Playing Sherlock Holmes: Rise of escape rooms in South Korea
Ryu Beom-seon, head of the Korea Escape Room Association, poses at an escape room venue in Seoul, Feb. 1. Korea Times photo by Ha Sang-yoon
“Please place your hands on the shoulders of the person in front of you and close your eyes. Follow me carefully inside. Once I leave, the game will begin. If there’s an emergency, contact us immediately. Good luck escaping.”
When the door shuts and I open my eyes, I find myself standing in what looks like a neighborhood alley. For the next 60 minutes, I am a detective tasked with identifying the culprit in a murder case. My first challenge is unlocking a cabinet that contains files on potential suspects.
Scenes like this are common inside so-called “escape room cafes.” Despite the name, these venues do not sell beverages. Instead, they offer themed puzzle experiences in which participants solve clues to escape a locked space within a set time limit. Themes range from horror and fantasy to action, mystery and comedy.
Participation typically costs about 20,000 won ($15) per hour. The games can be played alone or in groups, and their role-playing element — allowing participants to feel like protagonists in a drama — has fueled their popularity.
That helps explain why reservations at some well-known venues fill within minutes when bookings open a month in advance. Many players also describe the thrill of solving puzzles and escaping just in time as highly addictive.
Beyond individual entertainment, the growing popularity of escape rooms has helped transform what began as a niche hobby into an industry that supports regional tourism and attracts interest from overseas businesses.
As South Korea’s escape room industry marks roughly its 10th anniversary, Ryu Beom-seon, head of the Korea Escape Room Association, discussed the sector’s development and future.
From foreign tourist draw to full-fledged industry
Ryu’s first experience with an escape room cafe came in 2015, after a recommendation from a friend. It was in April of that year that South Korea’s first escape room cafe opened. Since then, he has logged 1,395 visits.
According to Ryu, Seoul Escape Room — which is still operating in the trendy Hongdae area — was the first venue of its kind to open in South Korea. At the time, escape rooms were still largely a foreign trend that had yet to take hold here, meaning the primary customer base consisted of foreign tourists.
As the concept gained popularity, domestic franchises began to emerge, and the term “escape room cafe” also came into use.
Ryu Beom-seon, head of the Korea Escape Room Association, poses at an escape room venue in Seoul, Feb. 1. Korea Times photo by Ha Sang-yoon
“Globally, escape rooms first established footholds in Japan, Europe, China and the United States,” Ryu said. “The genre is especially popular in China, where the government supports the sector and large-scale venues are in operation. The ‘immersive escape room’ format that is gaining popularity in Korea also originated in China. Meanwhile, Japan is known for its horror-themed productions.”
Escape rooms have also diversified in format. While the most common are offline escape rooms held in enclosed indoor spaces, outdoor escape rooms began emerging around 2017.
Also known as “immersive escape rooms,” these experiences incorporate live actors and direct audience interaction. Some developers have even created “Excel escape rooms,” in which participants solve puzzles through downloadable spreadsheet files without visiting a physical venue.
Game duration varies widely as well. While no longer in operation, the longest escape room experience offered in Korea lasted six hours. Today, the longest-running game lasts four hours and includes scheduled breaks.
The industry has grown significantly alongside these developments. Around 450 venues now operate nationwide, offering roughly 2,050 themed experiences. Among enthusiasts, approximately 21 participants are believed to have completed every available theme.
What do they do next? According to Ryu, some turn to what are known as “paper escape rooms.”
“It is something of an indie scene within the escape room genre. Game masters design puzzles and room layouts on paper, allowing participants to play anywhere with minimal props. It lowers barriers for aspiring game designers.”
The Korea Escape Room Association holds its awards ceremony in 2024. Courtesy of the Korea Escape Room Association
From hobbyist to creator
As a franchise owner who operates multiple venues himself, Ryu has professional insight into how the business is run.
“Opening a shop requires between 30 million and 100 million won,” he said. Preparation typically includes interior design, technical equipment and story development. Among these, interior design accounts for the largest cost and is closely tied to customer satisfaction.
Technical equipment plays a key role in creating immersive experiences, but it must be carefully designed to deliver unexpected yet enjoyable challenges. Story development, meanwhile, resembles crafting a video game narrative or directing cinematic sequences within gameplay.
That raises the question of where these immersive stories and complex games originate. According to Ryu, a number of professional creators specialize in designing escape room games.
“There are around 30 active designers at the moment. Some began as hobbyists before turning their passion into a profession. Around 2016 and 2017, the game format became standardized, and those structures are still widely used today.”
The growth of the escape room industry has introduced challenges familiar to other creative sectors, including plagiarism disputes. Ryu said he has dealt with such cases himself.
“Accusations arise from time to time, but most cases end with one or two negative reviews. However, I am aware of a case in which a university club copied a theme from an operating venue for a campus festival, prompting the venue owner to file a lawsuit.”
The case was ultimately dismissed. From what Ryu has heard, this is due to limited legal precedent and unclear intellectual property protections within the industry. In a more recent incident, plagiarism concerns emerged during a local government-sponsored event, prompting the association to step in.
Operational challenges extend beyond intellectual property issues. Ryu said venues must also manage customer misconduct, ranging from intoxicated visitors damaging equipment to sanitation problems.
“We keep spare locks, but when unique props are lost or broken, entire themes sometimes have to be suspended,” he said.
To prevent emergencies, staff members are required to monitor participants through security cameras, along with conducting routine safety inspections of equipment.
A promotional poster for an escape room program run by the Yeongsan Youth Cultural Center in Changnyeong County, South Gyeongsang Province / Captured from the center’s website
Industry resilience and expansion into public programs
Then came the COVID-19 pandemic, which challenged the industry, given the indoor nature of escape rooms. Previously, approximately 80 percent of visitors were walk-in customers without reservations, but after the outbreak, venues had to rely on smaller groups of dedicated enthusiasts.
Ryu said relatively low operating costs after the initial setup helped prevent widespread closures. The industry’s survival rate over the past five years stands at 92.9 percent.
In 2023, Ryu established the Korea Escape Room Association, which he said grew out of an earlier study group.
“We used to hold annual awards recognizing outstanding themes, starting in 2018. Over time, we felt the need for broader interaction. The study group transitioned into an association in 2023 to better represent industry interests and facilitate communication among operators.”
Now, Ryu said, the association is also receiving inquiries from overseas.
Regional governments and public institutions are also increasingly incorporating escape room formats into their programming. Ryu said that over the past two to three years, more public offices have begun using outdoor escape rooms for cultural and tourism initiatives.
Changnyeong County in South Gyeongsang Province is one such example. The county’s youth cultural center operates escape room programs with support from the association.
Asked what advice he would give to newcomers, Ryu encouraged participants to view escape rooms as a form of intellectual entertainment.
“Like skiing, escape rooms come in varying levels of difficulty. Instead of focusing only on the most popular themes, try one that matches your experience level. That way, you can enjoy both the sense of accomplishment and the fun.”
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.