My Seoul Story Nostalgic allure of Yongma Land
The author in a race car at Yongma Land / Courtesy of Jericho Li
This is the fifth in a series of contributions about Seoul’s charms as seen from foreigners’ points of view. ― ED.
By Jericho Li
If you’ve already visited Seoul’s popular tourist sites, and you are neither a K-pop fanatic nor an indulgent shopper, what else is there to do or see that’s unique?
I had the chance to go with friends to visit Yongma Land, a closed amusement park on the east end of the city.
After a 90-minute bus ride from Hongik University Station where I was staying to Woorim Market in Jungnang-gu and about a 10-minute walk uphill, we arrived at our destination. Paying a 5,000 won entrance fee to the property owner, we were free to explore this dilapidated wonderland.
The moment I saw those defunct old rides including bumper cars, turbo drop, miniature railroad and space fighters, as well as recognizable fictional characters such as Son Goku, Sailor Moon, Papa Smurf and Dumbo, the whole atmosphere reminded me so much of the neighborhood amusement park in China my mom used to take me to during my youth.
Some of the rides were actually still in fine condition although they were lying on the ground and the seats filled with trash and empty bottles. The merry-go-round was apparently a hot spot as people were striking different poses around it.
My friend dared me to put a dirty old pharaoh helmet on my head, and I surprised him by putting it on and posing for a picture on the disco ride.
Obviously we were not the only group there for a photo shoot as the park was filled with Koreans, especially youngsters, some of whom were cosplayers. The most eye-catching pair was a couple of girls wearing costumes and makeup just like Harley Quinn. A few were even there to take wedding pictures.
The popularity of Yongma Land could have something to do with the music videos and teasers shot here such as Crayon Pop’s “Bar Bar Bar” or TWICE’s “Like Ooh-Ahh.” But there’s more to it.
Although “abandoned,” Yongma Land is somehow vibrant with visitors like us fascinated by its obsolete beauty. Photographers have lots of inspiration and models can dress up and pose in some of the hidden corners with haunting charisma, or simply just be a street-style fashionista framed through the broken glass of a ride’s control room. For me, I mainly wanted to relive some of my childhood memories by jumping up and down on various attractions, even though I scraped myself falling off a Papa Smurf ride. I reminisced about going to the amusement park with my cousins back in China on weekends, always a big family gathering. My favorite memory was trying to seize the swankiest bumper car and careening around with so much happiness and laughter.
As dusk set in, I enjoyed the sunset from a desolate Viking ship, trying to imagine how lively this place once was. At the end of the day, the keeper switched on the lights over the train tracks, letting us enjoy a brief moment of romance at this closed but not forgotten amusement park.
To my surprise, there was a fellow Cantonese-speaking couple probably from Hong Kong, as well as three Mandarin-speaking young girls taking photos there ― from their accent, I assume they came from mainland China like I did. Before long, Yongma Land may earn recognition as Seoul’s most offbeat tourist spot thanks to social media. I’d certainly like to come back again with friends. Who knows, maybe next time I could bring a crazy costume with intense makeup, and strike poses on a broken piano inside Yongma Land just like what Lady Gaga did in her landmark “Bad Romance” music video.
The writer works for the U.S. Commercial Service in Guangzhou, China. Visit instagram.com/jericho_li to see her pictures.