From the April 2016 issue of The Rotarian

Do you need some context for all you’re experiencing while you’re in Korea for the Rotary International Convention from 28 May to 1 June? Check out one or more of these museums:

1. National Museum of Korea: If you have time for only one, this museum, the sixth largest in the world, has something for everyone: relics from prehistoric times, calligraphy, paintings, sculpture, and even a children’s museum, all housed in a six-story building in the wooded Yongsan Family Park.

2. Korea Furniture Museum: To see how Koreans of the past lived, walk through the 10 restored hanok homes that make up this museum. See how its 500 pieces of furniture on display were used in daily life. Reservations required.

3. Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art: The three buildings housing this museum’s exhibits are themselves works of art, designed by renowned architects Mario Botta, Jean Nouvel, and Rem Koolhaas.

4. War Memorial of Korea: Learn about the history of the Korean War, re-enact a night battle in the combat experience room, and climb inside restored tanks and aircraft.

5. Museum Kimchikan: If you’re shopping in Insa-dong, stop at this museum that pays homage to kimchee, the pickled cabbage that’s part of Korea’s national identity. The three-story museum moved into new quarters in 2015.

Register today for the convention at www.riconvention.org. Early registration savings end 31 March.