Goseurak Hangari Park | A Breathtaking Garden with 5,000 Traditional Korean Pots in Iksan

If you’re a Lee Min Ho fan, you might recognize Goseurak Hangari Park from the K-drama, The King: Eternal Monarch.

Even if you’re not, you won’t soon forget the sight of nearly 5,000 traditional Korean hangari lined up in formation like some kind of fermented soybean army.

At attention doenjang soldier!

Located in the small city of Iksan in Jeollabuk-do Province, Kosrak is a wonderful place to wander through thousands of earthenware hangari, while also recharging in a serene garden landscape.

What is Goseurak? | 고스락

If you’ve ever wanted to learn about Korea’s unique heritage of jang-making, Goseurak is a great place to start.

This gorgeous jangdokdae jar garden full of traditional hangari pots isn’t just for show. Goseurak is actually one of the biggest traditional food facilities in Korea, famous for producing high quality organic pastes, vinegars, and soy sauces, using traditional fermenting methods.

There are thousands of traditional hangari at Goseurak.

As you wander around the gorgeous garden landscape, dotted with traditional hanok houses, see if you can catch the smell of Korean doenjang wafting through the air. I definitely did!

It’s not that difficult given that the traditional pots at Goseurak are filled with different jangs and vinegars in various stages of fermentation.

This vinegar has been fermenting since 2017!

The process of creating fermented sauces like doengjang and gochujang are such a meaningful part of Korea’s culture that it was added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list last year!

Side Note: There are many different english spellings of this place, because the Korean phonetics don’t translate overly well. You’ll see it called both Kosrak and Goseurak, but they are one and the same.

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Traditional Experience Programs at Goseurak

One thing that I regret about our visit to Goseurak, is that we weren’t able to participate in any of their traditional experience programs.

Goseurak has experiential programs available.

These include:

• Making an easy gochujang or red pepper paste
• Making an apple vinegar beverage using organic onion vinegar
• Making cookies using their organic cheonggukjang powder.

Elementary school aged children can participate.

These 3 programs are available for elementary school aged children and older (including adults).

Each costs 20,000 won per person, per session, and takes between 30 minutes to an hour to complete.

They do get fully booked up though, so make sure to reserve well in advance on their website (Korean only). Don’t be like us and miss it all with bad planning.

All the fermenting jangs at Kosrak, neatly labeled with dates.

Where is Kosrak Hangari Park?

Address: Jeollabuk-do Iksan-si Hamyeol-eup Iksandae-ro 1424-14 | 전북 익산시 함열읍 익산대로 1424-14

Goseurak Hangari Park is located in Iksan – a small city in Jeollabuk-do Province.

Along with Gongju and Buyeo, Iksan is one of the 3 Baekje Historic Areas in this region. Less traveled than the other 2 cities, Iksan is way off the beaten path, but definitely worth a visit for UNESCO sites, delicious food, a relaxed pace… and of course, Goseurak Garden.

There’s plenty of history and UNESCO sites to discover in Iksan.

If you plan to drive or have rented a car (which I really recommend for any travel through the interior of Korea), the 200-km journey from Seoul takes about 3.5 hours, if you luck out with perfect traffic conditions.

READ NEXT: How to Get from Incheon Airport to Myeongdong

How to get from Seoul to Iksan

The most efficient way to get to Iksan from Seoul is via high-speed train. Most tourists aren’t aware of this, but there are actually 2 separate bullet trains in Korea – the KTX and the SRT.

Seoul Station is a major train station in the centre of Seoul.

If you’re staying in Myeongdong, Insadong, or Hongdae, the KTX is your best option. There’s a few departure stations to choose from in that area, so check a navigation app, like Naver or Kakao Maps to see which is closest to your hotel.

• From Seoul Station to Iksan Station, it takes 84 minutes and costs 32,300 won
• From Yongsan Station to Iksan Station, it takes 83 minutes and costs 32,000 won

Take the KTX if you’re staying in Myeongdong or nearby.

If you’re staying in Jamsil, near Starfield Coex Mall, or anywhere reasonably southeast, you could also check the SRT high speed train. I find that the SRT trains tend to sell out a lot earlier than the KTX, so book early if you’d like to go this route.

From Suseo Station to Iksan Station, it takes 72 minutes and costs 28,000 won.

Try the SRT if you’re staying in southeastern Seoul.

If you prefer to travel by Express bus, head to Central City Bus Terminal in Seoul, and catch a bus to Iksan Bus Terminal. It takes 2 hours and 40 minutes, and costs 21,500 won.

You can pre-book a bus ticket using a foreign credit card here. Search “Seoul Central City Terminal” to “Iksan Terminal” to bring up all the different options.

Head to Central City Terminal for the bus to Iksan © Photo Korea, Lee Beomsu

From Iksan Station to Kosrak

Once you’ve reached Iksan Station, it’s an hour long local bus ride to Kosrak Hangari Park. There are quite a few buses that ply this route, so you can just hop on whichever one comes first.

Buses 333, 48, and 44 seem to go to the right place, but I’d confirm with the driver before boarding, as bus routes change often in Korea.

Goseurak is a peaceful garden too!

You’ll want to get off at Bakjeon bus stop. From Bakjeon, it’s a 7 minute walk to Goseurak garden.

Iksan City Tour Bus

If you’d like to explore other parts of Iksan, and don’t have a car, the Iksan city tour bus is a great option.

The Iksan City Tour bus departs from Iksan Station and makes stops at places like Mireuksa (UNESCO), the Jewelry Museum, Iksan Prison Set, and of course, Goseurak.

Wanggung is a UNESCO site in Iksan

There are 6 buses total, with the first one leaving at 9:40, and the last at 14:20, and a day pass costs just 2000 won.

You can check the full timetable and details here (Korean only).

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What else is there to do at Goseurak?

One of the best things about Goseurak is definitely its idyllic setting. It’s a total joy to wander leisurely through the picturesque gardens, enjoying views of the jangdokdae, thousands of hangari, pretty flowers, hanok homes, and gorgeous landscaping.

Quack quack.

Kosrak organic farm is a massive 32,734 square meters *352,000 square feet), so its easy to spend a few hours taking in the breathtaking views.

Make sure to find the elevated spot where you can take in panoramic views of that gorgeous hangari garden.

Panoramic views over Kosrak Hangari Park.

When you get tired, head into their cafe for traditional teas, organic ice cream, and vinegar drinks (these are tastier than you’d think, and great for your health!).

Have a good walk around inside the cafe, and check out all the different hangari filled with products in various stages of fermentation. Some have been there a LONG time.

Check the dates on all the hangari in the cafe. It’s a trip.

If you want to purchase some of Goseurak’s organic products, there’s also a small store inside the cafe.

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Would you make the trip to Iksan to see this army of earthen pots?