Gyeongju City Completes "King Munmu Maritime History Museum," Establishing a Marine Cultural Tourism Hub on the East Coast

Exhibiting Silla’s Maritime Activities and the History of Unification

Project Completed with a 15.3 Billion Won Investment

The Munmu Daewang Maritime History Museum, dedicated to commemorating the patriotic and maritime spirit of King Munmu of Silla, has opened on the East Coast of Gyeongju.

The city of Gyeongju announced that it has established the Munmu Daewang Maritime History Museum and held a completion ceremony on the morning of the 16th at the site of the former Daebon Elementary School in Daebon-ri, Gampo-eup.

Approximately 300 people attended the ceremony, including Gyeongju Mayor Jun Nakyoung, National Assemblyman Kim Seokki, provincial and city council members, representatives from related organizations, and local residents, to celebrate the completion of the museum.

Mayor Jun Nakyoung of Gyeongju and other guests are celebrating the completion at the Munmu Daewang Marine History Museum completion ceremony in Gampo-eup on the 16th.

The event began with pre-ceremony performances by the Silla Gochwi Band and the Gyeongju City Choir, followed by the opening, the national ceremony, introduction of guests, a progress report, commemorative speeches and congratulatory remarks, a completion performance, a commemorative photo session, and a tour of the exhibition hall.

The Munmu Daewang Maritime History Museum was established to systematically introduce the maritime historical and cultural heritage sites surrounding King Munmu's Tomb. It serves as the core facility of the project to sanctify the area around King Munmu's Tomb.

The city of Gyeongju began the project in 2015 and, after about 10 years of preparation and implementation, has now completed the museum.

This project utilized the site of the closed Daebon Elementary School, with a total investment of 15.3 billion won. The museum is a two-story building with a total floor area of approximately 1,700 square meters on a site of 9,089 square meters.

The first floor houses a special exhibition hall, a multipurpose room, a cafeteria, and a souvenir shop, while the second floor features an exhibition hall dedicated to King Munmu's history and an exhibition on the Silla Maritime Silk Road, offering experiential exhibition content.

Gyeongju City expects that the Munmu Daewang Maritime History Museum will strengthen the foundation for maritime cultural tourism by linking historical sites along the East Coast, such as King Munmu's Tomb, Gameunsa Temple Site, and Igyeondae, and contribute to revitalizing local tourism.

National Assemblyman Kim Seokki stated, "The completion of the Munmu Daewang Maritime History Museum will serve as a meaningful occasion to reflect on the great patriotic and pioneering maritime spirit of King Munmu. I expect it will play a significant role in promoting the historical and cultural resources of Gyeongju's East Coast and in revitalizing local tourism."

Mayor Jun Nakyoung of Gyeongju remarked, "The Munmu Daewang Maritime History Museum is a symbolic space that widely promotes King Munmu's patriotic and maritime spirit. We will do our best to operate the museum as a maritime cultural tourism hub that connects historical sites along the East Coast, such as King Munmu's Tomb, Gameunsa Temple Site, and Igyeondae."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.