4 Unique Art Parks in Korea Where Nature and Creativity Collide

Last Updated on May 4, 2025

I didn’t expect to stumble upon a giant pine beer in the middle of a mountain trail, but that’s exactly the kind of surprise I love finding when exploring Korea. There’s something magical about discovering art where you least expect it, tucked between tall trees, set beside a beautiful riverside, or peeking out of a hillside. If you’ve explored Seoul’s galleries and trendy exhibitions, but you’re looking for something a bit more off the beaten path, a little more secret, know that Korea’s art scene is not just indoors.

Some of the most whimsical, thought-provoking, delightful, and family-friendly art is scattered across Korea’s forests, mountains, and riversides. The best part is that you don’t need to be a hardcore hiker to find these masterpieces of whimsy. You can wear comfortable shoes and a Hanbok if you really want to. Whether you’re alone, or looking to plan a fun family day out, here are some places that offer pops of creativity with lush nature surrounding that will have you happy to walk, hike, and meander into the mountainsides of Korea.

Anyang Art Park (안양예술공원), Anyang, Gyeonggi-do, Korea

Whether you want to see something cool in Korea in the summer, spring, autumn, or winter, these are some places you can go.

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Anyang Art Park (안양예술공원)

If you look up art parks in Korea, this will likely be the first one that pops up. The Anyang Art Park, just south of Seoul, goes viral every couple of years. It features sculptures and artworks that are hidden along trails that are on a forested hillside that sits just next to a babbling stream.

Even with a young child, we were able to make it to the observatory peak, so it’s doable for even the most anti-hiking of friend or fam. There are a few art installations that are the most popular, and yet some of these still seem to be off the radar of even the locals that live and work there. From installations in the forests to along the street, and along the road, it’s a great area to explore with cafes and restaurants just steps away too.

The installations are a bit spread out, so you’ll want to go into the mountainside to see what you can see and then head down for a cafe break before heading back out again. Don’t worry, the installations are all that difficult to get to though they can just be rather hidden in plain sight. There are maps posted and rocks with directions of sorts, so follow the arrows and you’ll manage eventually.

This is an especially beautiful area to explore in the spring in Korea when the cherry blossoms are blooming along the stream and again in the autumn in Korea when the foliage is bursting with color. I don’t necessarily recommend visiting in the hottest parts of summer as we did one year. It was so unbearable, we didn’t see any installations but stayed squatting in the cold stream to cool off. Keep that in mind.

If you want to see ALL of the some 52 installations, take a look at the map on the main road as it has them laid out easily and has ALL of the installations.

Plan A Trip

Find out more: The Anyang Art Park Guide
Address: 131 Yesulgongwon-ro, Manan-gu, Anyang-si, Gyeonggi-do (경기도 안양시 만안구 예술공원로 131 (석수동))
By Subway: From Seoul head down the blue line to Gwanak Subway Station. Go out exit 2 and walk toward the main road where you can see a bus stop and take bus 900 just two stops.
Days: Every day
Admission: Free

Gimpo Sculpture Park (김포조각공원)

Created in 1998, the Gimpo Sculpture Park sits on the foothills of Munsun Mountain (문수산) and was originally established as a unique unification theme park. The 30 artworks from 16 artists are meant to express the pain of Korea’s division as well as the hope for unity.

The artwork here blends so seamlessly with the natural surroundings and really makes for a fun day out in a forest. The path takes about an hour or a bit over to walk. It’s not a difficult walk though, I wore a dress and sandals after all, but I would say sneakers would have been just a bit more comfortable.

Unlike Anyang Art Park, the sculptures are all along one easy path to follow that begins and ends in the same location. Visitors traipse up and down a forested hillside to take them all in.

Plan A Trip

Find out more: The Gimpo Sculpture Park Guide
Address: 38 Yonggang-ro 13beon-gil, Wolgot-myeon, Gimpo-si, Gyeonggi-do (경기 김포시 월곶면 용강로13번길 38)
By Public Transportation: From Daehwa Subway Station on the orange line, go out of 4, 5, or 6 and do a U-turn to find the bus stop and take bus 97. You’ll ride for about 50 minutes and get dropped off at the Gimpo Sculpture Park stop.
Days: Every day
Hours: Sunrise to sunset
Admission: Free

Yeonmisan Art Park (연미산자연미술공원)

Host to the Geumgang Nature Biennale, an international nature art exhibition hosted by the Korean Nature Artists’ Assocation established in 1981, Yeonmisan Art Park in Gongju, Korea is an escape you’ll want to have if you love art and nature colliding.

The artists’ association developed as a field-oriented nature art movement that focuses on free expression through installations, drawing, and performance, has created some magical sculptures that are all made from natural materials including metal, rock, or wood that are scattered along the mountainside.

Geumgang Nature Biennale (금강자연미술비엔날레), Gongju, Korea

At the entrance, visitors can receive a map, which I highly recommend grabbing so you’re sure you don’t miss anything, and then you’re off. One of the installations that drew me to the event was the giant Pine Bear. It’s impressively huge and you can even climb up into it.

As you walk, you’ll see installations that you’re meant to interact with, sit on, or climb into, and others that you can enjoy from the surrounding area. Take the time to see them all, walk up and down the paths, and just enjoy the dense forest.

Plan A Trip

Find out more: The Yeonmisan Art Park Guide
Address: 98 Yeonmisangogae-gil, Useong-myeon, Gongju-si, Chungcheongnam-do (충남 공주시 우성면 연미산고개길 98)
By Public Transportation: From Seoul Express Bus Terminal, take a bus to Gongju Bus Terminal. The bus takes an hour and a half and costs less than W10,000. From the bus station, you should go outside and cross the street to the bus stand and you can take bus 741. Get off at the fourth stop called Yeonmisan.
Days: Tuesdays ~ Sundays
Hours: 10:00am ~ 6:00pm
Admission: Adults: W5,000; Children: W3,000

Ichon Han River Park (이촌한강공원)

One of the 11 Han River Parks in Seoul, the Ichon Han River Park sets itself apart as it features a number of cool artistic installations. Unlike some of the other parks on this list that features installations that sort of become one with their surroudning forest or nature space, the Ichon Han River installations stand out for all of the right and colorful reasons.

From bright pink penguins to flamingoes and yellow snails, these are cool, fun, and make for a quirky park to picnic in in Seoul.

Most visitors seem to stick to the eastern end of this long park which is where most of the recreational facilities are, but head to the westernmost end and you’ll find where these awesome artworks and more have been installed. Under the Han Rive Art Project, the government took a part of the park that didn’t feature anything all that interesting and definitely made it a great spot to take a walk.

Plan A Trip

Address: 62 Ichon-ro 72-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul (서울 용산구 이촌로72길 62)
By Subway: Ichon Subway Station, exit 4. Walk straight for about 800 meters.
Days: Every day
Hours: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Admission: Free

Are you ready for a fun day outside in nature in Korea? Looking for unique things to do in Korea? There are plenty of places to go and these are some truly fun sculpture parks in Korea to check out and tag on your map for next time you feel like taking an art and nature filled adventure in Korea.

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