On July 5, 2020, exactly a hundred years after the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea’s first pilots took off, South Korea’s first national museum dedicated to aviation, the National Aviation Museum of Korea opened its doors to the public next to Seoul Gimpo Airport.
The museum, comprising of outdoor exhibits around and indoor exhibits in a stunning, jet engine turbine-shaped building, is a perfect place to spend a couple of hours in if you are arriving at or departing from Seoul Gimpo Airport. It is also a worthwhile destination on its own if you have a couple of days in Seoul.
I visited it twice so far – once briefly during my quick trip to South Korea back in January and once for a longer period of time at the beginning of a trip to Africa I did last month. Continue reading to learn more about the museum.
Access, Opening Hours & Entrance Fees
The easiest way to get to the National Aviation Museum of Korea is from Seoul Gimpo Airport.
It’s just a short five or ten minute walk from the airport’s domestic terminal and the way is well signposted from both the terminal itself, as well as from the airport’s train station, which is located halfway between the international and domestic terminals.
Aside from simulators and other similar experiences I will talk about later, the museum is free to access. It is open every Tuesday through Sunday from 10AM to 6PM. The museum is closed on Mondays, on January 1, and on Lunar New Year’s Day. That said, the museum is open on Mondays that are public holidays and, those weeks, is closed on Tuesdays instead.
Exhibits
The exhibits in the National Aviation Museum of Korea could be found in four places – outside the museum building and on the first three floors of the building itself. Going from the first floor to the third, the latter comprised of the Aviation History Hall, Aviation Industry Hall, and Aviation Life Hall.
Overall, there were not many large-scale exhibits related to airliners. That said, even if commercial rather than general or military aviation is your cup of tea, you will still be able to enjoy the museum thanks to the wide range of airline memorabilia on display among other things.
Outdoor Exhibits
Perhaps the main attraction outside the museum building was a Cessna 560 Citation registered HL7502.
While I am not sure about the reason, the aircraft was behind a black construction mesh fence when I visited. Still, it was possible to get some photos by reaching above the fence. Also, while older photos that can be found online show the aircraft with a Korean Air logo under its cockpit windows, the logo has been removed.
The only other exhibit related to an actual aircraft that could be found outside was a starboard side wing of a Boeing 757-200.
The wing appears to have belonged to a Delta Air Lines Boeing 757-200 registered N610DL, which was withdrawn from use in 2014 and scrapped in 2019.
Other outdoor exhibits included a wide range of navigational equipment and a statue of Korean military aviatiors.
Aviation History Hall
The Aviation History Hall, as hinted by its name, was where most of the traditional museum exhibits could be seen. It offered a good balance between old and new, small and large, Korean and global, and military and civil.
Items on display ranged from airplane models and military pilot helmets through airline pilot and flight attendant uniforms all the way to printed items like posters, schedules, tickets, and so on.
The first floor was also home to a KAI T-50 jet trainer, which used to fly for Black Eagles, the display team of the Republic of Korea Air Force.
Additionally, there was a cross section of a Boeing 747-400. Like the 757 wing outside, the 747 from which the cutout was made, N668US, used to fly for Delta Air Lines before being retired. That’s in spite of the fact that the seats placed in the cutout were ex-Korean Air. Next to the cross section was an engine.
Lastly, half a dozen or so small aircraft ranging from props like the Stinson 108-3 Voyager and KAI KC-100 Naraon to jets like the North American F-86F Sabre were hanging from the ceiling along a walkway that led to the museum’s second floor.
Aviation Industry Hall
The Aviation Industry Hall on the museum’s second floor introduced various aspects of modern airport operations. There were mock-ups and exhibits related to everything ranging from check-in through customs all the way to baggage sorting and collection.
Aviation Life Hall
In terms of exhibits, the third floor was home to an area for special temporary exhibits. At the time of my visit, the area was being prepared for the next exhibition – “The Aviator Training Institution: Korea’s First Flight School,” which has since opened and will be available for visitors to see until September 1, 2024.
While there was also an aviation library, it was closed at the time of my visit.
Simulators & Other Experiences
In addition to the wide variety of exhibits I talked about above, there was also an impressive collection of simulators and other experiences that guests could try. Some required advanced booking and all were paid.
Unfortunately, I didn’t try any of them, but there were, among others:
- Air traffic control experience
- Cabin crew training experience where, among other things, guests could slide down an evacuation slide
- Black Eagles experience
Observation Deck, Shops & Other Facilities
While the exhibits and experiences were spread across the museum’s first three floors, the museum had one more floor (two if counting an underground parking garage).
The fourth floor of the museum was home to an observation deck, which offered limited (and distant) views of Seoul Gimpo Airport and some of the residential areas around the airport. The deck was not ideal for plane spotting but it was still a nice place to spend some time watching aircraft take off and land.
Separately from the observation deck, the third floor also had another outdoor terrace. That one had plenty of grass, flowers, and seating to provide a nice space to relax. On the same floor, there was also an indoor seating area where guests could sit down and have a drink or a bite to eat.
Next to the seating area was a self-service convenience store with plenty of drinks and snacks on offer among other things.
Lastly, on the first floor next to the entrance, there was a small museum shop with a limited selection of aircraft models, aviation-themed toys, and so on.
Summary
If you want to see a lot of airliners, or aircraft in general, on display, then the National Aviation Museum of Korea might not be for you. While the museum has some aircraft like the Cessna 560 and the Black Eagles T-50 in its collection, the number of aircraft on display is relatively small.
However, if you are interested in aviation in general and enjoy seeing a wide variety of smaller items related to the industry ranging from vintage posters and tickets all the way to aircraft models, then you should definitely visit the museum if you get a chance.
Its location makes it perfect to visit if you have a flight departing from or arriving at Seoul Gimpo Airport. Even if you do not, however, the museum is well-worth a visit for half a day or even longer given that the airport is easily accessible from central Seoul by train.
