Gwangmyeong Cave () is a man-made cave in

Gwangmyeong Gwangmyeong (; ) is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It borders Seoul to the east, north and northeast, Anyang, Gyeonggi, Anyang to the southeast, Siheung to the southwest, and Bucheon to the nort ...

Gyeonggi Province Gyeonggi Province (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Seoul, the nation's largest city and capital, is in the heart of the area but has been separately administered as a provincial-level ''special city'' since 1946. Incheon, ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

. It is located on the far southwestern outskirts of

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

. Since 2011, it has been open to the public as a tourist attraction, with amenities like a theme park, aquarium, and winery available inside. It is 7.8 km long.

History

The cave was created during the Japanese colonial period and was a site of forced labor. After the end of that period in 1945, it continued to be used as a mine until 1972. Eventually, due to floods and polluted rice paddies nearby, the mine was made to close. It was used as a storage facility for salted shrimp (''

saeu-jeot ''Saeu-jeot'' * () is a variety of ''jeotgal'', salted and fermented food made with small shrimp in Korean cuisine. It is the most consumed ''jeotgal'' along with '' myeolchi-jeot'' (, salted anchovy ''jeot'') in South Korea. The name consists ...

'') from 1978 to 2010. Then, the Gwangmyeong city government purchased the land and made it into a theme park. The cave complex re-opened in 2011. It now has historical exhibits, but is chiefly entertainment-focused, with aquariums, sculptures, light shows, children's amusements, and other attractions, including an underground winery. The cave complex is popular, especially for its cooler underground temperatures in summer.

References

{{Reflist Gwangmyeong Tourist attractions in Gyeonggi Province Artificial caves