Gwangmyeong Cave
Gwangmyeong Cave things to do, attractions, restaurants, events info and trip planning
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Wow~~ Didn’t expect that much however I’m pretty surprised. There are quite a lot to see. And the size of this cave is pretty big. The media parcade is the prime thing not to miss. It takes only 4minutes. And the aqua part is so small. Only a few fish tanks? I can see they tried to put many things to entertain but each part of the cave isn’t that attractive to make us visit again. And one more thing the entrance fee is 6000 won and parking fee is another 3000 won. This is too much. And there aren’t even many cars and they are charging for parking. Seems like they are trying to rip off visitors’ money by charging for parking , fright exhibition and time capsule thing. You pay 20000 won for a wine bottle which is kept for a time capsule and 50000 won for a crystal time capsule box. Most of all this cave is not a natural thing at all. It used to be a gold mine during Japanese invasion, so many Korean workers must have been sacrificed and killed to take gold for Japanese who treated them like slaves for many years. After Korea get independent this cave was used to keep tons of salted shrimp as a storage space. Thanks to the ancestors who would have had a terrible time to mine gold in the oppression of Japanese invaders, we are able to enjoy this beauty of the cave.
June Lee
10
Interesting cave where you can see the old mines but mostly they've made it into something else for tourists. It's 6,000krw for adults to enter then there are additional activities you can sign up for with extra charges. Bear in mind that there are a lot of steps and can be slippery as well as crowded especially on weekends and holidays. Also if you're taking the public transportation like the Seoul metro, you'll need to transfer at either Guro or Sandomin stations on line 2. Then, you'll need to catch the KTX shuttle to Gwangmyeong. It is on platform 9 at Guro Station. That shuttle (still a metro train) runs infrequently so you might be waiting as long as an hour! Plan ahead. At the Gwangmyeong Station, there are a few restaurants you can grab your breakfast or lunch before catching bus no 17 or 77 at platform 8, right at the end of station. Then it's about 15-20 to the Gwangmyeong Cave park. You'll walk up to the ticket counters and choose your options.
arChy
30
This abandoned mine turned into a tourist attraction (trap?), which is more of a theme park than a historic landmark. The last segment of the tour focuses on the interesting history (mining, refugee hideout, salted shrimp pantry...) of this "cave," but only briefly. Most of the mine is littered with LED lights, gold themed statues and decorations, aquariums, and lots and lots of stairs. So if you have trouble moving, I would recommend skipping this one. Bring a sweater because there's a constant flow of cold air, and the moist walls keep the temperature low. Tickets cost us 10000₩ per person, so I guess they forgot to change the price on their website, which says adults are 6000₩ per person. I'm not really sure if it was worth it, because every additional activity costs you more money, and all you do here is go up down and out again. Took us about 30-40 minutes. Also, if you have a foreign card, prepare cash because foreign cards aren't really working here.
Elena Kowalska
20
Gwangmyeong Cave A beautiful cave decorated with many different themes. It is a cave that was used in WW2 and also during Japanese colonialism times. It used to be used as storage for the little salted shrimps and it also contains a winery with a programme for wine tasting. The photos are taken at the entrance and first room of the cave, a place that seems taken out of the Avatar movie. A surreal rain of colours and lights. There is even an aquarium and I was able to see a fish from the age of dinosaurs! Another interesting thing was a long dragon in perfect LOTR style. It's the biggest dragon statue in Korea! All amazing sights hidden in this beautiful cave outside of Seoul! The entry price was 6000 won, around 4 euros. I went there with my friend, it was the first time for her as well but we absolutely loved this place, much bigger and so much more interesting than we thought! Plus, of course, the beautiful Instagram pictures ☺️
Alexandra Vinca
10
The area is pretty huge and lots of people. You can buy food from the stands and have a sit-down to eat, chat, and rest. Definitely bring won to buy stuff. There's a VR building that I didn't have the time to visit because almost all of it was spent going through the cave. Inside Gwanmyeong cave there is a constant draft of air, so I would recommend to wear a jacket during the fall and winter months. Not once while inside the cave did I feel like it was cramped. It could be that sometimes you'll forget you're underground. It's a huge flow through that when you reach the wine area, you'll go back the same~ish way you came and THAT'S when you'll start to climb a lot of stairs. If you've got bad legs, I do not recommend going far in the cave because there's only one rest area and only two spots with a chair to rest. Other than that, I enjoyed my visit and it's definitely worth visiting again.
Chanell O'neal
50
Far from the center of Seoul, but certainly worth the journey. if you are staying in Seoul then I would suggest you also visit the Gwangmyeong traditional market which is not too far from the cave, since it is a long journey from Seoul. About the cave, the cave itself isn't too big it takes about 30 to 60 minutes to explore, depending on how many pictures you want to take. Inside the cave it is very cool, so it is nice for a warm day. Outside the cave there is a concert place with small concerts and next to it there are multiple food trucks to get some tasty snacks and refreshing beverages. If you are more interested in the history, there is also an exhibition next to the cave, mind you, you have to pay seperately for the cave and exhibition (if you take both together it is a cheaper total price).
Samuel Aalbersberg
20
Basic Info
Address
142 Gahak-ro 85beon-gil, Gwangmyeong-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
Map
Phone
+82 70-4277-8902
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Website
gm.go.kr
Visit
Reviews
Overview
4.3
(5K reviews)
Ratings & Description
cultural
entertainment
family friendly
accessibility
Description
Gwangmyeong Cave is a tourist attraction in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. It is located on the far southwestern outskirts of Seoul.
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