Yongma Land

Yongma Land originally opened in 1980 as a neighborhood amusement park catering to young families in northeastern Seoul. During the 1980s and early 1990s, the park was a popular weekend destination featuring a classic carousel, bumper cars, a small roller coaster, carnival games, and Viking ship rides. However, the opening of larger, modern theme parks in the Seoul Metropolitan Area—most notably Lotte World in 1989 and Everland in nearby Yongin—led to a steady decline in attendance.

Financial difficulties compounded when the park owner attempted to expand the facility into a sports complex in the mid-1990s. The expansion project failed to secure necessary municipal permits and ended in prolonged litigation. By 2011, the park's operating license was formally revoked, and all rides ceased commercial operation permanently.

Rather than demolishing the park, the private landowner decided to preserve the decaying rides in place, charging a small admission fee to photographers, tourists, and film production crews. Yongma Land subsequently gained international fame as a filming location for K-pop music videos (including Crayon Pop's 'Bar Bar Bar' and EXO teasers) and Korean television dramas, while simultaneously accumulating a rich reputation for night-time spectral activity.

The urban folklore surrounding Yongma Land centers on a poignant local tragedy said to have occurred during the park's operational peak in the late 1980s. According to local lore, a young girl tragically died in a ride accident near the main merry-go-round. Distraught local residents claimed that after the park closed, the spirit of the young girl remained bound to the carousel, wandering among the carved wooden horses at night searching for her lost parents.

Another widely circulated urban legend claims that the central merry-go-round turns on by itself after midnight without electrical power connected to the grid. Photographers who linger in the park past twilight report seeing the faint silhouette of a small child sitting atop the faded white horses or hearing cheerful, distorted carousel calliope music drifting through the quiet pine forest of Mount Yongma.

Nighttime security guards and local residents living in Mangu-dong tell stories of disembodied laughter, ghostly footsteps echoing on the metal bumper car arena, and strange glowing spheres hovering near the abandoned carnival booths during heavy rains and autumn fogs. Legend also says that taking a photo of the central carousel alone at midnight reveals extra phantom figures standing beside you when the image is developed or viewed on digital screens. Local teenagers share tales of seeing the wooden horses sway as if carrying invisible riders.

Photographers, K-pop video production staff, and visitors exploring Yongma Land after dusk have documented numerous eerie supernatural occurrences across the park grounds. The carousel area is frequently cited as the focal point of paranormal reports. Visitors describe sudden, dramatic cold spots surrounding the central wooden platform, even during humid summer evenings in Seoul.

Auditory phenomena reported by witnesses include faint child laughter, soft weeping behind the rusted ticket booths, and the metallic clinking of ride chains moving when no breeze is present. Photographers shooting long-exposure portraits late at night have captured unexplained light anomalies, shadowy figures standing in background shadows, and strange mist trails around the Viking ship ride.

Additionally, smartphone batteries and camera equipment frequently experience sudden battery drain or screen flickering near the old bumper car building, forcing photographers to restart their digital cameras. Several urban explorers reported hearing faint carnival music playing through dead speakers that have been disconnected from electrical wiring for decades.

The spatial layout of Yongma Land occupies a compact, terraced hillside site surrounded by dense forest at the base of Yongmasan. The park features several open-air plazas connected by cracked asphalt walkways and stone staircases. Major surviving structures include a central covered merry-go-round with hand-painted horses, a bumper car pavilion, a Viking ship ride, an octopus ride, and miniature children's train tracks.

Within the inner perimeter layout of the amusement park, decades of exposure to Seoul's seasonal weather have given each ride section a distinct retro-decay aesthetic. Rusted metal frames, peeling pastel paint, faded plastic characters, and moss-covered concrete room foundations create a surreal, nostalgic interior landscape where wild vines and forest foliage gradually entwine the vintage mechanical structures.

Yongma Land is located at 118 Mangu-ro 70-gil, Jungnang-gu, Seoul, easily accessible by public transportation via Mangu Station (Gyeongui-Jungang Line) or Saganjeong Station (Line 7) followed by a short bus or taxi ride. Unlike most abandoned sites, Yongma Land is privately managed and officially open to visitors daily from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM.

An entry fee of approximately 10,000 KRW is charged at the gate, which grants access to the grounds for photography and sightseeing. For an additional fee, the caretaker can switch on the carousel lights after dusk for evening photo shoots. Visitors are advised to wear sturdy footwear and exercise caution around weathered mechanical structures.

Yongma Land's reputation as a hauntingly beautiful destination stems from its unique status as a preserved 'ghost park' within a major world metropolis. The striking contrast between brightly colored, nostalgic carnival rides and their rusted, decaying condition evokes a powerful sense of melancholy and lingering memory.

Its frequent exposure in global K-pop videos, fashion photography, and viral urban legend investigations has cemented Yongma Land as one of Seoul's most iconic and atmospheric dark tourism destinations.