Seodaemun Prison History Museum
서대문형무소역사관
Culture · 251 Tongil-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul
Nearby stations and stops
- Dongnimmun (Line 3) · straight-line 208m
- Muakjae (Line 3) · straight-line 1.0km
- Bus stop 독립문역·서대문형무소역사관 · straight-line 141m
- Bus stop 독립문역.한성과학고(중) · straight-line 166m
Straight-line distance; the actual walk is longer · Data as of 2025-10-31
Source: Korea National Railway urban rail station information · Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport nationwide bus stop locations
- Admission
- 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
- * Free admission: Preschoolers (ages 6 & under), senior citizens (ages 65 & over)
- Hours
- March-October 09:30-18:00
- November-February 09:30-17:00
- * Last admission 30 min before closing
- Closed
- 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
- Parking available
- Available (Seodaemun-gu Independence Park Parking Lot)
- Parking fee: [Independence Parking Lot]
- Large vehicles: 900 won per 10 min
- Small & mid-sized vehicles: 300 won per 10 min
- Pets
- Not provided
- Accessibility
- Not provided
- Data status
- Source: Korea Tourism Organization TourAPI · Source updated: 2024-12-02 · Collected: Not provided
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.
In the area
Exhibition Halls 2 of 7 cultural sites in Seodaemun-gu
Similar places nearby
- Ewha Welcome Center · 1.6km
Similar places in other regions
- The Independence Hall of Korea · Chungcheongnam-do
- Daegu Modern History Museum · Daegu
- Goseong DMZ Museum · Gangwon-do
- Donghak Peasants Revolution Memorial Hall · Jeonbuk-do
- Dokdo Museum · Gyeongsangbuk-do
Source: Korea Tourism Organization TourAPI