The Legend of Korea’s Haesindang Penis Park

Before I even moved to Korea I heard about a one of a kind place referred to in the western world as “penis park”. My friends sent me links to it that showed up on their feeds and I came across it as I searched for “off the tourist trail” things to do.

As a fan of the phallic form, I hopped on a bus and made my way to the land of penises, not knowing what exactly I’d be getting in to.

I was curious who would be my fellow patrons at Penis Park. And it was such a pleasant surprise. Throngs of older Koreans and Chinese tourists flooded the park in the afternoon. It was entertaining to see them ask for pictures of them grasping a huge dick, taking selfies on penis benches, giggling all the while. I saw a few kids who didn't seem  embarrassed in the slightest by cruising penis art with parents and grandparents. It was quite the family occasion.

Somewhat surprisingly, Haesindang Park (해신당 공원), or Penis Park, isn’t the only sex-centric attraction in seemingly conservative South Korea. In fact, this is one of three posts I’ve written with sexy-time themes in Korea. One about Loveland, a sex themed sculpture park dedicated to all thinks erotic, the other about my experience patronizing a Korean Love Hotel.

Fun Fact: The park also houses Korea's largest aquarium theater and an arboretum.

The Legend of Penis Park

Located in the small town of Sinnam on the northeast coast of South Korea, Haesindang Park’s penises have a tragic and questionable origin story.

Legend has it that a fisherman named Auebawi was heading out to sea to harvest seaweed. For some reason, his fiance Haesindang was in the boat too, but she couldn’t, or didn’t want to(?) come fishing with him. So he dropped her off on an abandoned rock just off the beach, promising to pick her up on his way back in (Really, Auebawi!?).

Suddenly, a strong wind came and blew Haesindang off the rock right into the sea. Auebawi saw it all happen and tried to rush back to save her, but couldn’t find her. Right after Haesindang’s death, the village folk weren’t able to catch any fish.

Locals thought the fish drought was brought on by the angry dead virgin woman who was spreading her bad vibes throughout the sea. Then, one day, a fishermen dropped his pants and took a leak in the sea. Immediately following, the sea became filled with fish, allowing for record catches. Villagers believed that showing the dead virgin a glorious penis pleased her, changing her bad vibes to good, and allowing for a thriving fish supply.

To ensure Haesindang’s continued pleasure, and consequently the fishermen’s success, villagers built numerous, larger than life phallic statues and held religious ceremonies dedicated to her, which continue to this day.

Now, on to the penises!

How you can see the penises

The best way to see the penises is to go with a tour company. It's way easier and much more efficient than any other mode of transport. Use a company like Trazy.com Trazy.com to book a tour.

From Samcheok: Take bus 24 to Sinnam, it should cost 1,500 won. Takes 40 minutes.