One of the things I love about researching new countries is the weird stuff I discover in the process. Usually, there will be certain activities and places I’m looking to experience then, when I start reading about the country, my list of things to do starts rising rapidly and I’m suddenly planning a longer trip. So, I was busy researching South Korea, and a blog I was reading contained a vague reference to a penis park. Naturally, this got the immature boy in me intrigued and, after a bit of googling, I was adding a trip to Haesindang Penis Park to my South Korea itinerary.
Legacy of the Penis Park
The park is located in Sinnam, a small South Korean fishing village. The story goes that a young virgin drowned during a storm while waiting for her lover to return from a fishing trip. The story is somewhat vague, but apparently the fisherman left the girl stranded on a rock while he went to work (very thoughtful of him…). Immediately after her death, the villagers discovered they could no longer catch any fish. They believed that the disappearance of the fish was caused by the dead virgin’s anger. The survival of the village was in jeopardy until one day, when a fisherman decided to release his bodily fluids into the sea (the story seems to be that he urinated in the sea, but surely a different function of the penis makes more sense in this context?). The fish returned shortly after this, saving the village. Locals believed that the sight of the penis pleased the deceased lady, who brought the fish back. To appease her horny spirt, locals began erecting phallic wooden statues in the area in tribute to her. As you do.
The Penises Today
This brings us to today, where Haesindang Penis Park makes a lovely day out for all the family. Situated by the coastline and offering views of the Sea of Japan, the scenery at the park itself is actually really nice. However, nobody comes here to have their breath taken away by the views, this place is all about cocks in the end. Coming in all shapes, sizes and colours, this remote village in Korea seems to have been celebrating diversity in the male genitalia since ancient times. As you walk through the park, you’ll see people of all ages having a laugh and posing with/on the many phallic statues. As a solo traveller, it was a little awkward having to ask middle aged Korean women to take photos for me! Anyway, on to the all-important photos:
Getting to the Penises
To reach the penis, you will first need to get to the city of Samcheok. There didn’t seem to be much on offer in Samcheok, either in terms of accommodation or things to do so I stayed in the nearby city of Gangneung. It takes about one hour by bus to get from Gangneung to Samcheok so it’s an easy day trip from here.
From Samcheok bus terminal, take bus number 24 to Haesindang, which takes about 45 minutes and costs 1,500 won (approximately 0.99 GBP, 1.16 EUR, 1.29 USD). I was the only person on the bus to get off at Haesindang, so keep track of where you are and make sure you push the stop button in good time. Entrance to the park itself is 3,000 won.
It is also possible to visit from Seoul in a day, but the bus between Seoul and Samcheok takes over 3 hours one way, then you still need to get to Haesindang and do the return journey afterwards. While doable, this method of experiencing the penis park may result in an uncomfortable backside, on account of spending most of the day sitting on buses.
If you prefer, you can book a tour to get to the park. This is more convenient and may include time at other attractions, such as Hwanseonggul Cave, but will of course cost more. As a solo traveller with no Korean language skills beyond “annyeonghaseyo” and “gamsahamnida”, I had no trouble getting here so you should be fine to reach the penis alone. Just make sure you have an app like maps.me on your phone so you don’t get lost.
Is it worth visiting the Penis Park?
No fence sitting here, this question has either a yes or no answer and my flagpole is firmly planted in the yes category.
[…] My main (ok, only) purpose for coming here was to visit the Haesindang Penis Park. Yes, a park full of penis statues. Possibly the greatest thing to do in South Korea, I have written a separate post about it. […]