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Opening ceremony of Dokdo Museum Seoul

 The Northeast Asian History Foundation (NAHF) held the opening ceremony of Dokdo Museum Seoul at Yeongdeungpo Times Square at 3PM Oct. 25. Dokdo Museum Seoul which had been situated in Seodaemun was expanded and relocated to Yeongdeungpo Times Square. It had been originally planned to reopen Dokdo Museum Seoul in late March or around the National Liberation Day of Korea in August. After several times of discussion, it was decided to hold the opening ceremony on October 25 when Emperor Gojong of the Korean Empire had issued an imperial order—“Dokdo is territory of Korean Empire.”—in 1900.

 The opening ceremony was hosted by director of NAHF Office of Education and Promotion Choi Un-do and actress Moon So-ri. As the pre-ceremony events, the video about 365 days’ record of preparation for the expansion and relocation of Dokdo Museum Seoul was played and students of Weerye Elementary School performed an amazing show with the theme of Dokdo. Attendees joined the performance, holding an orange scarf with a phrase, “Dokdo by Your Side.”

 The opening ceremony was attended by numerous guests as well as officials at the NAHF. NAHF Secretary General Jang Won-sam reported the progress as the director of  Dokdo Museum Seoul Expansion & Relocation TF Team. During the commemorative speech, NAHF president Lee Young-ho emphasized that Dokdo has been home for Koreans for a long period of time. Congratulatory addresses were made by the deputy speaker of National Assembly Kim Young-joo, head of the Education Committee Yoo Ki-hong, member of the National Assembly Kim Byeong-uk, vice-minister of the Ministry of Education Jang Sang-yoon, and mayor of the Yeongdeungpo-gu Office Choi Ho-gwon.  Deputy speaker of National Assembly Kim Young-joo mentioned during her speech that she had determined the relocation of the museum when she had seen Takeshima Exhibition Hall with an area of around 660 m² during her visit to the Japanese Diet. She also mentioned that she was greatly pleased that they could expand and reopen Dokdo Museum with an area of around 1,300 m² which is almost twice that of Takeshima Museum. Attendees reconfirmed through the ceremony that Dokdo is Korean land.

Expansion and relocation of Dokdo Museum Seoul

Dokdo Museum Seoul was originally located on the basement level of NH Building situated in Tongil-ro, Seodaemun-gu. Northeast Asian History Foundation is also located in this building. Dokdo Museum Seoul first opened its doors in 2012.

Visitors gradually increased for five years. So it had been pointed out that the facilities should be expanded and its content should be improved. As the education targets were expanded to preschoolers, education programs fit for the demand became necessary.

In Jan. 2020, discussion on the expansion and relocation of Dokdo Museum Seoul accelerated. Since the news that Japan decided to expand National Museum of Territory and Sovereignty, opened by the Japanese government in 2018, seven times was heard. In the same year, the necessity for the expansion and relocation of Dokdo Museum Seoul was discussed in detail during a government audit. As Yeongdeungpo-gu Office provided a space for the museum for free with the proposal of Kim Young-joo, a member of the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, the Dokdo Museum Seoul Expansion and Relocation Project commenced in 2021.

In 2021, the NAHF held an idea contest with the public. On Jan. 12 2021, the Dokdo Museum Seoul Expansion & Relocation TF Team was formed and started to discuss the project with the Ministry of Education and Yeongdeungpo-gu Office. The basic design was determined through a public briefing in late October.

Doubled up Dokdo Museum Seoul, features of exhibition halls

[Dokdo in Present] Dokdo, the Island that Opens into the Morning of Korea

There is a must-visit place before going to Dokdo. Ulleungdo. It is the same in Dokdo Museum Seoul. Stories of people in Ulleungdo welcome visitors before they look around exhibits about Dokdo. People of Dodong Fishing Village Fraternity, Ulleungdo who collect marine products at community fishing groups in Dokdo, guards protecting Dokdo, and 119 ambulance crews welcome visitors. In History Hall, not only can you listen to vivid stories from people in Dokdo, but also you can watch real-time video of Dodong Village. Ulleung-gun Office provides real-time video of Dodong Village from Dokdo Observatory. If you watch the real-time video of Dodong Village, you will feel like you have just arrived at Ulleungdo to visit Dokdo.

[History of Dokdo] Dokdo’s Identity as Korea’s Sovereign Territory

At the entrance to History Hall, you can see exhibition panels showing a 1,500 year-old-history of Dokdo focusing on 24 incidents. In addition, the exhibition hall displays 51 pieces of relics from around Korean Empire era. 80 maps of Ulleungdo, Dokdo, and East Sea were made into digital archive materials so visitors can enlarge small place names to see them in more detail.

Research materials about Ulleungdo and Dokdo between 1947 and 1953, collected and donated by Corean Alpine Club, are precious materials which have never went public in Korea yet. ImageWall is standing at the entrance and exit of History Hall. ImageWall is a term used in the interior design field, which means to decorate indoor spaces with unique ornaments. ImageWall in History Hall is decorated with works of Hong Ae-ran who has been creating calligraphic works under the theme of Dokdo. The blue background symbolizes the blue sea of Dokdo and the image of Dokdo is expressed at the bottom. As a last touch, I am Dokdo, a poem by Lee Bin-seom, is written on it.

[Nature of Dokdo] Dokdo, the Island of Life

Extra attention was paid for the design of Nature Hall to create a space where visitors can feel the nature of Dokdo realistically. Dokdo is an oceanic island not connected to land and has its own unique natural surroundings. The exhibition hall shows the sky and land of Dokdo and its marine ecosystems including animals and plants. The four seasons of Dokdo were expressed by showing animals, plants, and marine organisms living in the sky, land, and sea of Dokdo.[p1] [p2] 

Once you enter Nature Hall, you can see Korea’s largest model of Dokdo (a scale of 1:100). Experts did their best to reproduce the present of Dokdo. They installed all the nearby small rocky islands and facilities of Dokdo Island without omission to make it realistic. The Dokdo model was placed to make visitors see Seodo (West Island) first and then Dongdo (East Island). Because you meet Seodo first when you approach Dokdo Island from Ulleungdo. Exhibition routes were made even considering how you approach Dokdo.

[Future of Dokdo] Cherished Land, Dokdo

The last exhibition step of Dokdo Museum Seoul is “Future of Dokdo.” Visitors can look up a variety of materials about Dokdo by using six large-sized monitors. You can see the Korean government and related institutions’ activities concerning Dokdo, educational and PR materials about Dokdo, and other relevant materials through the kiosk. A kiosk refers to an unmanned touch screen information terminal system generally installed in public places.

Dokdo Museum Seoul for Korean people

The NAHF put great efforts to make Dokdo Museum Seoul a place where both Korean and foreign visitors of different generations can see, experience, and enjoy Dokdo in various interesting ways. In addition, we will develop a variety of museum content based on advanced technology such as AR and metaverse so such content can be further utilized at schools as well. We will strengthen our role as the center of the network of institutions and groups associated with promotion of Dokdo all over the country. We hope Dokdo Museum Seoul to be actively utilized by the public as a place where they can learn, experience, and think about the history and nature of Dokdo.