the head of government of Japan. The prime minister chairs the Cabinet of Japan and has the ability to select and dismiss its ministers of state. The prime minister also serves as the commander-in-chief of the Japan Self Defence For ...

Yukio Hatoyama is a Japanese retired politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and Leader of the Democratic Party of Japan from 2009 to 2010. He was the first Prime Minister from the modern Democratic Party of Japan. First elected to the House of Repre ...

knelt in front of a memorial stone as an expression of apology for

Japanese war crimes During its imperial era, Empire of Japan, Japan committed numerous war crimes and crimes against humanity across various Asian-Pacific nations, notably during the Second Sino-Japanese War, Second Sino-Japanese and Pacific Wars. These incidents ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Notable prisoners

Ahn Chang Ho Ahn Chang Ho (; November 9, 1878 – March 10, 1938), sometimes An Chang-ho, was a prominent Korean politician, Korean independence activist, and an early leader of the Korean-American immigrant community in the United States. He is also comm ...

*Yu Gwan-sun, died as result of torture in 1920 *Kim Ku *Park Jin-hong *Lee Hyo-jeong *

Suh Sung Suh Sung (; born 3 April 1945) is a Zainichi Korean academic and writer. He was previously a Professor of International Studies at Ritsumeikan University and a research advisor at the Ritsumeikan Center for Korean Studies. His specializations ...

* Hwang Ji-u *

Ko Un Ko Un (; born 1 August 1933) is a South Korean poet whose works have been translated and published in more than fifteen countries. He had been imprisoned many times due to his role in the campaign for Korean democracy and was later mentioned in ...

Shin Joong-hyun Shin Joong-hyun (, or ; born January 4, 1938), also transliterated as Shin Jung-hyeon or Sin Junghyeon, is a South Korean rock guitarist and singer-songwriter often referred to as Korea's "Godfather of Rock." A pioneer of Korean rock music, S ...

Kim Dae-jung Kim Dae-jung (, ; 6 January 192418 August 2009) was a South Korean politician, activist and statesman who served as the eighth president of South Korea from 1998 to 2003. Kim entered politics as a member of the new wing of the Democratic Pa ...

, later 8th

President of South Korea The president of the Republic of Korea (), also known as the president of South Korea (), is the head of state and head of government of South Korea. The president directs the executive branch of the Government of South Korea, government and is ...

Moon Jae-in Moon Jae-in (, ; born January 24, 1953) is a South Korean politician and former lawyer who served as the 12th president of South Korea from 2017 to 2022. Before his presidency, he served as the senior secretary for civil affairs and the Chief ...

, later 12th President of South Korea * Heo Wi,

Righteous armies Righteous armies (), sometimes translated as irregular armies or militias, were informal civilian militias that appeared several times in Korean history, when the national armies were in need of assistance. The first righteous armies emerged du ...

commander, executed in 1908 *

Cho Bong-am Cho Bong-am (, 25 September 1898 – 31 July 1959) was a Korean socialist independence activist and politician, who ran for president in the South Korean presidential election in 1956. He was a founding member of the Communist Party of Korea ...

, political prisoner executed in July 1959 *Cho Yong-soo, anti-

dictatorship A dictatorship is an autocratic form of government which is characterized by a leader, or a group of leaders, who hold governmental powers with few to no Limited government, limitations. Politics in a dictatorship are controlled by a dictator, ...

newspaper publisher executed in December 1961 *

Mun Se-gwang Mun Se-gwang (26 December 1951 – 20 December 1974) was a Korean Japanese assassin who attempted to assassinate South Korean president Park Chung Hee on 15 August 1974. The assassination attempt resulted in the deaths of Park's wife, Yuk Yo ...

, assassin of first lady

Yuk Young-soo Yuk Young-soo (; 29 November 1925 – 15 August 1974) was the wife of the 3rd South Korean president Park Chung Hee and the mother of the 11th South Korean president Park Geun-hye. She was the First Lady of South Korea, first lady when Park w ...

executed in December 1974 *Eight accused conspirators of the

People's Revolutionary Party Incident The People's Revolutionary Party Incidents were legal cases in which the South Korean government accused individuals of socialism, socialist or left inclinations according to the Anti-communism Law in 1965 (the First Incident) and National Securit ...

executed in April 1975 *

Kim Dae-doo Kim Dae-doo (, November 17, 1949 – December 28, 1976) was a South Korean serial killer who killed 17 people during a 55-day killing spree from August to October 1975. Kim was considered as one of the worst and most prolific criminals in South K ...

, serial killer executed in December 1976 *

Kim Jae-gyu Kim Jae-gyu (, April 9, 1924 – May 24, 1980) was a South Korean politician, army lieutenant general and the director of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency. He assassinated South Korean President Park Chung Hee—who had been on ...

assassin Assassination is the willful killing, by a sudden, secret, or planned attack, of a personespecially if prominent or important. It may be prompted by political, ideological, religious, financial, or military motives. Assassinations are orde ...

of President

Park Chung-hee Park Chung Hee (; ; November14, 1917October26, 1979) was a South Korean politician and army officer who served as the third president of South Korea from 1962 after he seized power in the May 16 coup of 1961 until Assassination of Park Chung ...

, and four others involved in the plot, executed in May 1980

Location

, including Seodaemun Prison, is located close to exits 4 and 5 of the

Dongnimmun Station Dongnimmun Station () is a station on the Seoul Subway Line 3 in Seodaemun District, Seoul, South Korea. It is named after the nearby Independence Gate. Station layout Vicinity *Exit 1: Inwangsan, Fortress Wall of Seoul, *Exit 2: Muak-dong ...

Seoul Subway Line 3 Seoul Subway Line 3 (dubbed ''The Orange Line'') of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway is a rapid transit service that connects Eunpyeong District to Gangnam and southeastern Seoul. Most trains head further northwest to serve Goyang via the Ilsa ...

References

External links

Seodaemun Prison History Hall official websiteLifeinkorea profile
{{Coord, 37.57442, 126.95663, source:kowiki_region:KR, display=title Seodaemun District Prison museums in Asia Prisons in South Korea Museums in Seoul Historic Sites of South Korea History museums in South Korea March First Movement Buildings and structures of Korea under Japanese rule Japanese prisoner of war and internment camps Historic buildings and structures in Seoul Keijō Buildings and structures of the Korean Empire Government buildings completed in 1908 1908 establishments in Korea

History

Notable prisoners

Location

See also

References

External links