The National Folk Museum of Korea originally began as the National Museum of Anthropology, which was founded in 1945 and opened in Namsan in 1946. It is an educational venue where visitors learn about the daily lives of Koreans in the past and present. There are many artefacts on display, educational photographs, films and videos of the sites of various folk events.
The museum is situated within the Geoncheonggung Palace grounds area. You do not need to go through Geoncheonggung Palace to access the museum, as they have a separate entrance. It is free to enter the Main Exhibition Hall and the Children’s Museum.
There is a separate charge for the special exhibition in the Special Exhibition Gallery. It operates three permanent exhibition halls and an open-air exhibition hall including an exhibition hall about ‘Korean Traditional Daily Life’, ‘A Year in Korea’ and ‘Korean Life Passages’. There are also special exhibitions held at least four times a year to further broaden the understanding of Korean folkways.
As I mentioned in my previous post, we went to this museum to avoid the heavy rain. We were so glad that we visited this place though as it was fascinating and engaging. We really enjoyed it. There are many interactive items for visitors to engage with. They have also thought about sight-impaired people. There were books in large print, Braille and replica models displayed of the big items.
I would recommend a visit to this place if you happen to be nearby, even for an hour! They open daily, except for 1st January, Seollal (Lunar New Year’s Day) and Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving Day). They offer free guided tours in Korean, English, Japanese and Mandarin. Please check their website for timings.
We walked passed the Children’s museum as both my children weren’t too keen. This is also operated by the National Folk Museum of Korea. It exhibits artefacts and materials related to children.
Maybe they have items that you can play like those in Squid Game? I managed to find the ppopgi made by an elderly lady in Myeongdong night market. It is a popular street snack from the 1960s, made with melted sugar and baking soda. This costs me 2,000 KRW (approx. £1.20).
Ciao for now!