National Maritime Museum of Korea

A large wooden ship with two sails stands in the middle of a gallery. It is a half-size reconstruction of the vessel used by the Tongsinsa, the Joseon-era diplomatic missions to Japan. The National Maritime Museum of Korea on Yeongdo Island in Busan opened in July 2012 as the country's only national maritime museum, and its permanent galleries are free.

What kind of museum is it

The museum stands in the marine research cluster in Dongsam-dong, Yeongdo, with the sea right in front of it. The building, designed to evoke a water droplet, has one basement level and four floors above ground and is described as the third-largest museum in Korea. After a provisional opening on 9 July 2012, it was formally launched as a public corporation in April 2015. Sources give the size of the collection anywhere from about 12,000 to 22,000 items.

What to see

• Tongsinsa ship replica: The largest ship reconstruction in Korea; you can study the deck cabins and sails up close.
• Jukdo Jechal (1837): A Japanese warning sign forbidding its own people to sail to Ulleungdo and the Dokdo area.
• Terrestrial and celestial globes: A navigation set made by the Adams family in Britain in the 1790s, marking the East Sea as "Mare Corea."
• Arcano del Mare (1646): The first sea atlas drawn in the Mercator projection; about ten copies survive worldwide and this is said to be the only one in Asia.
• Tongsinsa records: Poems and paintings linked to the Joseon missions, inscribed in UNESCO's Memory of the World register.
• Outdoor exhibits: A round-the-world yacht, international signal flags and the old Palmido lighthouse, set against the sea.

Good to know

• Facilities include eight permanent galleries, a special exhibition hall, a children's museum, a maritime library of about 50,000 volumes, a 4D theatre and a cylindrical aquarium 11 m across.
• War records are on show too, such as a 1662 transcription of Admiral Yi Sun-sin's reports from the Imjin War.
• Building and site: Built between December 2009 and July 2012 on a site of about 45,000 m². An observation deck looks out over the sea in front of the museum.
• Children's museum: Designed for children aged seven and under, with hands-on displays about the sea and the environment.

Nearby

• Taejongdae: The cliff-lined park at Yeongdo's southern tip, an easy pairing for a half-day on the island.
• Yeongdo Bridge and Jagalchi Market: Head back towards the island's entrance for the drawbridge and Busan's best-known fish market.

Tripto tips

• Admission: Permanent galleries are free; the 4D theatre and some special exhibitions charge separately.
• Hours: Weekdays 09:00–18:00; on weekends and public holidays it stays open later, depending on the season. Last entry is 30 minutes before closing.
• Closed: Mondays (the following day if Monday is a public holiday).
• Parking: About 300 spaces, paid, starting at KRW 1,000 for the first two hours.
• Getting there: City buses run to Yeongdo from Busan Station and Nampo-dong; check routes in a map app.
• Time needed: Allow 1.5 to 3 hours for the permanent galleries alone.