National Museum of Korea

This guide to the National Museum of Korea traces the building that once stood where colonial authorities built their headquarters directly in front of Gyeongbokgung Palace in 1926, deliberately blocking it from view. It follows that structure through decades of use, including years as home to the very museum collection it was designed to overshadow, and President Kim Young-sam's decision to mark Liberation Day by beginning its demolition. The royal crowns, Buddhist art and ancient pottery now on display here made that whole journey.