Seosomun Shrine: Seoul’s Quietest Free Museum

I found a spot in Seoul where you can be alone for a full hour, and it’s not a restroom stall. No, really. It’s Seosomun Shrine, the most underrated spot in Seoul!

How underrated is it, exactly? I’ve talked to a Seoul local who hasn’t heard of it before. Like they knew the name of the historical site, but had no idea it’s a park and museum today.

The place marks an important chapter in Korean history and Catholicism, and the park has become a local hangout spot. You can stroll around a peaceful park with a few other people or walk around its free museum with literally nobody else.

I found it by accident, but ended up spending over 2 hours strolling around both the park and the underground museum. If you ask me if it’s worth visiting, I say yes!

Let’s get you familiar with Seosomun, the story behind it, what’s in the museum, and when to visit for the perfect alone time you never knew you needed. If you love history, keep reading!

Seosomun Shrine: A Name With a Haunting Past

If you think the name “Seosomun Shrine” sounds nice and poetic, you’re not alone.

As a Buddhist, Catholicism is probably the part of Korean culture I know the least about.

I never knew what or who the Seosomun Shrine was for. I just found it while mindlessly scrolling on Google Maps for a place I haven’t been to.

Turns out that it was a public execution site during the Joseon Dynasty, where countless Catholics lost their lives. The place is a park now, but to walk around without knowing its history would be super weird.

Seosomun’s Quick History: Korean Catholic Persecution

This quiet park, minutes away from Seoul Station, was where over 10,000 Catholics were martyred in the 1800s. Let’s quickly jump back into the past before we visit the shrine.

The Crossroads Outside Seosomun

During the early Joseon era, the crossroads outside Seosomun were a big transportation hub with commercial trades of produce and crafts.

Merchants from other regions would come to sell their products to the people inside the capital.

Because of how crowded this spot was, the area became a government-designated public execution ground in 1416. They appreciated the number of execution witnesses. It was sadistic.

The Catholic Persecutions of the 1800s

For over a hundred years, the catholic faith, sometimes seen as nothing but a form of Western learning, was labeled as heterodoxy.

The early conflicts began in the late 1700s, when the Catholic faith started interfering with Joseon traditions and Confucian ideology.

Grand-scale persecutions began after King Jeongjo abruptly passed away in 1800, when court officials could use the cause to further their own agendas.

Over fifty Catholics martyred at Seosomun have been declared saints by the Catholic church. This makes Seosomun the shrine that has produced the greatest number of saints in Korea.

Honoring the Historic Remains of Seosomun

In 2011, the Archdiocese of Seoul proposed restoration efforts for the memories of Seosomun.

His wishes were answered in 2019, when an integrated cultural space opened, with the history park on the ground level and a museum space underneath.

Today, Seosomun Shrine is a place of remembrance and consolation. The park above has become both a historical site and a place of relaxation for the new generation of Koreans.

It’s okay for non-Catholics to visit, of course. Just be sure to keep your voice down and be on your best behavior, now that you know what kind of sacred grounds you’re walking on.

Seosomun Shrine Visitors’ Information

• Museum Opening Hours: 9:30 AM – 5:30 PM (Closed on Mondays)
• Admission: FREE
• Location: 5 Chilpae-ro, Jung District, Seoul, South Korea
• Closest Metro Station: Chungjeongno (line 2, 5) or Seoul Station (line 4)

Best Time to Visit Seosomun

Honestly, it doesn’t really matter when you go. The park is never packed, and the underground museum is even quieter. Just avoid going on a Monday, when the museum is closed.

Weather-wise, avoid mid-mornings and early afternoons if you’re going in the summer. The temperature and humidity aren’t there to play.

Basement Level: Seosomun Shrine History Museum

You might be tempted to walk around the park first, given how peaceful it looks, but I highly recommend heading to the basement and learning its history first.

The ground-level entrance to the museum is marked with a stunning artwork (Chronicles of Seosomun), a stairway, and an elevator.

You know the usual museum vibe? Educational, sure, but with occasional primary school field trip groups running rampant, or tourists chatting about what they just learned.

None of those here. The whole space was completely quiet, except for the faint chants I could hear from the St. Chong Ha-sang Chapel, tucked into one corner of the museum.

I loved every minute of my time there, despite the grim story I learned.

Quote from Peter Yi Seung-hun

As you walk towards the museum entrance, you’ll already see a couple of artworks.

My favorite is a quote on the wall that says in the Hanja Language, “The moon stays in the sky even when it falls. The water ends up in a pond even when it bursts.”

The quote owner, Peter Yi Seung-hun, was the first formally baptized martyr who was executed in the 1801 Sinyu Persecution.

Permanent Exhibition Hall

To understand the history of Seosomun and how Catholicism came about in the Joseon days, head down to the B2 level and find the permanent exhibition hall.

You’ll find two wings of the same exhibition hall. One tells you about the Joseon-era ideas and belief systems, the other tells you specifically about the crossroads outside Seosomun.

It was easily the quietest museum I’ve ever been to in Seoul. I was in there for at least an hour, and there was no one else. A few other women might have entered by the time I was leaving.

The Consolation Hall (My Favorite!)

This is a space designed to provide peace and comfort that gets through to people of any religion, while offering consolation to those who lost their lives in the persecution.

The humming music played in the background, and the projected videos were strangely solemn and relaxing at the same time.

I wandered into this hall before even finding my way to the exhibition, so I had absolutely no idea what this museum was about yet, and it still impacted me immensely.

I did start to read the museum pamphlet under my phone flashlight here, though. Maybe it was the slow realization of its dark history that hit me.

Still, I would go back and sit there for hours any day.

Upstairs: Seosomun History Park

Yes, there are more historical things to see in the park. It’s called a history park for a reason! Now that you’ve learned all about Seosomun, a stroll around this park will mean so much more.

Apart from its diverse plant life, which is stunning in the spring, you’ll find a few monuments scattered throughout the park. These monuments connect the park to its underground stories.

The Executioner’s Well

One harmless-looking well, with its lid closed, is actually an on-site reconstruction of Ttukke Umul, known as the executioner’s well in English.

The executioner was the only person who would open this lid when he wanted to wash his sword after beheading someone. Yikes…

The Martyrs’ Memorial Tower

This tower was built to commemorate the martyrs, including the blessed and the saints, who laid down their lives for their faith in the 1800s.

It was originally built in 1984, on the 200th anniversary of the Korean Catholic Church. What you see was rebuilt in 1999 after the original tower was demolished during a 1997 park renovation.

Which Other Museums Are Worth Your Time?

Museums in Seoul are next-level. Exhibition halls are always neatly organized, with English information. The bigger ones like the National Museum even offer free tours.

The Seoul Museum of History is another fantastic one, focused on the history of Seoul from its establishment as Joseon’s capital city to today. You can pair the visit with Gyeonghuigung, the palace plus free park right next door.

Too stressed after visiting Seosomun? Why not cool down at one of my favorite cafes in the city? Grab a glass of iced Sikhye and a good Souffle pancake, and you’ll be fine in no time!

Browse the rest of my South Korea guides for more ideas.

Helpful Travel Tips for South Korea

Most visa-free visitors to South Korea need a K-ETA in order to enter Korea. Check if you need one and apply about a week before you travel. This replaces the arrival form.

• Make sure you protect your trip with a travel insurance.
• Get this eSIM for local data without giving up your number.
• Must-have Apps: Papago AI Translator, Naver Maps, Kakao Metro

Read up on how to get from Incheon into the city, so you don’t run into surprises.

Don’t forget to learn some important dos and don’ts in Korean culture, as well as some useful Korean phrases, before you arrive!

Find a Place to Stay in Seoul

Looking for somewhere to stay? Use the map below! Feel free to refer to my guide on Seoul neighborhoods and figure out which area suits your needs best!

Grab My South Korea E-Checklist

To make sure you don’t leave anything important out of your preparations, I’ve made a digital checklist to help you get ready. I leave 2 pages blank for you to customize your own checklist, too!

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