A water park called ‘2026 Honey Jam Water Park’ was launched on the 16th at Hwarangdae Railway Park in Nowon-gu, Seoul. The facility, covering 6,000㎡ (around 1,800 pyeong), was developed by Nowon-gu. People living in Nowon-gu can access it without charge. Hwarangdae Railway Park was constructed by maintaining the old Gyeongchun Line railway tracks and Hwarangdae Station. Steam engines and other trains are also displayed there. From the moment the water park opened, locals came in large numbers. Kids, holding their parents’ hands, rushed toward a 9-meter-tall, 50-meter-long slide (water slide). Ryu Junmin, 33, who visited with his 3-year-old daughter, mentioned, “The local water park has slides and water guns,” and added, “We plan to visit often this summer.” Kim Sejun, 35, stated, “Playing in the water and enjoying patbingsu (shaved ice) at the ‘Train Café’—this is the perfect summer day out.”
Local authorities across the country are now actively developing distinctive water play zones, with certain ones matching the quality of commercial water parks.
A ‘sandy beach in the city center’ will be set up at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul. The Seoul Tourism Foundation plans to launch the ‘2026 Seoul Summer Beach’ at Gwanghwamun Square on the 20th. A sandy beach with a diameter of 12 meters will be constructed to create a seaside ambiance. A representative from the Seoul Tourism Foundation stated, “The sand used for the beach was gathered from five beaches across the country.” These five spots are Busan, Gunsan in North Jeolla Province, Daecheon in South Chungcheong Province, Yangyang in Gangwon Province, and Ganghwa in Incheon. Additionally, an 8-meter-tall slide will be placed. Similar to a water park, food trucks nearby will offer tteokbokki, coffee, pizza, and more.
Seoul has also established ‘water play zones’ across different parks. While not as large as water parks, they include ground fountains and pools. These locations consist of Seoul Forest, Seoul Plaza, World Cup Park, Bulamsan Healing Park, Seoul Botanic Park, Odong Neighborhood Park, Heungchung Neighborhood Park, Jungnang Camping Forest, Boramae Park, and Bukseoul Dream Forest.
In Incheon, the ‘Namdong Water Light Playground’ is well-liked. Namdong-gu created an outdoor water play area on a vacant lot beneath the Suin-Bundang Line overpass. A representative from Namdong-gu mentioned, “Children particularly like playing in the water while watching trains go by.”
The Imsil County 119 Safety Experience Center in North Jeolla Province is another highly sought-after water play spot. Its ‘Water Play Safety Experience Center’ merges fun water activities with education on water-related emergencies. Guests can have fun while learning essential skills for surviving water accidents. A representative from the center stated, “With ‘edutainment’ (education + play) becoming popular, many parents bring their kids here.”
From the 25th until the 2nd of the following month, the ‘2026 Andong Water Festival’ will take place along the Nakdong River in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province. The festival will include areas for water activities and interactive experiences such as ball-throwing games. Performances, including the ‘East Asia Rock Festival,’ are also scheduled.
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