Wonder Around The Fascinating Mokpo Modern History Museum Hall 1

Come travel to cities outside of Seoul with us! We took a trip to Mokpo, a city surrounded by the sea that has endless charm.

We visited the Mokpo Modern History Museum Hall 1. Its exterior was the popular filming location for the hit Korean drama series, Hotel Del Luna.

After getting off at Yudalsan Post Office (유달산 우체국) bus stop, you will see the museum right away as in the picture above. Once you see this, you will know that you made it to the right place!

It's not too far of a walk from the bus stop. When I finally saw the exterior of the museum, I recognized it right away from the series Hotel Del Luna.

If you've watched the series, you'll be excited!

Once we arrived at the entrance we had to stop and pose for a picture at the staircase. It's a must if you visit this place and you'll see many people stopping at this spot to take a picture.

On the day that we went, there weren't many people so we could avoid being photobombed and walked around freely.

There's a sign at the entrance that says that the exterior of the museum was filmed for Hotel Del Luna.

There's also a QR code you can scan. Many places in Korea these days require you to scan a QR code in regards to Covid-19 that will track where you've been.

At Mokpo, this was our first time seeing a QR code system as most other places just required your phone number instead.

If you're not familiar with this, don't worry! You can just dial the number on the sign and make a phone call to register.

The building was built in the 1900s and was used as a Japanese Consulate during the Japanese colonial period.

After Korea declared independence from the Japanese rule, this place was transformed into a Mokpo City Hall, municipal library, and Mokpo Cultural Institute before it eventually became a museum in 2014.

The price of the ticket is just 2,000 won for the general public and you can enter both hall 1 and 2.

The first area that we entered mainly exhibits models of old houses and buildings in Mokpo during the Japanese colonial period.

You can look at what the downtown Mokpo area looked like during this period.

You'll find traditional Korean architectures and other western (non-Korean) designs.

You can look at a replica of important buildings such as Yangdong Church, the Oriental Development Company, the Japanese Consulate, and Japanese houses near Ogeori, which was located in downtown Mokpo at the time.

The replicas are beautiful and all the small details are amazing to look at.

On this wall, you can take some pictures as you join the Korean citizens from the past during the Independent Movement.

You can also find school uniforms, hats, and glasses from the past as well. You can wear these to take some photos to remember!

Besides old Korean school uniforms, you can also find costumes that the characters from Hotel Del Luna wore.

You can't miss out on snapping a picture at this spot with the wall of the framed poster if you're a fan of the series.

After taking the pictures, we can head to the next area!

This area exhibits Mokpo-jin's history during the years that it belonged to the Mahan confederacy.

This was the camp and residence of navy leaders during the Joseon Dynasty.

It also served as the marine defense center of the southwest of the Korean Peninsula.

As you walk around you'll see a model of Mokpo City when it was redesigned in 1949 after Mokpo became an open port in 1897.

Here, you can touch the panel at the front to see the city of Mokpo throughout each year that will light up in color.

You'll get to see the city grow each year as it gradually expands.

During the Japanese colonial period, Mokpo's harbor was used to export the produce of the region by force.

Since then, Mokpo has developed tremendously and is now considered a prosperous city.

It is now one of the six largest cities in Korea.

They are famous for their rice, cotton, and salt.

There's a history book of Mokpo that documented its customs and sailing routes.

It also includes the founding of the supervision office (무안감리서) which had documentations of all its history and policy.

Before walking up to the second floor, make sure to grab one of these brochures available in Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese.

It will help you gain a better understanding of the museum's history and its exhibits.

The museum still retains its old architecture which is very charming and beautiful.

There are also structures of the museum on display that you can look at.

The following zones exhibit the struggles of the citizens of Mokpo during the Japanese colonial period and appliances that were used in the past.

For history lovers, this zone will easily become your favorite thing about the museum.

There are so many interesting things to look at.

When Korea was under Japanese rule, Mokpo's harbor played an important role by supplying goods to Japan.

However, on March 1, 1919, the March 1st Movement took place where Korean people and students gathered to call for independence from Japan.

This area has antique exhibits.

There is a sewing machine, a piano, a music player, and more that are fascinating to look at.

The last area has exhibits of Mokpo when it was first introduced to the foreign culture.

After Mokpo became an open port in 1897, religions such as Catholicism, Christianity, and Buddism were spread out.

It dives into the spread of religion in Mokpo.

There's also an exhibit about the evolution of medicine in Korea where you can see old medical equipment and medicine that were used to treat the sick.

There's an evolution of communication methods from post stamps and telephones.

Lastly, there's an old model of a car and a shuttle bus.

You can also find rice bowls in Korea that were used that don't look too different from the bowls nowadays.

But you can see that the sizes of the bowls were really huge!

There's also an area that shows all eras of Mokpo. After becoming an open port, the Mokpo Theater and the Mokpo Culture & Arts Center were created where people could watch films.

Cultural events such as performances, charity concerts, and contests were also held there.

In this area, you can listen to music from the past. Including the songs that were sung by the people of Mokpo when marching for their freedom.

Don't just walk out when you're done looking around!

At the back of the building, there is another exhibition that you don't want to miss.

You can see statues of the people of Mokpo seeking refuge from the past.

You can see the main facilities of Mokpo.

There is a refuge for airborne attacks and bombings. During the Pacific War, the Japanese government built a large disaster prevention facility with a kitchen, an air purifier, and more to get ready for a long war.

It was built on Yudal Mountain in Mokpo.

When we first visited last year, the museum had an outside photo zone for fans of Hotel Del Luna.

However, when we visited this time, we couldn't find it anymore.

Information

Address: 전남 목포시 영산로29번길 6
6, Yeongsan-ro 29beon-gil, Mokpo-si, Jeollanam-do

Hours:
09:00-18:00
Mon: Closed
Closed on the 1st of every month

Price:
Adults: 2,000 won
Teens & Military: 1,000 won
Children: 500 won
Ages 0-7: Free

How To Get There: Walk about 15 minutes from Mokpo KTX train station or take bus number 60, 2, or 13-1 from Mokpo Station.

It's a 7-minute ride to Yudalsan Post Office (유달산 우체국 정류장) stop.

The Mokpo Modern History Museum Hall 1 is one of Mokpo's attractions that's worth visiting.

It's a major tourist attraction that both history lovers and fans of the series Hotel Del Luna can enjoy!

If you're looking for places to visit outside of Seoul, add this one to your list!