Mureung Byeolyucheonji

On the slopes of Dutasan in Donghae, a limestone quarry that was worked for more than 50 years has become a park with two emerald lakes and a lavender garden. At Mureung Byeolyucheonji you look down from towering cut limestone walls onto bright green water, and you can glide right across it. The mix of mining relics and adventure rides is what makes the place unusual.

From quarry to park

Ssangyong Cement (now Ssangyong C&E) opened its Donghae works in 1968 and quarried limestone here, in what was called Mureung District 3. When some 50 years of mining came to an end, the city of Donghae turned the site into a visitor attraction. Water filled the pits to form two lakes, Cheongokho and Geumgokho, still ringed by the grey quarry faces.

The name comes from an inscription carved into a rock in the nearby Mureung Valley. "Byeolyucheonji" means a world apart: the finest scenery under heaven, far from everyday life.

What to see

• Cheongokho and Geumgokho lakes: two lakes formed in the old pits, their water a deep emerald green. You can rent pedal boats and kayaks on them.
• Lavender garden: about 18,100 m² in three sections. When it flowers from June to early July, the purple fields contrast with the blue-green water.
• Crushing plant: the building where the limestone was crushed was converted in 2019–2021 into a space with exhibitions and a café. The outside conveyor belts and massive concrete pillars remain, and the fourth-floor café looks out over the lakes and the lavender.
• Dumir Observatory: a 22 m-long viewing platform at the highest point of the site, with a view over the lakes and the cliffs.
• Mureung Star Train: a sightseeing train that runs around the site, free for anyone with an admission ticket.
• Maze garden: a 2,500 m² hedge maze laid out in the shape of the park's "MUBU" logo.

Rides

• Sky Glider: the first ride of its kind in Korea, a return glider for up to four people that soars 125 m above the ground over a distance of 777 m. Minimum height 130 cm, maximum weight 100 kg. KRW 25,000 per ride.
• Alpine coaster: 1.5 km of track at up to 40 km/h. KRW 20,000.
• Off-road luge: gravity carts on a 1.5 km course that reuses the quarry's service road. Minimum height 150 cm, KRW 20,000.
• Roller-coaster zip line: a 300 m curving zip line through the pine woods. KRW 20,000.

Combination tickets are available: the Mureung package (Sky Glider and luge) costs KRW 40,000, and the FUNFUN package covering all four rides KRW 70,000.

Tripto tips

• Opening hours: 09:30–17:30, ticket sales close at 16:30 and the last rides are at 17:00. Closed on Mondays, or on Tuesday when Monday is a public holiday.
• Admission: adults KRW 6,000 in high season (June–September) and KRW 4,000 the rest of the year; children and teenagers KRW 3,000 / KRW 2,000.
• Tickets can sell out: ride tickets are limited to the number of runs and may sell out early. Some rides do not operate in winter.
• Getting there: take city bus 111. For car park 1 (visitor centre) get off at "Ssangyong Jawon Gaebal Entrance", for car park 2 (crushing plant) at "Ssangyong Back Gate", then walk. Parking for cars costs KRW 2,000.
• Just the café: from car park 2 you can walk into the crushing-plant building and use the fourth-floor café without an admission ticket.
• Time needed: about 2 hours for a walk and the viewpoints, 3–4 hours with the rides.
• Good to know: pets are not allowed and the whole site is non-smoking.
• Nearby: Samhwasa Temple and Mureung Valley are a few minutes away by car, which makes an easy day trip together.