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All South Korea

The Atlas Obscura Guide To South Korea

101 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in South Korea

Updated November 28, 2023

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Cities

Top Cities
The park was built in 1980, and has a few of the decade's icons still on hand.
Seoul
Third Tunnel of Aggression. (Wikimedia Commons)
Paju
Gyeongju
Hwaam Cave
Jeongseon
Kimchi pots.
Andong
Entrance of Daewonsa Temple, the Dragon Temple.
Pohang
All Cities
  1. Andong
  2. Gangneung
  3. Gumi
  4. Gwangju
  5. Gyeongju
  6. Jeju Si
  7. Jeongseon
  8. Paju
  9. Pohang
  10. Seogwipo
  11. Seoul
Attractions
Food & Drink
Map
Leaderboards
Stories
Lists

Unusual Attractions in South Korea

The park was built in 1980, and has a few of the decade's icons still on hand.

Seoul, South Korea

Yongma Land Abandoned Theme Park

Plenty of old carney magic still haunts this photogenic amusement park.

Seoul, South Korea

Greem Cafe

Step into a cartoon at this Seoul café that aims to evoke a two-dimensional scene.
One of a few cheese wheel buildings.

Imsil-gun, South Korea

Imsil Cheese Theme Park

A 32-acre fun park dedicated to all things cheese.
The cafe is known for its excellent drip coffee.

Seoul, South Korea

Coffee Hanyakbang

About as hidden as can be, this specialty coffee shop is wedged between multi-story buildings at the end of a dark, skinny alleyway in Seoul.

Gwangju-si, South Korea

Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital

The abandoned hospital whose elaborate ghost stories cover up the dirty truth - an uneventful sanitation issue and other mundane reasons for its demise.
Third Tunnel of Aggression. (Wikimedia Commons)

Paju, South Korea

Third Tunnel of Aggression

Secret North Korean passage discovered below the world's most dangerous border.
Entrance of Daewonsa Temple, the Dragon Temple.

Pohang, South Korea

Daewonsa Temple

To enter the lower hall of this temple, you must first walk through a dragon.
The park is structured around a lake that contains a larger-than-life statue of two pairs of entwined legs, upside-down in the water as if the partners’ upper bodies are under the lake’s surface.

Jeju-si, South Korea

Jeju Loveland

South Korea's only sex-themed park.
See All 101 Things To Do in South Korea

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in South Korea

Seoul, South Korea

Greem Cafe

Step into a cartoon at this Seoul café that aims to evoke a two-dimensional scene.
One of a few cheese wheel buildings.

Imsil-gun, South Korea

Imsil Cheese Theme Park

A 32-acre fun park dedicated to all things cheese.
The cafe is known for its excellent drip coffee.

Seoul, South Korea

Coffee Hanyakbang

About as hidden as can be, this specialty coffee shop is wedged between multi-story buildings at the end of a dark, skinny alleyway in Seoul.
Different varieties of kimchi at the museum.

Seoul, South Korea

Museum Kimchikan

Tracking the 1,500-year history of Korea's star cabbage.
See all 10 Places to Eat in South Korea
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Unforgettable Experiences Nearby

Explore South Korea

History & Culture 17
Buddhism 13
Architectural Oddities 11
Temples 10
Water 8
Pagodas 6
Art 6
Islands 5
Parks 5
Museums And Collections 5
Sacred Spaces 5
Royalty 5
Places To Stay 2

South Korea Leaderboard

Places Added

  1. Avatar image for katielou106
    katielou106
    19
  2. Avatar image for Fred Cherrygarden
    Fred Cherrygarden
    10
  3. Avatar image for StepYoshi
    StepYoshi
    5
  4. Avatar image for journeylism
    journeylism
    4
  5. Avatar image for chrishagan
    chrishagan
    3

Places Edited

  1. Avatar image for Fred Cherrygarden
    Fred Cherrygarden
    16
  2. Avatar image for Rachel
    Rachel
    12
  3. Avatar image for katielou106
    katielou106
    11
  4. Avatar image for Carbonated Jerks
    Carbonated Jerks
    8
  5. Avatar image for Max Cortesi
    Max Cortesi
    7

Places Visited

  1. Avatar image for HallieBradley
    HallieBradley
    44
  2. L
    ledebardeur
    41
  3. K
    kylierose
    34
  4. Avatar image for stereophonicbreadsticks
    stereophonicbreadsticks
    29
  5. M
    mackenziefuller15
    29

Recent South Korea Activity

  • Avatar image for Ryshili

    Ryshili

    wants to go to Seoul Book Repository

  • Avatar image for Ryshili

    Ryshili

    has been to 108 Heaven Stairway

  • Avatar image for revans

    revans

    has been to Hyangwonjeong Pavilion

  • E

    eppigg

    has been to Sangpyeongtongbo Gallery

  • E

    eppigg

    has been to Hyangwonjeong Pavilion

Stories About South Korea

Here, brunost shavings garnish a cup of ice cream.

How South Korea Fell in Love With Norway's Unique Cheese

Brunost is kind of a big deal.
by Jessica Furseth
August 29, 2023
The Gocta Waterfalls in northwestern Peru are the subject of one of our favorite recent Atlas Obscura Podcast episodes.

7 Recent Atlas Obscura Podcast Episodes You Just Have to Hear

For our two-year pod-iversary we're headed back to some of the coolest places we've taken you recently.
by April White
March 22, 2023
At Yangdong Market in Gwangju, a statue of a hand holding jumeokbap aloft honors the humble food.

How 'Fist Rice' Became a Symbol of Korean Democracy

In the city of Gwangju, this food fueled a fight for freedom.
by Jia Jung
November 3, 2022
The no-man's-land between North and South Korea.

Podcast: Cranes of the DMZ

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
by The Podcast Team
July 18, 2022
Earlier this year, excavations at Wolseong Palace unearthed more evidence of human sacrifice during its construction.

Why Were Human Sacrifices Buried Beneath Ancient Korea's 'Moon Castle'?

Remains sealed in the foundations suggest builders would do anything to protect the heart of a fledgling kingdom.
by Bridget Alex
October 15, 2021
Standard toilets like this one are not usually profitable enterprises for the user, but a new project in South Korea is changing that.

Students Are Getting Paid to Poop at a South Korean University

The project transforms human waste into biogas, and allows participants to buy everything from bananas to socks.
by Jessica Leigh Hester
July 23, 2021
A portrait of Jang Gye-hyang hangs in the Eumsik-Dimibang Exhibition Center.

The Oldest Cookbook in Korean Was Written by a Genius Noblewoman

A poet and artist, she penned the recipes in her old age.
by Hahna Yoon
September 3, 2020
The safety doors of some Seoul metro stations are decorated with poetry.

On Streets and Subways in South Korea, Poetry Hides in Plain Sight

You'll find poems in hostels, restaurants, and even on mountain trails—if you know where to look.
by Jimin Kang
August 24, 2020

Lists Featuring South Korea

Third Tunnel of Aggression. (Wikimedia Commons)
Heyri Art Valley
The not-at-all bustling entrance to Dorasan Station.
Bridge of No Return

7 Places Worth Trying to See on a Visit to the Korean DMZ

One of the world’s most historically contentious borders is peppered with intriguing attractions.

7

Including Third Tunnel of Aggression, Heyri Art Valley, and Dorasan Station

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