Have you ever watched Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo and seen the scene where IU meets a ragged-looking man for the first time, and the two of them share a bottle of soju by the water? Moments later a child falls in, and IU dives in after him. That waterside is Pocheon Art Valley. In the drama it looks like a mysterious, ancient lake, but the truth is that this water was never made by nature. It pooled in a place where people cut away stone and walked off decades ago.
I went on a weekday afternoon. What I want to do here is simply hand you what I saw that day, not as a glossy tourist brochure, but as one Korean’s record of a single day out with his parents.
Why Pocheon Art Valley Is Famous: A Granite Quarry With a Second Life
When I parked the car and walked toward the ticket booth, the first thing that struck me wasn’t the scenery. It was how orderly everything felt. It was a weekday, so there weren’t many people, but the buildings and the roads were all neatly kept. It was a long way from the rough, desolate mood I had pictured from the words “abandoned quarry.”
This place was originally a quarry where granite (花崗岩) was cut. Until the 1990s, the hard stone of this area was carved out and shipped off as material for buildings and roads. Where the stone had all been taken, a deep pit was left behind, and as rainwater and groundwater gathered in that pit, the lake you see today was formed.
Honestly, this isn’t a place where you stand there and instantly think, “Ah, they used to dig stone here.” I could read the traces only because I went knowing it had been a quarry. If I hadn’t known, I would have seen it as nothing more than a well-kept lake park tucked into the mountains.
And that was exactly the part that stayed with me. Left as a bare abandoned quarry, this spot would surely have been an eyesore. The fact that someone had carved and smoothed it into a place people now come to visit lingered with me longer than the scenery itself.
What to See at the Entrance: A Free Gallery and Local Makgeolli
Before you pass the ticket booth, there is a small art gallery near the entrance. It’s free to enter, so if you have the time it’s worth a quick look. Next to it sits a corner selling local Pocheon products. Pocheon is a region known for makgeolli (막걸리, a traditional Korean rice wine) and Idong galbi (이동갈비, marinated beef short ribs). Looking at a 5,000-won bottle of makgeolli, I thought that rather than just seeing the lake and heading home, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to carry off a bottle of something you can only drink in this region.
It helps to know the admission fees in advance. General admission is 6,000 won for adults, 4,000 won for teenagers and soldiers, and 2,000 won for children. Adults get 2,000 won of that back as a Pocheon Love gift voucher, which is perfect for spending at the local-products corner you just passed. Seniors aged 65 and over, children aged 7 and under, and Pocheon residents enter free. If you’re going with elderly parents like I was, that detail turns out to be quite helpful.
The Monorail: The Easy Way Up the Hill
From the ticket booth up to where the lake sits, it’s an uphill walk. You can climb on foot, but many people take the monorail. Since I was with my parents, I bought a round-trip monorail ticket out of consideration for their age.
The slope isn’t all that steep. But that day was hot, and being a weekday afternoon, there were unusually many elderly visitors. Whether it was the heat or their age, most of them rode the monorail up. The interesting part was how people bought their tickets. Some rode the monorail only on the way up and walked slowly back down.
The monorail car was split into two compartments. I rode in the rear one rather than the front, so I didn’t really get to see the view unfolding on the way up. If you want to capture the scenery in a photo, it’s better to wait in line for a spot in the front car. That’s a small trick I only learned after riding it myself.
The fare is separate from admission. Round-trip costs 5,300 won for adults, 4,300 won for teenagers, and 3,300 won for children, with one-way tickets 1,000 won cheaper each. That’s exactly why so many people rode up and walked down.
Cheonjuho Lake: The Emerald Water That Used to Be a Quarry
Once you reach the top, you meet the star of this place: Cheonjuho Lake (천주호). And this is where I lingered longest at Pocheon Art Valley.
The first thing that holds your eye is the cliff. The granite face, cut vertically as the stone was quarried, rises straight up out of the water. It isn’t the rounded ridgeline nature shapes; it’s a straight wall left by human tools. Standing before it, you feel less overwhelmed by its scale than struck by the plain fact that someone pried this much stone out of here.
The water was emerald, just as it looks in photos. But honestly, I had expected a “waterfall,” and felt a little caught off guard. Since it isn’t a waterfall made by nature, there’s no loud or grand sound of falling water. In sheer size, it’s small for something called a waterfall. If you arrive with your expectations inflated, you might find yourself thinking, “Is this it?”
And yet, strangely, that very smallness made me look at the lake longer. The contrast of nature taking its time to lay color over the traces of industry. The cut cliff speaks of past labor, and the green water gathered beneath it speaks of the quiet after that labor ended. Instead of grandeur, it’s a view where those two stretches of time overlap, and I couldn’t bring myself to leave for a long while.
Then it came back to me. This waterside is the very backdrop of that scene in Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo where IU dives in to save a child. In the drama it was a mysterious lake from a thousand years ago in the Goryeo era, but in reality it’s a spot where laborers were cutting stone only a few decades back. On the same water, a thousand-year-old legend and decades-old labor are reflected together. That moment, where the two stories overlap before your eyes, is what makes this lake more than just a photo spot.
The Sculpture Park and the Honest Truth About It
Around Cheonjuho there is also a sculpture park. Let me be honest here. I only walked through part of this area, and it wasn’t as striking to me as the lake.
The sculpture park is an open clearing with statues placed here and there. I’m not someone who knows much about art, so I couldn’t feel the deeper meaning of each work. I’m closer to having passed through with a vague “I suppose that’s that.” But this is only my own standard. For people who love art, or for a family walking slowly with a child, it may come across as an entirely different kind of space.
Near the entrance there was also an astronomy science museum. From the mood of it, it looked like a facility aimed at children and families, so I didn’t go in. I honestly don’t know what it’s like inside. I’ll just note it as a place worth working into your route if you’re traveling with kids.
One more thing: I went on a quiet weekday. Having few people around, so I could keep the lake to myself for a while, was a real plus. According to the on-site information, small performances or events are sometimes held on weekends. If you prefer a quiet atmosphere, a weekday suits you; if you want something a little livelier, a weekend will.
How to Get There: A Day Trip From Seoul
I went by car, but you can easily make this a day trip from Seoul by public transit too. If you set out from Jamsil, take the 3006 wide-area bus from Gate 25 on the basement level of the Jamsil Wide-Area Transfer Center. Once you reach central Pocheon you’ll need one transfer: take the local bus 99, which passes by Art Valley, from Pocheon Bus Terminal, or if the timing doesn’t work out, a taxi from the terminal gets you there in about 15 to 20 minutes.
One thing to remember: from the parking lot, past the ticket booth, up to the lake, it’s uphill. On a hot day, or if someone in your group is elderly, taking the monorail mentioned earlier is far more comfortable. And even though I only saw the lake and came back down without touring the whole place, it still took well over an hour. If you’re planning a day trip, I’d set aside at least two to three hours for this one spot.
Why I’d Send You to a Quarry for a Different Side of Korea
People visiting Korea for the first time usually head to Myeongdong, Gyeongbokgung, and Gangnam first. There are good reasons for that, and each is well worth seeing at least once. But for after you’ve made the rounds of those places, or for when you want to see a slightly different Korea, I’d like to add one more option to your list.
A place you can reach on a day trip from Seoul, still little known to foreign visitors. Honestly, Pocheon Art Valley is not a dazzling landmark. The waterfall is small, the sculpture park is modest, and the traces of the quarry only show themselves once you know to look.
But I think back to that waterside again. Into the deep pit people left behind after cutting away the stone, time slowly poured water and laid down color. A spot that was nearly discarded became the backdrop of someone’s family photo, and a thousand-year-old lake in a drama. In the end, what this place shows you isn’t scenery. It’s that even in a spot you thought was finished, a next story can begin. To go meet that other face of Korea for a day, a single day out from Seoul is more than worth it.
Is Pocheon Art Valley worth visiting?
Yes, if you want a quiet, different side of Korea rather than a flashy landmark. It’s a former granite quarry turned into an emerald lake park, and its appeal is the contrast between industrial history and calm scenery. Visitors hoping for a dramatic, large waterfall may find it smaller than expected, but the cliffs above Cheonjuho Lake and the drama-filming backdrop make it a rewarding day trip.
Is Cheonjuho Lake a natural lake?
No. Cheonjuho formed in the deep pit left after granite was quarried here until the 1990s. Rainwater and groundwater gathered in that pit over time, creating the emerald-colored lake you see today, framed by the straight cliff faces left by the cutting of stone.
Do I have to take the monorail at Pocheon Art Valley?
No, you can walk up the hill on foot. But the path is uphill, and on hot days or with elderly companions the monorail is much more comfortable. Round-trip fares are 5,300 won for adults, 4,300 won for teenagers, and 3,300 won for children, with one-way tickets 1,000 won cheaper. Many visitors ride up and walk back down.
Can you do Pocheon Art Valley as a day trip from Seoul?
Yes. From Jamsil, take the 3006 wide-area bus from Gate 25 at the Jamsil Wide-Area Transfer Center, then transfer in Pocheon to local bus 99 or take a short taxi from the terminal. Even seeing just the lake takes over an hour, so set aside two to three hours for the visit.
Was Pocheon Art Valley used as a filming location?
Yes. The waterside at Cheonjuho Lake appears in Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, including the scene where IU dives into the water to save a child. In the drama the lake is presented as a mysterious place from the Goryeo era, though it’s actually a former quarry from only a few decades ago.
