In 1897, Mokpo, which grew into a modern city through an autonomous port opening, is a city where you can learn about the history and culture spanning from the modern era to the post-liberation period. It's a place of style, art, and romance, known as 'Yehyang'. Consequently, Mokpo is home to various museums and exhibition halls that offer insights into its modern history and culture, and its artistic essence. A diverse museum tour in Mokpo provides an educational and enriching experience with the 'Romantic Port' city.

Next, we visit Mokpo Modern History Museum 1, formerly used as a Japanese consulate. To the left of the National Routes 1 and 2 Origin Monument, there's a signboard for 'Mokpo Modern History Museum 1.' Following the path upwards, a magnificent and imposing building welcomes visitors. Known to the public as a filming location for the drama 'Hotel Del Luna,' it has become a must-visit destination and a hot spot for tourists visiting Mokpo. The building's exotic and beautiful architecture, offering perfect photo opportunities from any angle, has especially captivated the attention of visitors.

This oldest and largest building in Mokpo, which was initially a part of Manhocheong (Mokpojin), a naval base during the Joseon Dynasty, was temporarily used as a consulate after the opening of Mokpo Port in October 1897. As the influx of Japanese residents in Mokpo increased, a new building was constructed in 1900 at its current location, moving the consulate there. It is Mokpo's first Western-style modern building and a nationally designated cultural heritage site, maintaining its original interior and exterior. After liberation, it served various roles, including Mokpo City Hall, a public library, and Mokpo Cultural Center. Since 2014, it has been operating as Mokpo Modern History Museum 1, a historical exhibition hall where you can explore everything from the beginnings of Mokpo to its modern history, rightfully called a 'treasure trove of modern history.'

Before Mokpo's port opening, spanning from the Joseon Dynasty to the present, the museum is divided into seven themes. The journey begins on the 1st floor in Zones 1-2, moves up to the 2nd floor for Zones 3-5, and then returns to the 1st floor for Zones 6-7. The museum's diverse visual materials and exhibits explain how Mokpo has changed and developed over time, making each zone an interesting visit.

Zone 6, which allows visitors to experience the Independence Movement, also features a small recreation of the set from the drama ‘Hotel Del Luna,’ popular among all age groups. The familiarity of the filming location from the drama added freshness to the experience. By the time visitors finish exploring the comprehensive two-story Zone 7, they can understand why the museum is called a 'treasure trove of modern history.' It offers a rich exploration of Mokpo's independence movement, modern religion, education, and cultural facets.

Walking down about 3 minutes from Mokpo Modern History Museum 1, you will find Mokpo Modern History Museum 2. If you have a ticket from Museum 1, you can visit Museum 2 for free, so it's recommended to see both!

Mokpo Modern History Museum 2 is housed in a building that was once used as a branch of the 'Oriental Development Company,' a special company established by Japan to monopolize Korea's economy during the Japanese colonial period. It can be seen as a symbol of exploitation during the occupation.

After liberation, the building was used by the Korean Maritime Police and as the Mokpo Maritime Defense Command's Military Police headquarters. It once faced the threat of demolition due to its symbolic association with Japanese colonialism but has been operating as Mokpo Modern History Museum 2 since 2006. The museum exhibits the history of the building's inception, development, and the process of exploitation.

Mokpo has been a central point for the collection of abundant rice from the vast granaries of Honam and marine resources from the southwest sea, connected by sea routes to Japan. Therefore, governing structures like the Japanese Consulate and the Oriental Development Company were established here. People from Mokpo and the southwestern coast resisted Japanese exploitation through independence movements and student anti-Japanese movements, contributing to the democratization movements of the 1890s.

The first floor's Exhibition Room 1 displays photos showing the streets, buildings, and daily life of Mokpo in the late 1920s. The second floor's Exhibition Room 2 offers a space to glimpse the history of national independence in the 1920s, modern independence movements, and stories of various independence activists who lived through Japanese aggression.

Mokpo Modern History Museum 2 serves as an educational site of historical awareness, vividly revisiting the hardships of the Japanese colonial period and the forgotten scenes of Mokpo in the late 1920s. It features exhibitions including the first public display of photos of Japanese aggression and tangible records of the fierce national movements for independence. The museum not only offers various photo zones but also interactive contents such as games related to history, making it a valuable educational resource in learning modern history.

Near the Mokpo Modern History Museum Hall 1 and 2 lies the Modern Folk Museum, reminiscent of a 'treasure trove' from its exterior, showcasing the old lifestyles and the historical context of the times.

The museum space displays Mokpo's customs along with the lifestyle and culture of modern Korea. Despite being s used just a few decades ago, they feel fresh and evoke memorie

The museum houses various items from the past, such as palanquins (old means of transport), clothing, bedding, movie posters, books, magazines, and more, giving a glimpse into our ancestors' literary scene, along with old furniture and appliances that are no longer in use due to technological advancement.

This place induces nostalgia in older generations and offers younger ones a vicarious journey back in time.

Next, the tour moves from the Yudalsan Area to the Samhakdo Area.

Following that, the next destination for stamp acquisition was the Mokpo Marine Science Museum for Children, located nearby.

The science museum starts with the 'Ocean Imagination Hall,' a space designed to spark curiosity in children while imagining the sea. It features six different scientific experience facilities, including the Deep Sea Exhibition Hall, the Mid-Sea Exhibition Hall, the Shallow Sea Exhibition Hall, the Sea Idome, and the 4D Cinema. These varied facilities provide a comprehensive and engaging educational experience about marine environments at different depths and aspects.

The presence of various interactive devices that allow hands-on experiences and exploration is particularly refreshing. From the VR experience halls that let children dive into the deep sea in a submersible to explore the underwater terrain, scenery, and ecosystem, to the 4D Theater that enhances real-time special effects like wind and vibrations with lifelike 3D images and grand sound, these spaces stimulate children's imagination and curiosity. After the tour, there are educational worksheets for children, providing a thoughtful and enriching space for both fun and learning.

As the Mokpo stamp tour was nearing its end, an intriguing museum was reached, the Mokpo Natural History Museum, where one can explore 4.6 billion years of Earth's natural history.

The Mokpo Natural History Museum, showcasing the history of Earth and the natural ecology of the southwest coast, features a collection of minerals gathered from around the world, as well as dinosaur bone structures. Notably, it houses the rare dinosaur fossil 'Prenocephale'—one of only two in the world—and a globally significant fossilized nest of carnivorous dinosaur eggs excavated and restored from Sinan County, Jeollanam-do. Additionally, the museum holds and displays a vast collection of over 40,000 items including dinosaur models, fossils, plants, insects, bird specimens, and fish samples, making it one of the largest collections in Korea.

A highlight of the Mokpo Natural History Museum is the central hall, featuring a media facade. Dynamic visual presentations of various dinosaurs attract visitors of all ages. Other features include augmented reality photo booths where visitors coexist with various life forms, AR games to hatch fossilized dinosaur eggs, and content to walk over an ecosystem with aquatic life. The museum offers various VR and AR contents and shows.

This museum captivated not only curious children but also groups of adult visitors, suggesting that a journey back 4.6 billion years is a fascinating topic for all ages. It's a valuable educational resource for people of all ages.

The next stop is the Mokpo Museum of Literature, opened to preserve and develop the literary works of new and old authors.

The Mokpo Museum of Literature, opened to inherit and develop the literary works of pioneering writers, consists of two floors and four halls.

The museum features halls dedicated to Kim Woojin, the first modern playwright in Korea; Park Hwasung, the first female novelist in Korea to write a full-length novel; Cha Beomseok, who completed Korean realism in theater; and Kim Hyun, a unique figure in Korean literary criticism.

Each hall displays handwritten manu s, artifacts, and other items related to these prominent writers from Mokpo. The museum also houses a Literary Salon, a Writers' Studio, a Literary Experience Hall, and a Storage Area.

[ Park Hwasung Hall ]

[ Cha Beomseok Hall ]

[ Kim Woojin Hall ]

[ Kim Hyun Hall ]

Also visited is the National Research Institute of Maritime Cultural Heritage, which oversees the research, preservation, and exhibition of maritime relics. Inside the institute is the Mokpo Marine Relics Exhibition Hall, Korea's leading national maritime history museum and the largest underwater archaeology museum in Asia.

The exhibition hall, composed of a total of five exhibition rooms including a children's experience room, was indeed majestic. As a place that excavates and exhibits underwater cultural heritage, its size was impressive. From the first exhibition room where one can explore the history and significance of Korea's maritime exchanges that our ancestors achieved through the sea, to the second exhibition room that introduces medi Asian maritime exchanges centered on the medi trade ship 'Shinan ship' and trade goods, to the third exhibition room where one can experience underwater excavation that finds and lifts underwater cultural heritage through scientific and systematic methods, to the fourth exhibition room where one can easily and interestingly learn about the Korean traditional ship 'Hanseon', which is now difficult to encounter.

The exhibition rooms themselves, which are of an incredible scale that leaves one in awe, as well as the rich composition of various audiovisual materials and maritime cultural experiences, made it a valuable space.

Additionally, in the Gatbawi area, there are various cultural exhibition halls, including the Mokpo Living Pottery Museum, Korea's first industrial ceramics museum, and the Jade Craft Exhibition Hall, displaying about 45 jade craft pieces and offering traditional jade craft education and hands-on experiences.

These museums offer a variety of audio-visual materials that reflect and verify the eras, along with interactive spaces for firsthand experiences. The museum tour in Mokpo was enlightening, revealing the diversity and richness of museums and exhibition halls in the city. It's recommended to dedicate a day to a 'museum tour' when visiting Mokpo, as it serves as an excellent educational resource and source of valuable information for both children and adults.