Haesindang Park - Claire Dicalo
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Haesindang Park (more commonly - and creatively - known among Westerners as ‘The Penis Park’) is around 20km (12 miles) from the centre of Samcheok, and is, as the name would suggest, a park full of penises!!! Before you write this off as some kind of sleaze fest, or scoff at the immaturity of wishing to visit the area; take a moment to digest the story behind the park…
Legend has it that, some time ago, a young virgin threw herself into the ocean here, and drowned. Around the same time, the local fisherman began to notice a steep decline in the numbers of fish they were catching. The fish, it seemed, had all but disappeared. Concluding (as anyone would!) that the young girl’s spirit was haunting the ocean; angry and frustrated after dying a virgin, the locals decided to take drastic action to appease said spirit. And what does a virgin spirit want most??
Well, you can probably use your imagination here……. So a park was constructed, full to the brim with phallic monuments and statues. Meanwhile, the local men were encouraged to (ahem) ‘relieve’ themselves in the ocean, thus providing some very real offerings for this virgin ghost to sample!
Sure enough, their ‘efforts’ were not in vain, and the fish gradually began to return to the area, delighting the fishermen and locals alike. The park has now become a popular tourist attraction – particularly among older Korean women, who head there in droves, and can be seen giggling and posing with all of the statues.
I do not know one person who has visited the Penis Park, and not had a fun-filled day! If nothing else, you will leave with an album of photos that will receive comments on Facebook like no other you have ever uploaded! There are no words that will sufficiently describe the entire experience – you just have to go. You will be amazed by how graphic some of the statues actually are (my personal highlight was a row of three masturbating men, trousers around their ankles, their dogs happily barking at their feet); and you will struggle to comprehend how Korea, often a very sexually reserved country, counts this among one of its tourist attractions.
There is also a statue of the drowned virgin, so you can have a look at the girl who started this whole thing off! A museum also continues the sexual theme, and you can see some pottery, art and carvings of even more penises (as if you hadn’t seen enough already!!) There are even women’s sexual organs in here, if you fancy a change… You can find out about some of the fishing history of the area here too, in the Fishery Village Tradition Exhibition Centre.
Besides all of the genetalia, the park itself is actually very beautiful, and you can spend a lovely afternoon wandering around. We visited on a gloriously sunny day in May, and found the views to be spectacular and flowers wonderfully colourful. It is obviously right by the ocean, and that in itself is lovely too, and offers a nice coastal stroll. We spent a whole afternoon here, and were not bored – in fact, I think it would be a great place to bring a picnic and spend the best part of a day (as long as the subject matter doesn’t put you off your lunch!)
Entry Fee – this was small, around 2,000 won. There is a ticket desk at the entrance, which also displays a return bus schedule in it’s window. It’s worth having a look to see what your options are for buses back to Samcheok. The stop is right by the road, you’ll see it when you come in.
Opening Hours - Mar-Oct, Tues-Sun, 9 am-6 pm; Nov-Feb, Tues-Sun, 9 am-5 pm
Address - 167-8 Seongnam-dong.
Phone - 033-570-3568 (for the Korean-speaking Fishery Village Tradition Exhibition Centre)
Getting There – A frequent 50 minute bus will easily take you to the park from the Samcheok Express Bus Terminal. Ask for Haesingdang Park at the ticket window, and they will know what you’re talking about! Come out of the door that they will point you to, and turn right. You’ll see a little bus stop. Just wait there until the bus is scheduled to come. When we went, the bus didn’t actually come over to the bus stop – it just stopped in the middle of the concourse, and everyone walked over to board it. You may need to just check with the driver that you have the right bus, before getting on, especially if you can’t read Hangeul. Let the driver know that you are getting off at the park, and he’ll be sure to make a commotion about your stop when he comes to it at the side of the highway. (In terms of landmarks, the stop is just past the small park dedicated to local Olympian Hwang Young-Cho, who won the marathon event in both the 1992 Summer Olympics and 1994 Asian Games.) The drive itself is lovely, and you will see some great scenery and coastline. If you go at the right time of year, you will also pass the famous yellow rapeseed fields, and see people posing for photographs amongst rapeseed almost as tall as themselves! You can get off the bus here too if you so desire.
Eating – There was no proper shop or café to speak of here, only a few stalls and tiny local Korean shops at the back exit to the park. We were pretty hungry by the end of our visit, so I’d advise others to take a packed lunch/picnic, or eat before you go.
Contributor:
Claire Dicarlo
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