CULTURE · EVENTS
Free at the National Palace Museum Near Gyeongbokgung: Ahn Jung-geun's Prison Calligraphy, Oct. 27 to Dec. 27
Why NOW picked itA good add-on to a Gyeongbokgung day if you have an extra hour. It is free, and on Saturdays it stays open until 9 pm, so you can stop by after daytime plans.
Ahn Jung-geun's calligraphy 'Mangukgongbeop-buyeo-daepo', returned from Japan, goes on show at the National Palace Museum of Korea from Oct. 27 to Dec. 27. Admission is free, and on Saturdays the museum stays open until 9 pm, which makes it an easy add-on to a Gyeongbokgung day.
One work fills the exhibition
The special exhibition is built around a single piece Ahn Jung-geun wrote in Lushun prison in March 1910: 'Mangukgongbeop-buyeo-daepo' (萬國公法不如大砲), meaning international law is no match for cannon. It came back to Korea in November 2025.
The back of the work records how the Lushun prison warden, Kurihara Sadakichi, came to receive it.
A dark passage, then the writing under a single light
You walk through a dark passage to the calligraphy, lit as the one bright point in the room. At the exit, an interactive space lets you place your hand on a touchscreen image of Ahn's handprint and leave a message of peace.
Your words then appear in vertical script on a large screen. A museum official said the show should be a chance to reflect on Ahn's will for independence and peace, now that the work is home after 116 years.
Daytime works, and Saturday runs until 9 pm
Weekdays and Sundays the museum is open 9:30 am to 5:30 pm; Saturdays it stays open until 9 pm. Last entry is 30 minutes before closing. The last Wednesday of each month is also a night opening, and the museum is closed on the last Monday of each month.
The address is 12 Hyoja-ro, Jongno-gu, a walk from Gyeongbokgung Station on Line 3. Questions: +82-2-3701-7500.
LOCATION
Source ZDNet Korea on the Ahn Jung-geun calligraphy exhibition (Oct. 26) Checked 2026.10.26 17:30
Places to eat nearby
Hanok stays nearby
Ildok IlbakSeochon, Seoul · 9 min walk from Gyeongbokgung Station
Hanok Essay SeochonSeochon, Seoul · 10 min walk from Gyeongbokgung Station
HaeunjaeSeochon, Seoul · 12 min walk from Gyeongbokgung Station
Sources & context
2026-10-26T08:25:26.308Z
ZDNet Korea on the Ahn Jung-geun calligraphy exhibition (Oct. 26) ↗Money Today on the calligraphy going on full view from Oct. 27 (Oct. 26) ↗National Palace Museum of Korea, visitor information ↗Seoul Media Hub on how to reach the museum ↗Wikimedia Commons, museum front steps ↗Wikimedia Commons, museum building ↗Photo credit
AnbyG (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY-SA 4.0The front steps of the National Palace Museum of Korea (taken March 2019; not a photo of the exhibition). Photo by AnbyG, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Photo credit
Mobius6 (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY 4.0The National Palace Museum of Korea building (taken April 2024; not a photo of the exhibition). Photo by Mobius6, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
