The outdoor display
Real aircraft and tanks.
Carla Antonini — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Christophe95 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · myself (User:Piotrus) — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Pulgasari — Public domain
A large museum of Korean military history in the Yongsan district, opened in 1994 on the former site of the army headquarters. It was built to document the wars the peninsula has lived through, above all the Korean War (1950-1953), and to stand as a reminder of the cost of war and a call for peace. Inside are six exhibition halls on three floors, running from the weapons and armour of the ancient kingdoms to the Korean War rooms, where models, maps and films explain its stages and the part played by United Nations forces. Captions are available in English. The outdoor area is what children like best: real aircraft, tanks, artillery and a ship, which you can walk up to and in some cases climb aboard. The building also has a small children's museum that needs booking. Entry is free and the museum is closed on Mondays. It stands by Samgakji Station, a short way from the National Museum of Korea and from Itaewon, so the three fit into one day.
Real aircraft and tanks.
Models, maps and films.
Historic arms and armour.
29 Itaewon-ro, Yongsan-gu; Samgakji Station (Lines 4 and 6), exit 12
National Museum of KoreaThe flagship museum of Korean history and art, and one of the largest museums in18 minutes walk4.6
Seoul Central MosqueThe first mosque in South Korea and its best known, opened in 1976 on a hill in 23 minutes walk4.7
N Seoul Tower (Namsan Tower)Seoul's best-known landmark, a communications and observation tower on the summi24 minutes walk4.4Yes, both the halls and the outdoor display are free. The museum is closed on Mondays.