Youngwol Y Park: An Epic Art Museum In The Middle Of Nowhere In Korea

If you like hidden art museums and adventures in Korea, you need to find Youngwal Y Park (젊은달와이파크). It’s in the middle of nowhere in Gangwon-do, but if you can figure out how to make the trek out to Youngwol Y Park, it is so so worth it. Striking red installations stand out against the greens of the natural mountainous surroundings. It’s just beautiful.

This year I’ve really enjoyed finding artistic installations in hidden spots like the Hamchang Art Road or in Gimpo at the Gimpo Sculpture Park, which is a bit more of a rustic artistic find, but there is just so much to see if you can manage to get out of Seoul. There is of course a ton to see in the city of Seoul, but the spots outside of the city afford a combination of art and nature which I really enjoy. Museum San is another, though more popular, art and nature spot that shouldn’t be missed too.

Do you want to know what the next hot spot in Korea will be? It will most definitely be this gorgeous art complex in Gangwon-do. Don’t miss it!

Get ready for an epic adventure to Youngwol Y Park:

• How To Get There
• Basic Info
• Where To Stay In Yeongwol
• The Designer: Choi Ok Young
• What To See
  • Cafe Dal
  • Jupiter
  • Young Dal Art Museum 1
  • Red Pavilion 1
  • Red Pavilion 2
  • Young Dal Art Museum 2
  • Young Dal Art Museum 3
  • Windy Road
  • Young Dal Art Museum 4
• Experience Programs
• Where To Eat

(This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a certain percentage of a sale if you purchase after clicking at no cost to you. Thank you for your support.)

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How To Get There

Address: 1467-9 Songhakjucheon-ro, Chucheon-myeon, Yeongwol-gun, Gangwon-do (강원도 영월군 주천면 송학주천로 1467-9)

By Bus: From Dong Seoul Bus Terminal, you should take an intercity bus to the Yeongwol Bus Terminal. The bus will take about 2 hours. From there, you can go outside the terminal, turn left, cross the street, and then cross the street again to find the nearest bus stop going northward and take bus 50 or 61.

You’ll take this bus for 45 minutes (29 stops) and get off at Jucheon Terminal, or bus stop #59652. From the stop you should just look up and you’ll see the striking red bamboo. across the road. You could also take a taxi from the Yeongwol Bus Terminal. It doesn’t save you that much time as it’ll take about 36 minutes and it’ll cost W24,000. But it’s an option if you get to the bus stop and the bus doesn’t come. They have long intervals in this area.

By Car: Yeongwol Y Park is not the easiest place to get to via public transportation. There are certainly ways but they aren’t easy and the times that buses depart is just not convenient. If you don’t have your own car, this would be a good spot to rent one to go to and then see some other awesome things on the way there or back. This is also a spot that’s within an hour of Resom Resort which features an amazing spa and sauna so you could combine it with that and maybe stay out in the area.

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Basic Info

Admission: Adults: W15,000; Children: W10,000

Spider Web: This activity requires a separate ticket of W5,000

Hours: Tuesday – Sunday: 10:00am ~ 6:00pm (CLOSED MONDAYS)

Website: https://ypark.kr/

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Where To Stay In Yeongwol

Yeongwol is off the beaten path to most travelers which means it’s a perfect place to really get away. While there aren’t too many hotels to speak of, there are Airbnbs that are perfect for a group of friends or families that want to get away.

Sowonje Hanok

Onda Pension

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The Designer: Choi Ok Young

From the space’s official website:

How do I put the infinite universe in my work?

When I was young, I used to talk about the identity of the light in the dark sky while watching the stars in the night sky. As the young moon was born as a play space, I wanted to use the most natural color, “red”. This color, the color of the original source of life, attempted to contain the infinite space of space in the building. All the spaces of the young moon are one giant universe. You can feel like you’re swimming in space, in the works of red pavilions and Jupiter. The space is organized into one and this place has been reborn as a new space.

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What To See

From the parking lot, visitors will first step into the artistic installation named “Red Bamboo”. The red is striking against the surrounding farmland. Designed by the sculptor Choi Ok Young, it’s an immediate immersive experience giving you the feeling of being a tiny ant walking through the huge universe which is a theme throughout the complex.

It’s an epic entrance that you will want to spend time in and that’s even before you’ve actually entered the complex and even paid the fee.

Cafe Dal

The Information Center and entrance is in Cafe Dal, or the Moon Cafe. This is also an exhibition space that you should either take a seat in at the beginning or at the end as you enjoy the incredible antique pieces and installations. Collected from various countries, the antique furniture pieces are large and hang from the ceiling as well as demand a look in various corners. Find a seat at the large tables and then check out the installation by Choi Ok Young that hangs above the cafe counter.

Here is also where you’ll find the Cacao Factory, a hands on workshop for cacao roasting, chocolate making, and coffee education. Note: The experience based learning and workshop opportunities are only available by appointment. There’s more information on that at the end of this post.

Jupiter

The first installation you’ll come upon after paying and entering is “Jupiter” by Choi Ok Young. This massive cocoon-like structure made from wood that has been woven together features just one circular opening at the very top to let light in. 

The sheer size as you stand inside is overwhelming and you’ll feel so so small as you stare at the pieces of wood that have been painstakingly woven together to create such a masterpiece. Light is let in through the tiny openings between the pieces of wood and is meant to feel as if you’re staring up at a starry sky. It’s really stunning.

Young Dal Art Museum 1

The next space features two rooms completely covered in flowers called “The Road that Saimdang Walked” by Grace Park which leads further to a space with the “Space Garden” by Choi Ok Young. The “Space Garden” is a striking tunnel of shapes. You can stand at one end or the other or even walk between the round tubular structures.

Red Pavilion 1

Continuing with the red theme, Red Pavilion 1 is similarly made with red piping. It provides a more whimsical passage to connect the different spaces. Walk up the stairs to meet the “Mirror Lizard” which you should stand beneath and look up into. From here, find the narrow passageway that connects to Red Pavilion 2.

One thing we noted while walking through the spaces was that there was no staff telling people what to or what not to do. We were largely left up to our own devices to interact with the installations in our own ways.

Red Pavilion 2

Red Pavilion 2 is where most children and adults that are young at heart might want to spend the most time. This large space features a “Spider Web” play space. Along with Ava, I’ve found these at a couple other spaces and they are super fun. You can crawl up through the webbed tunnels into larger spaces where you can lie down and just enjoy the hammock like feeling of floating above the ground.

Beneath the webs sit blue deer which are works by Tak Myung Yeol. Note: If you’re afraid of heights, this entire structure has a see through floor. You are two stories and the web is a further three stories tall, so be aware before you go.

Notes:

• Children must enter with guardians.
• No food or drinks are allowed.
• Pets are not allowed.
• No throwing or items while in the nets is permitted.
• The Spider Web incurs a further W5,000 and requires a separate ticket.

Young Dal Art Museum 2

Choi Jung Yoon, who is one of my personal favorite artist here in Korea, creates work with thread and salt. You can see his works in various spaces in Seoul. His works feature salt columns and colorful thread statues. They are beautifully intertwined in this space.

Young Dal Art Museum 3

This space features the “Space Exhibition” which are forms made with round and circular pieces. The round bed furniture is made in a round shape to symbolize the vitality of the mother’s womb. This leads into an odd space that is called “Dancing Pinocchio”. To be honest, I wasn’t sure how it connected to the other natural artworks of the complex. I think the trio of characters on the mini stage were supposed to dance like marionettes as they had strings attached to their arms and legs, but nothing happened when we were there.

Windy Road

To continue through the complex, the next structure is “Windy Road” which features once again the striking red columns. Feel the wind and the air rush past through the breaks in the wall as you pass from Young Dal Art Museum 3 to Young Dal Art Museum 4.

Young Dal Art Museum 4

At this point, we were passing fairly quickly through the spaces. Personally, I was more struck by the initial pieces. This space featured Choi Ok Young’s “Dragon” another large pine structure made with the rounded tree parts as well as the “Beer Museum” which is a space which pays homage to the 555 year old Meissen’s German beer factory. There are copper distillers and a 50 year old mother of pearl antique display of beer.

From here, you will exit and be able to make your way through the Garden of Rest back to the cafe which is the only exit back out again. You can also find a small rooftop with views on top of the Young Dal Art Museum 4. And you can also get pictures of the exterior of some of those fantastical spaces you just walked through. We spent almost two hours in the complex. You could spend anywhere from two to three hours in the museum I would say. If you visit in the morning, then you’ll want to head out for lunch because there isn’t much to eat on the property.

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Experience Programs

This is definitely a spot you could feasibly spend most of the day due to what is available to do. Unfortunately they don’t have food available for lunch, not substantial food anyway, so I’ll add a spot below where you can eat just 5 minutes away. But then you could definitely come back to partake in an experience program. Here are the details for some that they have available. Group reservations are required at least a week in advance. To make reservations you can call (033)644-9411.

• Pinocchio Marionette Making: W12,000
• Movable Wooden Toy Painting: W7,000
• Music Box Painting: W14,000
• Character Painting: W15,000
• Hand Drop Coffee Class: W15,000
• Tea Ceremony: W25,000
• Cocoa Chocolate Making Class: W20,000
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Making: W15,000
• Cocoa Tea Bag Making: W15,000
• Healing Art Program:
• Woodworking Program

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Where To Eat

Jecheon Restaurant (제천식당)

Between 5 and 10 minutes away by car is this little local restaurant with a unique specialty. The restaurant, which has been open since 1973, makes ggolduguksu (꼴두국수). This is absolutely not a soup that you would be able to ask a Korean friend about and have them know what it is. It’s a very local cuisine that is hearty and delicious.

Made with handmade noodles, a seaweed broth and a ton of tofu, kimchi dumplings are added and then smashed in to make it thick, a bit spicy, and scrumptious. This really hit the spot and has to be the best spot in town to get a bite to eat. The restaurant has other Korean mainstays like galbitang and dumpling soup so there’s definitely something for everyone if you have some unadventurous eaters among you. Get a bite to eat here before you head out to the next spot on your journey.

• Address: Gangwon-do Yeongwol-gun Jucheon-myeon Docheon-gil 3 (강원 영월군 주천면 도천길 3)
• Hours: 9:00am ~ 9:00pm Every day

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