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All South Korea

The Atlas Obscura Guide To South Korea

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

Updated October 25, 2024

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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
Old laundry room
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. Incheon
  7. Jeju Si
  8. Jeongseon
  9. Paju
  10. Pohang
  11. Seogwipo
  12. Seoul
Attractions
Food & Drink
Map
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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.
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.
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.
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.

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 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.
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 104 Things To Do in South Korea

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in South Korea

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.
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.
Different varieties of kimchi at the museum.

Seoul, South Korea

Museum Kimchikan

Tracking the 1,500-year history of Korea's star cabbage.
Dreamy Camera Cafe

Yangpyeong, South Korea

Dreamy Camera Cafe

This quirky Korean eatery is built to resemble an equally quirky vintage camera.
See all 11 Places to Eat in South Korea
In partnership with KAYAK

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Unforgettable Experiences Nearby

Explore South Korea

Architecture 24
History & Culture 18
Museums 14
Buddhism 13
Architectural Oddities 11
Temples 10
Water 8
Art 7
Pagodas 6
Islands 5
Parks 5
Sculptures 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
    11
  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
    17
  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 revans
    revans
    50
  2. Avatar image for HallieBradley
    HallieBradley
    44
  3. L
    ledebardeur
    41
  4. Avatar image for RichardATravels
    RichardATravels
    38
  5. Avatar image for stereophonicbreadsticks
    stereophonicbreadsticks
    37

Recent South Korea Activity

  • A

    adyban07

    wants to go to Sinsedong Seven-Story Brick Pagoda

  • A

    adyban07

    wants to go to Palsangjeon

  • A

    adyban07

    wants to go to Lee Jang-woo's House

  • A

    adyban07

    wants to go to Seokguram Grotto

  • A

    adyban07

    wants to go to Hwangsang-dong Buddha Carving

Stories About South Korea

Grilled eel and all the sides.

Go Beyond the Beef at Korean Barbecue

Enjoy sizzling shellfish and duck over charcoal.
by Caroline Shin
March 25, 2024
Mafra Palace Library is home to a colony of itty-bitty bats that keep its many historic volumes safe from pests.

5 of Our Favorite Podcast Episodes About Wildlife in Unexpected Places

Life finds a way, from the bats that haunt and hunt in a majestic library to a bird sanctuary in one of the most dangerous places in the world.
by The Podcast Team
January 12, 2024
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

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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