Museum Tour Enriches Your Common Knowledge: Shall We Go?

From the Cultural Exploration of Gyeonggi Province to Astronomy, Comics, and Railroads: Museum Tours Offer Fun and Knowledge

What are the origins of names of the villages in Gyeonggi Province? How vast is the universe? Did elders also grow up reading comics? How did soccer, the sport we are fanatical about, first originate? If you wonder about the history of Korean railroads, you can visit a museum in Gyeonggi Province. The Gyeonggi Tour Rally guides us to hidden tourist attractions in Gyeonggi Province. The second rally leads us to museums where tradition and modernity coexist and visitors can enjoy time travel to the future. Here we describe 5 traditional and novelty museums in Gyeonggi Province.

– Baecja-cheolhwa-yongmunho. Gyeonggi Provincial Museum offers exhibits of porcelain, antique tomes, and ancient clothes. – G NewsPlus

1) Gyeonggi Provincial Museum: “What was our ancestors’life like?” If you would like to know the origin of the name of a provincial village or wonder about ancient relics of Gyeonggi Province – such as pottery, paintings, and other artifacts – pay a visit to the Gyeonggi Provincial Museum. The Gyeonggi Provincial Museum is the region¡¯s cultural showcase where Gyeonggi Province¡¯s traditions still live. The museum was built with three purposes: first, to be an open a space for cultural interaction in which all provincial residents can participate; second, to provide a place for cultural education which contributes to the cultural life of the provincial community and encourages residents to learn about culture; and third, to open up the field for history education. In addition to the ceramic ware Baecja-cheolhwa-yongmunho, iron weapons, folk craft, and traditional clothes from the Joseon Dynasty have been reconstructed in their original form and are displayed. This summer, why not visit the Gyeonggi Provincial Museum, where ancient and modern times coexist, to learn about the province in depth? (Address: 85, Sanggal-dong, Gilheung-gu, Yongin City, Tel: 031-288-5300)

– Gwacheon National Science Museum is praised by students who experience the past and future of Korean science in the facility. – G NewsPlus

2) Gwacheon National Science Museum: “That star is yours, that star is mine” If you feel something wanting on short summer nights, visit the Gwacheon National Science Museum where a 25-meter wide planetarium offers views of the night sky. The museum is comprised of a permanent exhibition hall, outdoor exhibition hall, the ecological work/study field, and astronomical facilities. The permanent exhibition hall features the pure science hall, the high technology hall, the scientific accomplishments exhibition hall, the children¡¯s research experience hall, the hall of fame, the traditional science hall, and more. The outdoor exhibition hall is made up of six theme parks: aerospace, energy, traffic and transportation, the agora of history, the geological garden, and the dinosaur park. The ecological work/study field is divided into the insect ecology hall and the ecological park. Viewing hours are from 9:30am to 5:30pm, and admission ends an hour before closing time. Viewing hours for the astronomical observatory are from 2:00pm to 9:00pm, but the hours are extended from 1:30pm to 9:30pm during school holidays and weekends. (Address: 706 Gwacheon-dong, Gwacheon City, Tel: 02-3677-1500)

3) Comics Kyujanggak – From Comics to 4D Animation

– In Comics Kyujanggak, dreamlike visions become reality, leading viewers into a world of fairytales. – G NewsPlus

Comics Kyujanggak encapsulates the 100-year history of Korean comics. It introduces Korea¡¯s representative comic works and cartoonists, and operates a specially designed 4D movie theater in which viewers can enjoy realistic 3D animations. Aside from exhibitions, the museum develops and operates diverse educational programs. In particular, the children’s room and the viewing room, in which animations are featured, provides opportunities for both children and adults to return to a world of childlike innocence. Viewing hours are from 10:00am to 6:00pm. Admission fees are KRW 5,000 for adults and KRW 15,000 for families. (Address: 529-2, Sang-dong, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon City, Tel: 032-310-3091)

4) Soccer Museum – “United Korea! Shouting Korea Returns”

– Soccer Museum inside Suwon World Cup Stadium resonates with the cheering of the World Cup – G NewsPlus

The Korean national soccer team went to the semi-finals in the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea Japan. Since then, Korean soccer has made a rapid progress thanks to K-Leagues and the subsequent World Cups, which have attracted the attention and excitement of people around the world. When touring the Soccer Museum, you can see the chronicles of Korea’s soccer history including participation in the 2010 World Cup South Africa. With a modest admission fee (KRW 1,000 for adults and KRW 500 for children), visitors can enjoy exhibitions featuring Korean national team members who currently play active roles in renowned professional teams, the Golden Ball signed by An Jeong-hwan – who made a golden goal at the 2002 World Cup – and the Park Ji-sung Hall, which introduces the famous soccer player presently playing for Manchester United. (Address: 228, First Uman-dong, Paldal-gu, Suwon City, Tel: 031-202-2002)

– Before the advent of cars, railroads were a principal mode of transportation. The long railway symbolizes the historical development of Korean railroads. – G NewsPlus

5) Railroad Museum – All things about railroads

Chug, chug, puff, puff! Romantic recollections of railway travel in Korea include boiled eggs, soft drinks, and a heart fluttering with the expectation of exciting journey. The Korean railroad takes pride in 100 years of history that started with the construction of the Noryangjin-Jaemulpo line in 1899. The Korean railroad is still making progress and continues to evolve even today, as is seen in the opening of a high-speed railroad. The Railroad Museum offers exhibitions halls categorized by railroad technologies, such as the railroad history hall, the railroad cars hall, the model railroad panorama hall, the transport and driving hall, and the future railroad hall. Viewing hours are from 9:00am to 6:00pm during summer and from 9:00am to 5:00pm during winter. Admission fees are KRW 500 for adults, KRW 300 for children and teenagers, and free for children under the age of 6 as well as for the disabled, seniors over the age of 65, and railroad employees plus one companion. (Address: 374-1, Wolamdong, Uiwang City, Tel: 031-461-3610)

The third installment of [The right place for summer vacation? Gyeonggi Province is the answer!] will introduce Green Ecological Travel through which the travelers can enjoy all four seasons to the fullest by becoming one with nature outside cities. We will visit priceless vacation spots where nature is preserved and ecological experiences abound.

-G NewsPlus | Choi Mi-yeon miyeon09@gmail.com