Mokpo - 목포시 Gatbawi and Nearby Museums

Over the weekend I spent two full days in the city of Mokpo. This city is well known as a port city in the southwestern part of South Korea. During my time there I took nearly 200 photos and went to many tourist attractions. However, I would still like to return during a festival someday to experience why it is called the city of light. I was unable to see their dancing light water fountain or the street of light during this visit.

The first place I saw upon arriving was called Gatbawi - 갓바위 (literally translated as "hat rock"). There are several different stories, or legends, about the formation of the rocks, but the one that is displayed beneath the rocks themselves was something like this:  A son moved away to earn money to help his sick father, but the money was never given to him after his work and in the son's absence his father passed away. The son felt immense regret at having not been there in his father’s last moments, so he wanted to give him a decent burial. However, while moving his father’s coffin, it slipped into the sea by accident and sank. Feeling even worse, he sat by the sea for the rest of his life and always wore a hat so that he could not see the sky. He felt that he did not deserve to see the sky after what he had done. After the son's death, two rocks arose in that spot in the shape of hats, one is said to represent the father and the other the son.

Shoreline Near Gatbawi

 If you look closely at the rocks, and use a bit of imagination, I think the rocks do somewhat resemble hats. Either way, the story is not only touching, but also shows a bit of the culture of the area and how much Koreans value family. The rocks are made up of natural sandstone and have formed this hat shape over time thanks to erosion caused by their proximity to the sea. Gatbawi is a good starting point for a tourist to visit.

Shoreline Near Gatbawi

I say that the Gatbawi rocks are a good place to start touring because they are a very well know landmark. It is quite simple for foreigners to get a taxi there since most taxi drivers know the Gatbawi area, even if they don’t speak English. Plus, there are many other attractions nearby Gatbawi. Toward the East is where the light fountain can be found, and to the west of Gatbawi there are multiple museums and a park that are very lively and interesting. When I had set out I had no intention of going to any museums that day, but I stumbled upon a street full of them and decided to check the entry fee. The adult ticket price for the Mokpo Natural History Museum was only 3,000 won, so I decided to check it out. Turns out, the ticket was good for all three museums in that area, not just one.

First, I visited the Mokpo Natural History Museum and I was very excited. Since I just finished my bachelors in zoology it was nice to see something familiar. Outside the museum there were many animal sculptures to see. Now, there were signs saying not to climb on them, but there were many Korean families there with their young children, allowing them to ride the animals and having the best of times. The place looked very kid-friendly and seemed like a popular place for families to spend time together on the weekend. Entering the museum felt like I was walking back into the laboratories at my university and I felt right at home there. The displays are amazing and have many descriptions (in Korean). They had dinosaur skeletons in the main entrance to catch everyone’s attention, which is pretty standard I think. As you look around more they have fantastic taxidermy displays of all types of fauna, from fish, reptiles and amphibians to insects, birds and mammals. They had up to date phylogenies on the walls to show the evolutionary relationships between different lineages as well, which impressed me. In the ecological area of the museum there were extensive samples of different flora that could be found in South Korea. There were pull out drawers that displayed many different species of plants and also were samples in glass cases lining the wall which were back-lit to create a beautiful display. Overall I thought that the museum’s collection of samples was thorough and interesting for all ages, including well-made, eye catching displays.

 

Dinos at the front entrance

Fauna Display

Butterfly Display

Flora Display

Flora Display

The second museum that I visited was the Mokpo Literary Museum. Despite being called a literary museum, there is more inside than the name suggests. Inside this museum is everything from literary pieces and historical artifacts to currency from throughout the world. The currency exhibit was my favorite room in this museum because unlike most currency displays that I have seen this one did not focus solely on currency of South Korea. Instead, the exhibit had currency from all areas of the world both current and historical. I thought this was very unique and it meant I was able to compare currencies from many countries at one time. This room also had pull out drawers lining the walls with many samples of coins from each area. There was an area of the exhibit which focused on currency from the historical periods of South Korea as well, and showed currency used through several of the dynasties and even rare currency of the country. What I wouldn’t give to find some rare currency along my travels…that would be amazing.

My Ticket

Rare Korean Currency

Korean Currency

History of Mokpo

The final museum I saw was the Mokpo Ceramic Livingware Museum. Initially I thought this museum would be very boring, and I expected it to be an in-and-out type of visit. I was mistaken. The entire first floor of the museum is set up for children…or children-at-heart visitors. There were many hands-on displays. These displays showed different styles of pottery and even included pottery shaped puzzles. These puzzles were harder to put together than I expected. It took my friend and I eight minutes to put one together, since the first try it became unstable and fell apart. Everything inside was vibrantly colored and fun to see and experience. Then there were also exhibits showing how traditional pottery was handmade and many cases showing historical ceramics, porcelain, and other types of pottery. I wasn’t disappointed about my decision to give this museum a chance. Plus, for only 3,000 won (which is less than $3 USD) the price was more than reasonable for entrance into three museums and the amount of displays available. Definitely worth the visit.

Ceramic Livingware Museum

Traditional Pottery Hand-Making Procedure

Pottery Puzzle

The Research Institute for Maritime History Museum and additional museums are located in the nearby area as well.

Past these museums there was a very beautiful park that looked like a popular spot to spend time. It was quite large, with a small mountain of bare rock on the right-hand side. There were trails leading up the small mountain that you could hike and many trees and shrubs planted around to make the place look really nice. There were areas to sit and areas for children to play as well. Something told me that the area is probably a hit in the summer, a fun place near the shoreline for friends and family alike to have fun and socialize with one another. If I was living in Mokpo I probably would’ve made this park one of my regular spots to enjoy the outdoors and local life.

In the downtown area nearby there is a street called the Street of Roses that also seems to be a popular place for young people and couples. The street was lined with shops, cafes, and restaurants and no cars could drive down this street. Instead, in the center of the street there was a path with trellises that arch over it and shrubs lining the walkway. In the spring and summer this area would've been filled with greenery and flowers growing up the trellises. Since it is winter now there were no flowers growing, but I certainly would go there again if I find myself there in summertime. I am certain it would be enchanting and lively there, with the natural beauty combined with food, coffee, couples, and consumerism. 

For more information on museums in Mokpo click here.
For more information on Mokpo click here or visit eng.mokpo.go.kr

Address for the Natural History Museum (and others surrounding nearby...)

135, Namnong-ro, Mokpo-si, Jeollanam-do

전라남도 목포시 남농로 135 (용해동)