Gate of Independence - Seodaemun Former Prison - Mount Ansan (trecking)

The state of Joseon since its formation in 1392 has been the state of sadae-zhui. "Serve great", "great deeds" - that's what "sade" (事大) means. "Zhu-y" - (it is read, however, "zhui") - the same as "ism" in the West.

The Gate of Independence (or the "Arch of Independence") is a monumental architectural structure, embodying the END of the "sade-zhuyi" era. On the site of the Gates of Independence used to be the so-called. "Gate of Encounter with Kindness/Grace". It was through them that the carriers of the "great" - the Chinese ambassadors - should have arrived in Seoul.

Now do you understand how great was the symbolism of the demolition of the Gate of Mercy and the establishment of the Gate of Independence in its place? Yes, and the Chinese were already fake, from 1636-1637, when the new barbarian Qing dynasty forced Joseon to submit with a serious loss of face (evidence of which, by the way, you can find at the tallest building in Korea - Lotte World Tower).

By the way, researchers call Afanasy Seredina-Sabatina from the Russian Empire one of the likely architects of the Gate/Arch of Independence.

It was built by the Japanese. That's just it was operated until 1987, i.e. - for 80 years (it was opened in 1908, as you can see, even before the official annexation of Korea by Japan).

On April 8, 1975, 8 members of the so-called "People's Revolutionary Party" were sentenced to death by the Supreme Court of South Korea. And after only 18 hours, on April 9, they were executed right here, in this prison. This is perhaps the most famous, but defenetely not the only one, such incident associated with the reign of Park Chung Hee. Park Chung Hee's regime was especially ruthless after the so-called "restoration/renewal" in 1972. By the way, "yushin" (restoration) is the same word that the Japanese used in relation to the "Meiji Restoration" in 1868. Park Chung Hee had strong ties to Japan...

In 2007, the Seoul City District Court found 8 people executed in 1975 not guilty.

As you can see, not only the horrors of the Japanese occupation, but also such dark pages of history, written (pages, that is) by the Koreans themselves, can be learnt by the visitors of the prison.

Seodaemun Prison is located at the foot of Mount Ansan, 295 meters high. A great place for easy trekking and wonderful views of Seoul. It is noteworthy that the mountain is "equipped" with ramps, so even for people with disabilities there is, pardon the tautology, the opportunity to enjoy the views from Anasan.

It takes about 1 hour to walk from Seodaemun Jail to the top of the mountain.