Dosan Ahn Chang-ho Memorial Hall

Dosan Park, between Apgujeong and Garosu-gil, is named after the independence leader Ahn Chang-ho, known by his pen name Dosan. The park holds the grave he shares with his wife, Helen Lee (Lee Hye-ryeon), and next to it the Dosan Ahn Chang-ho Memorial Hall traces his life through photographs, letters and diaries. Right in the middle of Gangnam, free of charge and in about an hour, it tells the story of Korea's independence movement through one man's life.

Island and mountain: the name Dosan

Ahn was born in 1878 on Dorongseom, an island near the mouth of the Taedong River in Gangseo, South Pyeongan Province. In 1902, sailing to the United States with his wife, he saw an island in Hawaii rising sheer out of the open ocean and chose the pen name Dosan, "island mountain".

In California he picked oranges in Riverside while organising the Korean community, and in 1905 he founded the Gongnip Association. Back in Korea he led the secret society Sinminhoe from 1907 and founded the Daeseong School in Pyongyang, and in 1913 he set up the Heungsadan in San Francisco. In 1919 he served as home minister and acting prime minister of the Korean Provisional Government in Shanghai. Arrested by the Japanese police after Yun Bong-gil's bombing in 1932, he was imprisoned in Seodaemun and Daejeon, jailed again later, and died on 10 March 1938, shortly after release on medical bail.

What to see

• The exhibition: photographs, handwritten letters, Provisional Government records and Dosan's diary, arranged by period, plus touchscreens with his sayings and a timeline. You can also see the national merit medal awarded to him in 1962 and a 14-minute film. The hall was extensively renovated in 2018.
• The couple's grave: Ahn was first buried in Manguri Cemetery. On 10 November 1973, when Dosan Park opened, his remains were moved here, and Helen Lee's remains were brought from Los Angeles to lie beside him. The couple, who spent most of their married life apart, were finally laid to rest together.
• The park paths: in the park of about 30,000 m², walkways radiate from a round central plaza, with a tall bronze statue of Ahn and stones carved with his sayings.

The memorial hall opened on 9 November 1998, his birthday, marking the 120th anniversary of his birth and the 60th of his death.

Only thirteen years together

Ahn and Helen Lee emigrated to America together, but because he devoted his life to the independence movement they are said to have lived together for only about 13 years in total: five during his Gongnip Association years and eight during his time with the Korean National Association. After he left for Shanghai in 1919 he never returned to his family, and Helen Lee raised their children alone in Los Angeles. That is what makes the couple's shared grave in Dosan Park so moving.

Tripto tips

• Visiting: free. Opening hours are given as 10:00–18:00 on weekdays, opening at 11:00 at weekends and on public holidays; closed on 1 January and during the Lunar New Year and Chuseok holidays. Sources differ slightly, so it is worth calling ahead (+82-2-541-1800).
• Time needed: about 1 hour for the hall, the grave and a walk in the park.
• Getting there: 10–15 minutes on foot from Apgujeong Station (Line 3), Exit 3, or Apgujeong Rodeo Station (Suin-Bundang Line), Exit 5.
• Nearby: Garosu-gil in Sinsa-dong and the Apgujeong Rodeo area are within walking distance, so it fits easily before or after shopping or a café stop.