Korea Day 8 & 9: War Memorial of Korea, Children’s Grand Park & Mapo Market

The last two days of our vacation was free and easy before our tour guide picked us up and sent us to the airport. Seoul is very easy to get around using the subway. The signs and station names are in English as well as Korean, it’s very foreigner-friendly and easy to understand.

We visited a few places in Seoul, and did most of our shopping on the last two days. Today, I’ll share with you three places that we’ve visited.

The War Memorial of Korea

Korea has been invaded many times, and The War Memorial of Korea is the best place to learn about its troubled history. Although it’s called a war memorial, it’s also a huge military history museum with tanks, planes and weapon systems on display.

The monuments are poignant memory for the sacrifices of the soldiers during the war. The museum is huge, and we could have easily spent over 3 hours there (both indoor and outdoor). The exhibitions are very informative and well-designed, and certain parts of it are quite emotional too.

Admission is free. In general, it’s a great place to learn more about the Korean War and Korean history in general. V and Edison are great fans of military tanks and planes, so they had a great time here.

The War Memorial of Korea
29, Itaewon-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul The War Memorial of Korea 04353
Website: https://www.warmemo.or.kr/newwm/eng/main.jsp

Children’s Grand Park Seoul

Entrance of Children’s Grand Park

The children’s grand park is both a park and a zoo rolled into one. The grounds are sprawling and you can take a nice leisurely walk while admiring the well-kept greenery and an amazing zoo. Best of all, it’s free! If you’re travelling with kids, I’d highly recommend this park.

“Must-go if you have kids!”

The zoo section of the park is amazing. You can roam freely around the park with animals at close proximity. You can feed the goats, ponies and other tamed animals. You can buy the feed from cute little vending machines or bring your own lettuce, carrots and chopped apples.

There’s also an amusement park and playground. Food is affordable at the eateries located conveniently in the vicinity. We loved this park, and it’s one of our favorites in Seoul.

Children’s Grand Park Seoul
216, Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul
Website: http://www.sisul.or.kr/global/main/en/sub/park.jsp

Mapo Agricultural & Marine Products Market

This was the last destination that our tour guide brought us to, before we head to Incheon airport. She had kindly requested the stall sellers to pack the food / fruit items nicely in boxes for us to bring home.

I’m not a fan of wet market, and I’ve never go to one in Singapore. However, when I travel, I’ll try to visit one to see the local produce and cultural experiences.

Mapo Agricultural & Marine Products Market
533-1 Seongsan-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul

Finally, I’ve completed my Korea vacation series. It took me five months to complete it, but I’m glad I made it. This vacation is one of the best I’ve ever had, that’s why I wanted to document every part of it on this blog. Korea is really awesome, and I certainly hope to be back again really soon.