Ghost Towns of South Korea
As the seasons change and the weather gets colder, the excitement for Halloween and all things spooky increases dramatically. South Korea has its share of creepy and abandoned places with some being rumored to be haunted. Whether you believe in the paranormal or not, these places still have an eerie vibe to them that would make anyone visiting uncomfortable. From hospitals to amusement parks, there are plenty of places to send chills down your spine and feed your horror needs.
- Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital
Gwangju's Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital, which closed its doors in 1995, was considered one of the country's most haunted locations. There are many rumors as to why the hospital closed down, including mad doctors, killer patients, mistreatment; and then the mundane, such as sanitation problems.
No matter the reason behind the closing of the hospital, everyone can agree that this place would have brought suffering and some violations of human rights. Those who have visited can tell it was abandoned in a hurry because furniture and personal belongings are still left in the rooms.
People have also experienced paranormal activity while wandering through the hospital. Moans, voices and screams can be heard, and shadows can be seen. It is also not unusual to be touched or even scratched by unseen forces. There was even a movie made about this hospital in 2018 called Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum.
If you are feeling creeped out by this hospital now, it was torn down in May 2018, and you can longer experience anything for yourself, which is probably for the best!
- Yeongdeok House
An abandoned house in Yeongdeok is rumored to have many spirits of student soldiers from the Battle of Incheon who were killed near the location. There is also a rumor that the original owner died in a car crash, and subsequently, every other owner after that perished as well.
If you ever wanted to see what this abandoned house looked like, but are too scared to actually explore it, someone filmed the house in a first-person view and uploaded it to YouTube. It was all filmed during the day, allowing a nice view of the house, as well as to keep the scare factor down.
Whether the rumors are true or not is still being debated. Some believe that there are spirits throughout the house and some evil entities as well, while others think it’s just an old abandoned house and nothing else. Either way, it’s still creepy and a little unsafe!
- Yongma Land
Yongma Land is located in Mangu-ro, Mangubondong, Jungnang-gu, Seoul and was a popular amusement park in the 1980s. It closed because of the costs and low profit, and even though it is technically abandoned, it is open to anyone for 10,000 won for the day.
There are rumors claiming that a young girl was killed on a ride that was constructed poorly, and that her ghost haunts the amusement park. If that is true, people don’t seem to mind, still paying to explore the park and take pictures of the attractions. If you pay the owner a little more money, he may turn the carousel on for you to ride.
Yongma Land may look familiar to you because many K-pop artists have shot their music videos in this park such as: Twice, Crayon Pop, B.A.P, N*White, Eric Nam and Wendy, Romantic J, Bloomy, and Beast to name a few.
Whether this place is haunted or not, it is still not legally allowed to operate, and you should be careful while exploring the location. There are more dangerous things that could happen than running into a ghost of a little girl.
- Nungnae Station
Nungnae Station is located in Namyangju, just east of Seoul, and it is abandoned but not haunted. Nungnae Station closed down in 2008, but people enjoy visiting for nostalgic purposes.
The plants are overgrown and the fact that it is no longer bustling with people anymore can make it feel creepy; especially considering the fact that they left their last train just sitting on the tracks, making it feel like a ghost town.
Other than the atmosphere giving off an eerie vibe here and there, it is one of the least scary abandoned places within Korea, and visiting this location that was once filled with life and excitement will not make your heart race or your spine shiver!
- Jeju Island
Jeju Island is known for its beautiful scenery, attractions and green tea, and thousands of people come to visit in the summer; however, they may be unaware of the dark and tragic history of Jeju Island.
From March 1947 to September 1954, between 25,000 and 30,000 villagers lost their lives in one of South Korea’s biggest cases of state violence against citizens. It was an anti-communist crackdown at the time. It was a tragic seven years, especially for the survivors who witnessed what happened to their friends and family.
If you visit Jeju Island, you can partake in The Dark Tour, which educates everyone of the tragedies and takes tourists to some of the highlight sites from that war. Because of the number of innocent people who lost their lives, and some in violent ways, there is no doubt that their spirits still wander around the island.
There are also nineteen abandoned locations on the island from schools to hotels to even a whole village, giving this tourist attraction island a ghostly atmosphere.
These are just a handful of abandoned and creepy places in Korea, and there are plenty more for you to discover and learn about. Remember if you ever plan on visiting a place that is abandoned to never go alone, let someone know where you are going, and keep an eye out for anything that might be dangerous! Safety first when exploring spooky, supernatural places!
Written by Ashton Carson
