VICTORIOUS WAR MUSEUM

PYONGYANG

Also known as the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum, this site in North Korea presents the North Korean perspective of the war. If a visit to North Korea can be arranged, the museum presents another, remarkable, ‘other-side’ perspective of the war, one skewed heavily against the USA.

The current museum was renovated in 2013, opening on the 60th anniversary of the end of the war, and sports large displays, including a massive 360° diorama of the Battle of Taejon (14-21 July 1950). Originally the museum opened in August 1953, only a month after the armistice. The museum then moved to its current site in 1963. Displays of North Korean equipment are dominant, although there are captured American and British examples, such as the USS Pueblo.

Unlike the Korean War Museum in Dandong, China, the Victorious War Museum ignores the contribution of the PRC completely. Some aspects of the displays are highly contentious (such as the sinking of the USS Baltimore in July 1950), if not fictionalised, so keep that in mind should you choose to explore.

Open 365 Days. Admission is free.

The main building and entrance of the Victorious War Museum is built to impress