We finally visited the Korean Folk Village Yongin, a spot that had been on our date list for ages. Getting there is easy: subway to Sanggal station, then a short bus ride. What we found was two attractions in one: a full amusement park and a living museum of traditional Korea.
Getting there
The bus drops you right in front of the village, and the crowds were out in force, cars everywhere.
The ticket office line was long, so we used the automatic machines, though the staffed booth reportedly offers discounts.
The amusement park first
Cross the bridge on the right just inside the entrance and you land in the amusement park. It has changed a lot, with rides everywhere and families with small kids all around.
We bought free passes and started with a slow boat ride, then a train circling the park. The waits were long and the rides short, but the views from above were fun.
Into the folk village
Done with rides, we crossed into the real Korean Folk Village Yongin: thatched-roof houses everywhere.
What looked like a mannequin turned out to be a real grandfather crafting wooden fans, and other elders were busy making things around the village.
In the central plaza, a theatrical performance was wrapping up as we arrived, so we caught the end of it.
Government office and wedding
The provincial government office compound comes with the magistrate’s chair and even a jail behind it. Some days the magistrate appears in person to punish wrongdoers; not on our day, so my husband tried the chair instead.
Nearby stands a fortune-teller’s house that does real readings, and a flower palanquin. Then we heard wedding music: a traditional ceremony was underway at one of the houses.
We slipped out during the speeches, then passed the village shrine with its colorful ribbons for warding off evil and wishing good fortune.
A gisaeng house nearby even offers Hwang Jin-yi experiences, and a DJ was spinning music in a back alley.
Heading home
We rode the gyro drop once more on the way out, then faced the real challenge: getting home. Cars everywhere, crowds everywhere, and no bus in sight made for a chaotic exit, but a fitting end to a packed day at the Korean Folk Village Yongin.
Prices, hours and details in this post are from our visit in July 2016 and may have changed, so check the latest information before you go.