When you get out of exit # 1 of the subway line # 6, Mangwon station, and arrive at Mangwon Hangang Park in Mapo-gu, Seoul Battleship Park is waiting for you.
It was opened in November last year (2017), and it is a marine park where three warships that have been retired and defended our sea for decades. Seoul city donated a 1900t class Frigate, a 150t class Patrol Killer Medium ship , a 178t submarine from the naval headquarters to the park for the purpose of providing security education, sightseeing and enjoyment.
Frigate ship Seoul (FFK-952), which boasts the largest warship in the park, has been protecting for 30 years before retiring in 2015. The width is 11.3m and the height is 28m. The length of the hull is 102 meters, similar size to a soccer field.
When you enter the ship, follow the yellow arrows at the shipyard pavilion information center, you can see a warship facility with its original shape preserved.
The warship consists of four floors, and the first floor of the warship has military facilities such as living quarters, canteens and restaurants. If you follow the tour guide-line, you can see the naval practitioner’s living quarters. There were two two-story beds and a closet in the living quarters. There was a bedding set of white and blue stripes on the bed, and well – dressed uniforms and shoes in the closet.
Inside the first-floor hall corridor in the wardroom, there was a dining table with a width that two people could lie down and an unguarded lamp (surgical lamp). It is a structure that is used as an operating room for emergency patients.
Seoul Battleship Park has become a regional attraction that has been visited by 63,446 people in just six months of its opening. Every Saturday from this month until October, experience programs such as fairy tale shows, bubble shows, and busking performances are held.
If you go up to the second floor along a narrow steel staircase, you’ll hear ‘Ping, Ping, Ping … . ‘ You can hear a clear mechanical sound in the middle of the corridor. The place where the sound is a radar room. Detect radio waves here and locate the enemy.
You can also hear a mechanical sound from the sonar in the operations room. Sonar is a device that detects sound waves and sends a sound when abnormal symptoms are detected. The inside of the operations room is full of mechanical equipment that the navy actually used, such as a fire control console.
A Seoul official said, “We will install a photo of the actual equipment used in the exhibition room and a brief description of the equipment in the exhibition room.” Until then, we will operate a docent program during the weekend guided by Korean Navy veterans, please use it.”
Seoul Battleship Park, opened on November 22, 2017 in the Hangang Mangwon area, is a riverside park built around Seoul Battleship, a 1,900 ton convoy, and three other vessels (one convoy, one high speed boat and one submarine) that have been decommissioned after serving their duty of defending the marine territory. The park was regenerated while preserving the original vessels, providing a rare opportunity for citizens to board war vessels and submarines to check out their interiors and imagine the lives of naval officers. Visitors can also walk through the exhibition space featuring the history of the vessels and the Korean navy, marine technology and the history of the Hangang River.
○ Address: 407, Maponaru-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul
○ Transportation: Take Mapo 16 (Village Bus) outside Exit 2 of Hapjeong Station (Line 2) and get off at Mangwon Flood Reservoir/Mapo-gu Community Sports Center
○ Hours of Operation: Summer (March – October) 10:00am-8:00pm, Winter (November – February) 10:00am-5:00pm
※ Closed on: Mondays, January 1st, Lunar New Year’s Day and Chuseok
○ Admission Children (6-12): 1,000 won, Adolescents (13-18): 2,000 won, Adults (19 or above): 3,000 won
