The Atlas Obscura Guide To South Korea

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

Updated December 4, 2024

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 105 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

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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

Sculptures 6

Islands 5

Parks 5

Places To Stay 2

South Korea Leaderboard

Places Added

Places Edited

Places Visited

Recent South Korea Activity

avaika

has been to Namdaemun
avaika

has been to Hwangudan
tabledalt

wants to go to Coffee Hanyakbang
tabledalt

wants to go to Hyangwonjeong Pavilion
tabledalt

wants to go to Suguksa Temple

Stories About South Korea

Grilled eel and all the sides.

Go Beyond the Beef at Korean Barbecue

Enjoy sizzling shellfish and duck over charcoal.

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Mafra Palace Library is home to a colony of itty-bitty bats that keep its many historic volumes safe from pests.

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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.

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August 29, 2023

The Gocta Waterfalls in northwestern Peru are the subject of one of our favorite recent Atlas Obscura Podcast episodes.

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For our two-year pod-iversary we're headed back to some of the coolest places we've taken you recently.

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.

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.

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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

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.

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

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