Christmas in Korea - Day 6, Korean War Museum

Entrance to the Korean War Museum looking outward.

The snow which began yesterday continued today, not heavy but steady.   Paul took us to the Korean War Museum where we were out of the snow.  We expected to see exhibits on the recent Korean war of the 1950s but learned that Korea has been the corridor for Asian wars since recorded history began.  We spent an afternoon there and I took lots of photos.  If I had to pick the one thing I found most interesting it would be the "turtle" boat.

The Geobukseon was invented in 1592 by Korean Admiral Yi Sun-Shin.  it was built of heavy timbers and could be moved by oars as well as sails.  It had canons all the way around so it could engage the enemy on all sides.  What made it so effective was its armored cover which protected the ship like a turtle shell.  The heavy timbers were covered with iron plates, each of which had a sharp metal spike at the center.  It not only protected the ship from canon fire but made it very difficult to

board by combatants without impaling themselves on the spikes.  This design permitted the Geobukseon to position itself in the center of a group of enemy ships and fire on them in all directions.