Seodaemun Prison History Hall

Seodaemun Prison History Hall in Independence Park, 5 minutes from Dongnimmun Station, preserves the original 1908 prison of the Japanese colonial era. Over 40,000 independence activists were held and tortured here, including 18-year-old student Yu Gwan-sun, who died in the prison. The seven prison buildings hold closet-sized solitary cells, underground rooms with graphic life-size scenes of water and nail-box torture, and an execution building where a secret tunnel for removing bodies was found in 1992. Shackles, executioners' hoods and hundreds of prisoner photos are on display, and admission is ₩3,000.