Alone in the Dark : Seongryugul Cave

As the days get shorter and Halloween approaches, you may be looking for somewhere a little spookier to explore. While above ground the leaves are changing, the air is crisp and pumpkins are everywhere (or, at least, pumpkin spice), in Uljin-gun you can go deep, deep underground and see an entirely new world.

Seongryugul Cave is a nearly kilometer long limestone cave, full of stalagmites, stalactites, dripping water and creepy shadows dancing on the walls. This cave is approximately 250 million (that's right, MILLION) years old, and visitors can walk along the 470 meter-long main path and explore all the nooks and crannies. Although it's difficult to see, there are pink, gray, and white limescale walls, and countless small underground ponds and streams.

Seongryugul Cave is Korean Natural Monument number 155, due to its unique and tragic history. According to the Korean National Heritage Association, Seongryugul "got its name because Buddhist statues were hidden in the cave to keep them away from the Japanese army during the Imjin Waeran (Japanese Invasion, 1592). According to legend, during the Imjin Waeran (Japanese Invasion), 500 inhabitants hid in this cave but all suffocated to death because the Japanese army blocked its entrance."

The cave is not only beautiful and interesting to explore, it's terrifying history makes it a perfect spot to visit before Halloween. To get there, take a bus to 울진종합버스터미널 / Uljin Bus Terminal. From there you can a local bus 8 minutes to get to the cave, or a taxi. The entrance fee for adults is 5,000 won, and the cave is open to visitors everyday from 9:00 to 18:00 (last entrance at 17:00).