Leseprobe

1 8 6 K O R E A | S E O U L War Memorial of Korea Also not far from the war memorial is the 18-metre-wide and eleven-metre-high memo­ rial entitled “The Two Brothers”. The elabo- rately designed sculpture composition shows the moment when two soldiers from the South and North Korean armies fall into each other’s arms. This gesture of brotherhood expresses the will of the Korean people to unity and for- giveness. The soldiers stand on a freely acces- sible semi-circular pedestal of granite pieces gathered from different parts of the country. A crack runs through the middle of the plat- form, symbolising the division of the country. Inside the pedestal, wall reliefs show various scenes from the Korean War. Location: Seoul, No. 8 1-ga Yongsan-dong Internet: www.warmemo.or.kr Seoul. The War Memorial of Korea in Seoul was inaugurated on 10 June 1994 on the grounds of the former army headquarters. The extensive complex houses a comprehensive exhibition on Korean military and war history from its beginnings to modern times, with a promi- nent role afforded to the Korean War and the subsequent division of the country. In addition to the permanent exhibition, which is housed in the Joint Chiefs of Staff building, various military vehicles and armaments can be seen in the outer grounds. A memorial hall with the names of fallen soldiers completes the ensem- ble. In addition, various memorials commem- orate the victims of war and division. The grounds of the memorial also feature various commemorative markers and sculpture complexes. One of them is the memorial in memory of the Korean War. The eight-metre obelisk, consisting of two parts to symbolise the two parts of the country, North and South Korea, is the central memorial to the victims of the war. It is surrounded by two semi-circular groups of bronze sculptures depicting soldiers, civilians and refugees. In front of the memo- rial is a basin-shaped depression that can be reached via steps. This leads into the founda- tion of the obelisk, in which a memorial hall has been set up. Statue of Brothers