In Seoul, apart from the usual types of museums relating to arts and history of South Korea, you can also find some special museums showcasing some different types of exhibits.  In this blog post, let’s share some special and interesting museums which you could visit in Seoul.

Teseum 

If you love teddy bears, this is a must-go place for you.  Teseum is the famous museum exhibiting life-sized teddy bears against different backgrounds., e.g., traditional Korean culture and lifestyles, modern Seoul city centre, the magical tale of Sinbad, the European countryside, the sea, the safari, etc.  Apart from teddy bears, there are also other stuffed dolls, e.g., wildlife and marine creatures.  You can also learn the origin and history of teddy bears and how they are made.  There is already another Teseum on the Jeju Island, and this one in Seoul is just opened in 2016 and is more conveniently located on the 1st basement floor of the building right in front of Exit 6 of the Dongmyo subway station.  You can have a quick tour of the Teseum in Seoul by watching this video.

Grévin Museum

Grévin Museum Seoul is the first exhibition centre opened in Asia by the Grévin Museum, the French wax museum with over 130 years of history.  If you are a fan of Hallyu stars and/or international celebrities, you should visit this museum so that you can take pictures with the wax models of your favourite stars or celebrities.  In the exhibition centre in Seoul, apart from the international celebrities like Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Lee, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Steve Jobs, and Barack Obama, there are wax models of Hallyu stars like Psy, Kim Soo-hyun, and Lee Min-ho, and famous Korean  historical figures like King Sejong, General Yi Sun-sin, and Shin Saimdang.  This museum is conveniently located near Exit 1 of Euljiro 1(il)-ga subway station.  Take a quick tour of this museum by clicking this link.

Tteok Museum

In my blog post on kimchi, I have introduced Museum Kimchikan in which you can learn more about kimchi-related Korean culture and kimchi-making. Apart from kimchi, tteok (or Korean rice cakes) also occupy a very important place in the Korean culture.  Tteok are eaten during important festivals like the new year and the harvest festival and during banquets, and are also served as desserts in daily life. The Tteok Museum is a good place to learn more about the different kinds of tteok, the tteok-related Korean culture and how to make tteok.  This museum is located near Exit 7 of Jongno 3-ga subsway station.  Have a short tour of the Tteok Museum by watching this video.

Trick Eye Museum

You may have already heard about the Trick Eye Museum where you can take funny pictures. The traditional art technique called the “Trick of the Eye” which turns 2-D paintings into 3-D images through the use of optical illusions has been applied to the paintings and installations there.  In February 2017, the world’s first AR museum has been added to this museum – you can download the Trick Eye app which can add augmented reality (“AR”) effects to the pictures or videos that you take in front of the paintings and installation.  You can watch this video showing the effects of having the AR off and AR on – the AR can really make the photos or videos more amazing.  There is also an Ice Museum in this museum in which you can walk around or play on some ice sculptures.

If you want to enjoy more optical illusion arts, you can also go to the Alive Museum in Insadong.

When you visit Seoul, don’t forget to visit the above special and interesting museums. I’m sure you’ll have a great time there! 🙂

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References:

Seoul Best 100, Seoul Metropolitan Government, December 2016

Seoul A Fun Vacation for the Whole Family, Seoul Metropolitan Government, December 2016