Seodaemun Prison today

Wacky Seodaemun Prison History Hall in Seoul, South Korea takes the blue ribbon has being the craziest torture museum in the world, a tribute to both its exhibits and its patrons. The truth is sobering. This prison, opened in 1908, was eventually used as a torture and execution venue by both the Japanese and by right-wing Korean political factions. Thousands were tortured or murdered there. Now for the crazy stuff. 

This museum is an example of multimedia gone mad. Pre-recorded torturous shrieks can be head just about everywhere, amidst the tinkling piano accompanying a film about tortured political prisoners. The visitor can imagine him or herself in a torture lounge, of sorts. The Big Event occurs when the visitor gets to put him or herself in a live-action video, and in 44 seconds, sees his or her body being tortured, and screaming for dear life (check out your WoWasis correspondent’s video of this on YouTube). This is accomplished by the visitor standing on a metal disk, having his or her image scanned to a silhouette, then inserted in the movie. Now that’s cinéma-vérité! “See yourself being tortured” or “Don’t try this at home” are two possible headliners for this brutally weird exhibit.  

Training for future employment? One kid locks up another in a wooden torture box.

The visitors add to the fun as well. You’d think Korean parents might bring their kids to this Prison to teach them about repression, politics, and human rights. That’s not what we witnessed. Screaming, out of control kids took over torture devices, and gleefully used them on each other. Don’t believe us, see the accompanying photo. Here, one kid sadistically locks his friend into a torture box, and laughs uproariously, while his parent watches! Looks like we’re raising another generation of torturers! 

Ironically, taking pictures isn’t allowed in the execution building, and who knows why, since torture play and multimedia entertainment seems to be the rule of the day. The playful, wacky multimedia and unsupervised kiddy torture play is at odds with other Asian museums on similar themes. Phnom Penh’s Tuol Sleng comes to mind. It’s reverent there, and quiet. And sobering. And the attendees get it. It’s a place of reflection. On what caused it, and how it can potentially be prevented from happening again. 

Based on our experience at Tuol Sleng, we don’t think Cambodian kids are being brought up to thinking that torture is fun. After our experience in Korea, we just don’t know what to think about those kids, or their parents. Or the people who designed multimedia exhibits where you can see yourself (or a friend, if you trick him or her to stand on the circle) get water-tortured, scream bloody murder, then  get carried away.