Auf dem koreanischen Nationalfriedhof war ich mit einer Tour des internationalen Frauenclubs in Seoul. Ich war so begeistert, dass ich spontan einen Artikel darüber für deren Mitgliederzeitschrift schrieb – deshalb ist dieser Beitrag auf Englisch.

Der koreanische Name der Gedenkstätte bedeutet sinngemäß „Garten der loyalen Helden“ und wurde nicht einfach angelegt, wo gerade Platz war, sondern an einer geomantisch (ähnlich wie Feng Shui) guten Stelle mit einem Berg im Süden und dem Fluss im Norden etc.

Die Gebäude des Nationalfriedhofs sehen alle klassisch-koreanisch aus.

Endlose Gräberfelder, wohin man sieht.

Während unserer Tour an einem Samstag waren verschiedene Putzkolonnen unterwegs.

Wegen der durchdachten gärtnerischen Gestaltung lohnt sich ein Besuch zu jeder Jahreszeit.

Seoul National Cemetary

Why, of all places, would you do a tour of a cemetary – a graveyard after all? I guess I was not the only one who was wondering, but signed up nevertheless. A friend of mine had recommended seeing this place again and again: she would often go there for the cherry blossom, the fall foliage and anytime in between.

First, the National cemetary grounds are vast! Founded in 1955 as National Military Cemetary after the Korean War, there are now around 174 thousand graves on a 1,4 million squaremeter space, including the gravesites of three former Korean Presidents.

Second, the tour guide was Professor David Mason, well known for his deep knowledge of anything Korean and his entertaining lectures. We did not get less than a short history of post-war Korea, by him very colourful narrating the rise and fall of those three presidents: Rhee Syng-man, Park Chung-hee and Kim Dae-jung. We also learned about the independence movements and the “miracle of the Han river”. Further, we got to know some interesting background on the coexisting of different religious beliefs during a visit to the Memorial Tablet Enshrinement Hall.

What I loved too were all the small side facts Professor Mason uses to mention in his lectures, like
– why there is no 100,000 KRW bill,
– how Korea managed to reforest the entire country after loosing most trees to the Korean war,
– why many Buddhist temples feature full tourist infrastructure, up to designated highway exits,
– why and how Korea helped re-building Vietnam after the war, though they still struggled at home,
and many many more. (Without recording, there’s simply no way to memorize even half of it.)

And third, the entire landscape is really beautifully designed with trees, bushes and (this is Korea!) picnic areas. We were a little surprised to see large groups of students rawing mowed grass or picking up trash, and smaller groups of adults cleaning gravestones with water and soap (they apparently had a good time between all the ancestor’s spirits). When I asked one of them how come, he told me their company sends volunteers twice a year to maintain the site.

Between all the commemoration and soberness it is a really calm and silent place, perfect for some contemplation away from Seoul’s everlasting hustle and bustle and yet right next to Dongjak subway station (lines 4 and 9). There’s a simple restaurant (order at the convenience store) to the left from the main entrance. You can pick up a helpful brochure (Korean/English) at the main entrance information office.