Trip to Korean War Museum

by Rachel Moon

Junior Ashlee Reem suppresses a big yawn as she and her

classmates wait for admission into the Korean War Museum. On February 26, 2010, regular

and AP US History students excitedly piled into buses for their field trip to the Korean

War Museum located in Yongsan. Although this is her fourteenth time coming to the museum, Ashlee said that she

was looking forward to experiencing it with her fellow

classmates.

Emotion

Only if there were elevators! Students animatedly chatted with each other while climbing many sets of stairs located

throughout the museum. These stairs might have been a pain to climb, but they offered magnificent view to some of the

museum’s glorious artifacts. Camera Angles,

framing

Many war utilities, such as “Turtle ship” (Gu-book sun)

and aircrafts lined the ceilings and the floors for

visitors to admire. The size and details were

overwhelmingly spectacular. Students marveled at the

magnificence of these artifacts. For many students, this was the first time that

they were able to experience the Korean War.

Camera Angles, Natural Diagonal

A bridge, between the older generation and the modern ones, the museum allows the younger generation to understand the war. Junior Megan Song reads the information about the lives of the

Korean soldiers during the Korean War. Before, she had no knowledge about the terrible conditions of the war, but she is now

fully aware of it. “The Korean War seems like it was one of the most devastating moments of Korean history”, she dolefully said.

Contrast, rule of thirds

Just how many flags are there? Junior Leah Park and Amy Choi counts the number of nations associated with the UN (United

Nations) and which nations helped South Korea during the war with medical supplies and weaponry. If it had not been for foreign

support, the Korean War would have had an even more devastating outcome.

Repetition

The tell-tale looks of the worn covers show how these books were treasured. These books were beacons of scarce education during

and after the Korean War. These books were used to arduous students how to read and write. The years of the Korean War made it difficult for students to learn, but it did not completely stop them. Repetition, Selective

Focus

I am the king of the world! Children rest at the play area in the first floor of the museum. Parents looked on as children roamed around, bouncing on the trampolines and struggling to reach the top of the

play sets. This play area was not only a resting place for toddlers but also for tired parents as well; parents looked more happy than the

children!

Action

Ancient aircrafts and other weaponry were displayed so close to the visitors that the students were able to see minute details on

the crafts - paint peeling off, broken windows...With these aircrafts, US History students were able to easily visualize the war

in their minds. 3D, natural

diagonal

Movie time! Mrs. Thull, Junior Kristin Chung and Jenn Kim are captivated by the movie

shown throughout the museum. This movie was

about the reality of the war and how badly the people

were affected by it. Students watch with horror and surprise

as they were able to understand how the situations

for the Koreans and the soldiers were horrible to the

extreme.

Emotion, filling the frame

What is that? It was not only the KIS students that went to the Korean War Museum as a field trip. Elementary students all the way from An-yang watch with curiosity

at the statues strewn across the museum lawn. Reaction

Wait for me! Juniors Ashlee Reem and Emily Kim look back with surprise as they hear their names being called. They were walking

in the main corridor of the museum which leads to the outside exhibition as well as the cafeteria.

Reaction, leading lines, repetition

Ashlee Reem poses behind ancient war weaponry to show that the younger

generations indeed can connect with

Korean history. As if to celebrate that

notion, the day was unbelievably superb, with clear blue skies

and warm spring breezes.

Framing

Go Korea! Students and other visitors gather around the television to watch Yuna Kim’s freestyle figure skating for the

winter olympics. The crowd cheered and nervously wrung their hands as they watched Kim strive for the gold medal. Emotion

Cheese! AP US History students take a pose in front of statues at the front of the museum before they head off to their buses. Although it was tiring walking around the large museum, the

students gave their fullest smiles to the camera to mark the end of the field trip.

The Korean War Museum abled KIS students to not only learn more about the war that divided the nation into two, but students were

able to fully visualize and personalize the affects of the war as well. As students boarded the bus to go home, many said how great the

trip was (or how great it was to miss a whole day of school). Repetition, rule of thirds