The day was so gloomy, i was wondering if it is better to go for skating or just walking somewhere. So i started to search. I didn't know what was in my mind until i suggested my friend to go to prisoner. Oh i mean ex prisoner where now is being used as a museum.
I just expected a historical place but never knew that I would learn many things that day.
Before Japan invaded Korea, they approached 5 people who later known as nation traitors, to sign an annexation treaty call " eulsa treaty". I could even imagine what circumstances happened so five people decided to sign agreement which starting the imperialism.
During the occupation, Japan built many prisoners in big cities. One of them is Seodamun prison. It was built on 1908, October 21st and originally named as "Gyeongsong Prison". When Japan ruled Korea, the name of Seoul was Gyeongsong.
As like many prison in all over the world, prison is design to depress people. It because all buildings look same, red brick walls. The first building is near the entrance gate . Ah let me tell you
the entrance is not free. They need money for maintaining the museum. It's quite cheap for a whole experience, 3000 Won a person. Recommended way, go first to the main museum. Cause inside, there are several exhibition rooms where you can find many information about prison history, Korean resist wars during Japanese colonialism. And the one in basement, which actually the saddest one, shows the torture variation from water torture, chair torture, small box torture etc. Not only physical abuse but also mental abuse. Why? Cause when a prisoner was investigating or torturing the other prisoners can hear it all. It SOUNDS like a movie? Nah It sounds horror
forget about hall of fame.. here is the tribute wall for reminding how many people arrested and died in this prison. After had a tour inside one building, we continued our walk and stopped in the biggest Korean flag I ever saw.
This is me and the flag. Did you know that Korean Flag has changed by times? When Ewha (my school) was established Korean flag didn't look as the newest version .
So if you wonder why there are some white color marks in the wall, well it was believed Japan destroyed the toilet room in the end of their ruling period. Japan also arrested their political prisoners here.
Inside of the building 9 or 10, i forgot, we can see the rooms that used to be jail rooms for Korean Independence activists. You can feel how hard it was in the small room. Even you are not a claustrophobia. And since some rooms are opened for exhibitions, we could know that for expressing their thought, prisoners wrote poems or symbols in the door or wall.
We found out that actually we took the opposite way from normal visitor . Some one there inside in the past tried to express her/himself with Swastika symbol. Svastika is exist in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.
How grateful I am now. I am free and even still unemployed but I have my right to what I want to do. Still in many places, freedom is as valuable as your blood.
After had a tour, we went up to a hill where we can see the prisoners in better view.
Everybody looks small now. But wait we found that this prison has what called gymnastic hall (don't imagine like modern gym, it is just walls) but for us it looks like labirin.
My friend said she wanted to go for toilet but since we saw many depressed things , she said she could bear till home. I doubted and convinced her that everything would be fine. The toilet is new built one and separated from the real history. After coming back, I asked her whether we would finish or going to one building in the back which we skipped before. And we decided to go there.
I was aware the last spot was the "interesting" one. I mean the sacred one.
The tree was planted the same year with the death capital building. So in other words, the tree saw everything. I didn't expect the difference feeling outside and inside the area. My friend refused to go inside. If you start to imagine what was happened there , I might not be able to look around.
It is prohibited to take picture inside the area. So I took a picture in the gate and just before stepped in. Don't worry , nothing happened. CCTVs are installed in all corners.
BUT, I have to admit that when i went to see closer, it chilled me. This wooden house is not an usual home. In this place, many patriots passed away. So inside the house, there are two parts. One parts is an open room and another is backstage. In the open room, there are some chairs (like court) and in front of all chairs i mentioned, there is a stage. A small stage where I still can see the hanging rope. Right in the middle. Btw, I observed from outside since visitors could not enter inside. and probably I wont. Then, I walked behind. I found the backstage of the open room. You can see clearly from windows. They have really big windows behind. And an interesting thing, this house has a basement and trench.
Last, there is a tunnel behind the death capital house. It was hidden until the Korean found . Why would Japan build a tunnel? Because it would make easier for them to deliver the tortured body unseen. If society see that they worried it might caused an upraising.
So this my story to Seodamun Prison. I learnt many things. Going to place like this, should be our reminder for not allowing ANY COUNTRY rule another independence nation or land. And if there is a comment, we shall hate Japan, they are cruel, i would like to condemn by saying so would you like to be the cruel as Japan in the past by spreading hatred?
