Old Korean Legation Museum

Wonderful experience learning about the history of the Korean legation! The lady giving us a tour was so sweet and knowledgeable. I can understand her perfectly! This visit was well worth it and free!

The museum is free and it's open every day except Monday. There is a 6 minute video introduction followed by a short tour. Our guide was pleasant and knowledgeable bit her English was just so-so. The house itself is beautifully restored. Definitely worth a visit if you live in DC or if you are especially interested in Korean history.

Beautifully restored building and exhibition space on the history of the Korean Legation and US-Korean relations. An easy, free activity to glimpse inside an historic building

The Old Korean Legation Museum is a small off-the-National-Mall museum in a historic mansion along Logan Circle. The mansion was built in 1877 and became the Korean Legation in 1889. Essentially what that means is it served to establish diplomatic relations with what's now become modern North and South Korean. That ended in 1905 when Japan deprived the Korean Empire of their diplomatic sovereignty. The building was sold.nnFor decades, Koreans in Washington, D.C. vowed to one day restore the building and in 2012, it happened. The mansion was sold back to Korea and underwent renovations. Today it's the only historic diplomatic building in the city restored to its original appearance.nnThe building itself takes 20-30 minutes to walk through. It's free, but they do ask you to take off your shoes and wear slippers while in the mansion. There are three floors. The first two have the rooms (a dining room, bedroom, library, bathroom, etc) restored to its original appearance. The third floor is a small museum exhibit telling the history of the building. The third floor also has a beautiful view of Logan Circle.nnWhen you arrive, the gentleman in charge of the mansion will ask you watch a 6-minute film about the mansion. Then you are free to explore on your own. Outside is a small garden.nnIf you enjoy interesting experiences, this is a unique find in DC!

This place is so lovely! It's a small tour of an old big home. But it's a fun little trip if you happen to be in the area (it can be a perfect place to cool down, especially on a hot day like today).nnIt's a beautifully renovated building with lots of little interesting tidbits and facts about Korean-American relations over the years. Very fascinating stuff and free too!