Gwangmyeong Cave

Just outside Seoul's southwestern edge, Gwangmyeong Cave is not a natural cave at all but a gold mine dug by hand and machine. It was a site of colonial-era resource exploitation, and after it closed the tunnels spent decades as a store for fermented shrimp. Gwangmyeong city bought it and filled it with light shows, water features, wine and exhibitions, and today it draws more than one million visitors a year. It stays cool inside even in high summer.

History: gold mine, shrimp store, theme park

Records of a "Siheung Mine" here go back to 1903. Large-scale extraction began in 1912 under a Japanese concession holder, using miners who were mostly former farmers, and at its peak about 500 people worked underground. Even between 1955 and 1972 the mine still produced 52 kg of gold.

It closed in 1972 after flood-related pollution and compensation disputes. The tunnels were then used as cold storage for salted shrimp until 2011, when the city bought the site and opened it to the public free of charge. In 2015 it reopened as a paid attraction with a wine cave. The galleries spread over several underground levels and total about 7.8 km, but visitors only enter the safety-equipped level 0 and level B1.

What to see

• Wormhole Plaza and lit galleries: beyond the entrance, illuminated tunnels lead deeper and staircases descend between bare rock walls.
• Golden Waterfall and the underground lake: deep inside, a waterfall and an underground lake give a sense of just how large the old mine workings are.
• Cave Art Hall: a theatre with rows of red seats under a bare rock ceiling, deep inside the tunnels.
• Modern history hall: an exhibition space on the history of the mine. Among all the light and colour, this is where the site's original story is told.
• Fantasy Weta Gallery: life-size Gollum, Gandalf's staff and a 41 m, 800 kg dragon made by New Zealand's Weta Workshop, the effects studio behind "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit".
• Wine cave: part of the tunnels fitted out as a wine cellar, opened with the paid relaunch in 2015.
• Ore-sorting site: outside on the hillside, the stone terraces and concrete footings of the former sorting plant still step down the slope.

Good to know

• The temperature inside averages around 12°C with 60–99% humidity, so bring long sleeves even when it is over 30°C outside.
• The city once hosted an exhibition on the Lascaux cave paintings here; the Lascaux exhibition hall in front of the cave now houses separately ticketed shows.

Tripto tips

• Opening hours: 09:00–18:00 (last entry 17:00), closed on Mondays. Hours shift slightly in the July–August peak season, so check the notices.
• Admission (individual): adults KRW 10,000, teenagers KRW 5,000, children KRW 3,000, visitors 65 and over KRW 3,000; free under 3.
• Getting there: from Gwangmyeong KTX Station, exit 8, bus 77 runs to the Gwangmyeong Cave terminus. From Cheolsan Station (Line 7), exit 2, bus 17 also ends at the cave.
• Parking: car parks 1 and 2 charge KRW 3,000 for cars. Space runs out at weekends and on holidays, so public transport is the better choice.
• Watch out: strollers must be left at the entrance, and pets and food are not allowed. A visit usually takes 30 to 90 minutes.