The Haesindang Park, also called the Penis Park, is an interesting and bizarre park in South Korea. When Yvonne and I visited Korea, we had the ‘pleasure’ of visiting the Haesindang Park. Below is a guide to help you get to the park and what to expect at the park, along with many pictures.
A day trip to Haesindang Park
The Haesindang Park can be visited in half a day or a whole day depending on how much time you have to spend. We had only a little bit of time and we were able to see everything in about half a day. We left early in the morning and took the bus from Samcheok. The buses start to leave Samcheok around 5:50 am and then about every hour after another one leaves. We took the bus around 8:20 am and arrived at the park around 9 am.
When you arrive at the park, you will need to purchase a ticket for about 3,000 won. This ticket will allow you to enter the park and the Samcheok Fishing Village Folk Museum, which is located inside the park. The park itself is very nice and clean with beautiful views of the ocean and mountains. The main attraction are penis statues in the park.
There are about 50 statues that have been shaped and carved into penises. You can walk through the park and take photos of the different statues. The entire park will take about 45-90 minutes to walk through and to see everything. After you have walked through the park, you can explore the Samcheok Fishing Village Folk Museum, which has a lot of artifacts about traditional fishing in Korea.
Transportation to Haesindang Park
Yvonne and I took the bus from Samcheok early in the morning and it took us about 45 minutes to get there. The bus is a little slower than driving, but since renting a car and driving ourselves was too expensive, we took the bus. The bus drives down the coast, which provides spectacular views of the Korean coastline. According to the official Visit Korea tourism website:
Bus
From Samcheok Intercity Bus Terminal, take Bus 24 to Haesindang Park (해신당공원).
* Bus 24 Schedule: 05:50-20:20, runs 11 times a day.
Tell the Driver HAE-SIN-DANG and it should cost 1500 won and take about 40 minutes.
Food & Drinks
The village around the park is very small and does not provide much in way of food and drinks. Inside the park there are no vendors or vending machines. This means visitors are advised to bring their own food and drinks. We always bring snacks when we embark on day trips and we were glad we had water and something to eat when we visited the park.
We arrived around 9 am and finished around 12 pm. After leaving the park, we were able to find a small restaurant, but the options are very limited. I would suggest visitors to pack a lunch and eat by the sea. The views are amazing and the area is peaceful. If we had known there was few food options we would have packed a lunch.
Additional Information
Be sure to plan your trip accordingly, the park is closed on every 18th of each month. If this date falls on a public holiday, it’s closed on the next working day instead. Also, the park is open from 9:00 to 18:00 and the Samcheok Fishing Village Folk Museum from March-October: 09:00-18:00 and November-February: 09:00-17:00.
The park is worth seeing and if you get the chance it is a fun day trip from Samcheok.
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4 Comments
Nina
August 10, 2018 at 6:20 amHi there! Really great post! I am planning on visiting and have one question. Where did you stay in Samcheok? My budget with my husband is usually $20/night (split between the two of us) and no matter where we went we’ve always found something within our price range. It looks a little tricky in Samcheok. What was your experience like and where did you end up staying? Thanks a bunch!
Nina
August 10, 2018 at 6:21 amWhere did you stay in Samcheok? Not sure if my earlier comment went through!
Any
October 19, 2018 at 2:09 amHi.. whai if you came from Seoul? How to get there?
Miguel Roberg
October 21, 2018 at 8:49 amWe took at bus to Samcheok and then a local bus to the park.