Seodaemun Prison

Seodaemun Prison History Hall is a museum and former prison in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, South Korea. It was constructed beginning in 1907. The prison was opened on October 21, 1908, under the name Gyeongseong Gamok. It was known as Keijo Prison  during the early Japanese colonial period (Keij Kangoku, the Japanese pronunciation of Gyeongseong Gamok). In 1923, its name was changed to Seodaemun Prison, and it later went by several other names. 

History

During the Japanese colonial period, the prison held around 500 inmates and was used to imprison Korean liberation activists. A separate facility was provided for women and young girls. Kim Koo was imprisoned in 1911. He was a significant figure in the Korean liberation movement. In 1919, shortly after the March 1st Movement, the number of imprisoned increased drastically. Approximately three thousand liberation activists were imprisoned, and the number of prisoners reached 2980 shortly before colonization ended in 1945. Ryu Gwansun was among those imprisoned following the March 1st Movement, and she died as a result of the torture she endured. 

The prison was used by the South Korean government after the colonial era ended in 1945 as part of Japan's surrender in World War II, and wahttps://zaubee.com/biz/seodaemun-prison-history-hall-36b2znoes known by various official names, including Seoul Prison until 1961, Seoul Correctional Institute until 1967, and Seoul Detention Center until its closure in 1987. It was replaced by a facility in Gyeonggi Province's Uiwang City. The site was dedicated as the Seodaemun Prison History Hall in 1992, as part of the Seodaemun Independence Park. Seven of the prison complex's original fifteen buildings are preserved as historical monuments. The History Hall memorialises all those imprisoned during the Japanese colonial period and serves as a museum. Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe paid a visit to Seodaemun in August 2015. Former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama knelt in front of a memorial stone in Seodaemun in August 2015 as an expression of apology for Japanese war crimes during WWII.

Location

Barracks inside Seodaemun Independence Park, including Seodaemun Prison, are easily accessible from Dongnimmun Station on Seoul Subway Line 3's exits 4 or 5.