Lighting Museum

Up on a hillside in Gwangjeok-myeon, Yangju, the Lighting Museum traces the history of light from torches and oil lamps to modern electric fittings and contemporary light art. It was founded in 2004 by the lighting company Feelux and registered the following year as a specialised museum. Galleries of old lamps sit alongside hands-on rooms where children can experiment with how light works, which makes it a popular family outing north of Seoul.

A museum built by a lighting company

The museum grew out of the objects and artworks collected by the company. The collection covers traditional Korean lighting, industrial and Bauhaus lamps, modern and antique lighting, and light art. Since 2005 the museum has run an annual light pollution contest about excessive artificial light at night, co-organised with the Ministry of Environment from 2012. In 2010 it helped recreate the street lamps of Geoncheonggung at Gyeongbokgung Palace, known as the place where Korea's first electric lights were switched on.

The galleries

• Traditional lighting hall: torches, pine-resin sticks, beeswax candles, oil lamps, lamp stands, candlesticks and kerosene lamps from before electricity. You can also see reconstructions of the jojokdeung, a lantern that lit the path at your feet, and the jumadeung, a revolving shadow lantern.
• Modern and antique halls: metal lamps once fitted to trains and carriages, old shades and table lamps. It is an easy way to follow the step from oil lamp to light bulb.
• Light art gallery: solo shows by artists chosen in the museum's annual competition, plus exhibitions from the collection.
• The science of light: interactive displays on refraction, dispersion, straight-line travel and colour mixing.
• Lighting Village and imagination space: a play area where historic lamps become cartoon characters, and a room for themed exhibitions.

The Christmas exhibition

The main reason to come in winter is the Christmas exhibition, held every year since 2006. Each edition has a new story, combining displays, crafts and shows, and it usually runs from late November into January or February. On weekends and public holidays the small theatre on the ground floor stages children's shows at 13:00 and 15:00; shows and craft sessions cost extra on top of the entry ticket.

Easy to miss

• Artefact of the month: each month one object from the collection gets its own spotlight. Check the website beforehand to know what to look for.
• Special exhibitions: the museum has a steady record of larger shows, such as Lighting: Illuminating Everyday Life with the National Folk Museum of Korea in 2018 and an exhibition for the Bauhaus centenary in 2019. In autumn 2026 it is showing DEEP, a solo exhibition by Daniel Kyung, chosen in the 15th Feelux Light Art Competition.
• Museum shop: Feelux lighting products and museum stationery are sold at a discount to visitors only, and not online.
• Facilities: a nursing room on the ground floor (changing table, microwave, water dispenser) and a lounge in the lobby.

Tripto tips

• Opening hours: daily 10:00–17:00 (last entry 16:00). Closed on 1 January, over the Seollal and Chuseok holidays and on the Feelux founding day (20 June). No booking needed.
• Tickets: February–November adults KRW 8,000, children and teenagers KRW 7,000. November–January adults KRW 12,000, children and teenagers KRW 10,000. November prices depend on the exhibition calendar, so check the website. Under 24 months free.
• Time needed: about 1 hour for the galleries, 2 hours with workshops and a show.
• Getting there: take Seoul Metropolitan Subway Line 1 to Yangju Station, Exit 2, cross the road and catch bus 35 (roughly every 15 minutes, about 20 minutes' ride) to the Seommal stop. Walk towards Farmland Korea, cross at the lights and climb the hill for about five minutes.
• Parking and food: the outdoor car park (80 cars) is free. There is no restaurant or snack bar, and eating is not allowed inside or on the lawns.
• Photography: flash and tripods need permission in advance.
• Groups: groups of 20 or more pay a reduced rate, and there are guided programmes for groups from nursery age to adults (from KRW 5,500).