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All South Korea

The Atlas Obscura Guide To South Korea

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

Updated March 22, 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
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  5. Gyeongju
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Attractions
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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

Cafe Yeonnam-Dong 223-14

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.
Glass gardens.

Jeju-si, South Korea

Jeju Glass Castle Theme Park

A theme park made of glass, from the gleaming books on the shelves to the crystal fish in the mirror lake.

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.
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.
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.
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 88 Things To Do in South Korea

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in South Korea

Seoul, South Korea

Cafe Yeonnam-Dong 223-14

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 14
Buddhism 12
Architectural Oddities 11
Temples 9
Water 8
Pagodas 6
Islands 5
Art 5
Sacred Spaces 5
Military 5
Amusement Parks 4
Statues 4
Places To Stay 2

South Korea Leaderboard

Places Added

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    katielou106
    17
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    StepYoshi
    5
  3. Avatar image for journeylism
    journeylism
    4
  4. Avatar image for Tony Dunnell
    Tony Dunnell
    3
  5. Avatar image for chrishagan
    chrishagan
    3

Places Edited

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    Rachel
    12
  2. Avatar image for katielou106
    katielou106
    9
  3. Avatar image for Fred Cherrygarden
    Fred Cherrygarden
    8
  4. Avatar image for Max Cortesi
    Max Cortesi
    7
  5. M
    Martin
    6

Places Visited

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    33
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  5. R
    reneem23
    24

Recent South Korea Activity

  • Avatar image for Fred Cherrygarden

    Fred Cherrygarden

    updated Coffee Hanyakbang

  • R

    reneem23

    has been to Love Castle

  • R

    reneem23

    has been to Cheonmachong

  • R

    reneem23

    has been to Guryongpo Japanese House Street

  • R

    reneem23

    has been to Illsan Lake Park

Stories About South Korea

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
A shopkeeper in Seoul selling piles of festival treats, in the early 20th.

For Centuries, Massive Meals Amazed Visitors to Korea

Scholars, writers, and missionaries all exclaimed over how much food was available.
by T.K. Park
September 12, 2019

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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