Exploring Seoul: Yongmaland (용마랜드)

With Halloween approaching rather quickly, I thought Yongma Land (용마랜드) would be a good spot to highlight. It’s a small abandoned amusement park in Jungnang District (중랑구).

Originally opened in 1983, the park eventually struggled to compete with much larger attractions like Lotte World (롯데월드) and closed its doors for good in 2011. Since then, it has remained abandoned. The current owner still allows visitors to enter for a small fee, which helps maintain the park in its current state.

There’s definitely a slightly creepy atmosphere to the place, especially if you’re there alone. But that’s also exactly what draws people in. It has become a popular location for photoshoots and cosplay, and several music videos and dramas have been filmed there as well.

I say popular, but the park itself is usually pretty empty. During my first visit in 2024, I saw a photographer with a model and two cosplayers. During my second visit, when I went with two friends, we were completely alone apart from the employee at the entrance.

The park is also home to quite a few cats, so if you like cats, that might be another reason to visit. If I remember correctly, you can even buy some food from the employee at the entrance to feed them.

The entrance fee is around ₩10,000 per person. The park itself is relatively small, and if you’re just walking around and taking a good look at everything, you’ll probably be done within an hour. But once you start taking photos and spending a bit more time exploring the different corners of the park, that’s when the entrance fee really starts to feel worth it.

So if you’re planning to visit, I definitely recommend bringing a camera. I’ll add a small gallery below with some of the images I took during my visits. But I think I’ve said enough about this place. I’ll let the photos do the rest of the talking. If you find yourself in Seoul with a little time to spare, I definitely recommend checking it out!