Tapgol Park

Lonely Planet review

'Tapgol' means 'pagoda,' which refers to the 10-tier, 12m-high stone pagoda in the park that is all that remains of Wongaksa, a temple that stood here but was destroyed in 1515. Constructed in 1471, the pagoda is adorned with wonderful Buddhist carvings, but unfortunately the ugly protective glass box around it spoils its ancient beauty and charm.

Opened in 1897, Tapgol was Seoul's first Western-style park and is a symbol of Korean resistance to Japanese rule. On 1 March 1919, Son Byeong-hui and 32 others signed and read aloud a Declaration of Independence. Many of them were high-school teachers, 16 were Cheondogyo followers, 15 were Protestant Christians and two, including poet-monk Young-un, were Buddhists. All were arrested and locked up in the notorious Seodaemun Prison. A torrent of protest against Japan followed in Seoul and throughout Korea, but the sam-il (1 March) movement was ruthlessly suppressed. Hundreds of independence fighters were killed and thousands arrested. Ten murals in the park depict scenes from the heroic but unsuccessful struggle.