Kim Koo Museum & Library

Kim Koo Museum & Library in Seoul's Yongsan district is the dedicated public museum on Kim Koo (1876-1949), the leader of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea in exile during the Japanese colonial period and one of the most revered figures in the modern Korean independence movement. The museum walks visitors through Kim Koo's life — from his early years as a village schoolteacher through his 1919 election as head of the Shanghai-based Provisional Government, his 30-year exile organizing armed and diplomatic resistance, his 1945 return after liberation, and his 1949 assassination — with substantial documentary material including his own writings, personal effects, and photographs. The library section holds Kim Koo's personal papers and a research collection on the broader Korean independence movement. Bilingual Korean/English interpretation. Free entry. Allow about 90 minutes. Access: 5-minute walk from Hyochang Park Station (Line 6, Exit 1). Pair with the adjacent Hyochang Park (where Kim Koo is buried, along with several other independence leaders), Seodaemun Prison History Hall (a substantial colonial-era prison museum), and the broader Seoul independence-history circuit for a Korean-independence heritage day.