Do you like to travel? If so, what kind of travel do you prefer? Nature, city, relaxation, history... there are many preferences, but one answer rarely comes up: "Science!"
But science travel is more fun than you might think. That's why Dong-A Science, a master of science content, has teamed up with the Korea Tourism Organization to select the 'Top 40 Science Travel Destinations in Korea.'
We did this to prove that "science can be a travel theme." Now, we introduce the selection process and the final 40 locations.
● A 10-Member Committee, An Intense Nomination Battle
The movie 'K-Pop Demon Hunters,' released on the OTT platform Netflix, is gaining worldwide popularity. The story of a K-pop idol and exorcist fighting evil spirits has been praised for its excellent portrayal of Korean culture and history.
But it's not just K-pop that's shaking up the world. K-food, K-dramas, and more recently, K-travel are gaining prominence. In the first half of 2025, over 8.82 million foreign tourists visited Korea, a 14.6% increase compared to 2024.
However, even for those who are familiar with K-travel, there's still an unfamiliar phrase: 'science travel.' This is likely because people don't know what kind of science-themed trips to take or where to go. That's why Dong-A Science and the Korea Tourism Organization decided to select 40 science travel destinations in Korea that can be enjoyed both intellectually and physically.
Dong-A Science formed a selection committee of 10 members. First, we sought out seven experts from various scientific fields who actively communicate with the public.
Woo Kyung-sik, Professor Emeritus of Geology at Kangwon National University; Lee Duck-hwan, Professor Emeritus of Chemistry and Science Communication at Sogang University; Jang Yi-kwon, Professor at the Division of EcoScience at Ewha Womans University; Lim Jong-deock, Director of the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage; Yoo Joo-hyung, Head of External Cooperation at the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST); Mun Gyeong-su, Science Explorer and expert member of the Natural Heritage Committee of the Korea Heritage Service; and Kang Sung-joo, Director of More Science, a science communicator active under the name 'Hangseong,' lent their support.
The selection process consisted of three stages: quantitative evaluation, qualitative evaluation, and regional balance adjustment. First, the 10 committee members recommended science travel destinations. More than 100 candidates were gathered. Then, a vote was held.
The voting was conducted by nine regions, including Seoul·Gyeonggi·Incheon, Gangwon, Chungbuk, Daegu·Gyeongbuk, and Jeju. The committee members ranked the destinations in each region from first to last. For example, they would vote on destinations in the Gangwon region from first to last. Finally, after considering regional distribution, the final 40 destinations were selected.
● 40 Places, 40 Scientific Charms
The biggest reason people travel is to escape from their daily lives. Unfamiliar landscapes and new experiences awaken new visual and emotional senses. For this reason, the 'Top 40 Science Travel Destinations in Korea' are places that can reconfigure travelers' senses through the theme of science.
The Danyang Danuri Aquarium in Chungbuk was recommended by Lee Young-hye, the editor-in-chief of Dong-A Science. Chungbuk is the only province in Korea that is not adjacent to the sea. An aquarium in Danyang of all places? The editor explains, "The Danuri Aquarium is the largest freshwater ecosystem aquarium in Asia."
So, a visit to the Danuri Aquarium naturally teaches you which of the familiar fish are freshwater and which are saltwater. You can even meet the legendary largest freshwater fish, the Arapaima from the Amazon, making for a truly novel experience.
Meanwhile, Lee Duck-hwan, Professor Emeritus of Chemistry and Science Communication at Sogang University, advised visitors to "take their time and visit the Mandoll-ri Tidal Flat." Professor Lee said, "The tidal flat, being neither sea nor land, is unique in itself. It's crucial to understand that the morning tidal flat is different from the evening one, and the one you saw yesterday is different from the one you see today."
The tidal flat is an ever-changing landscape. This is because the high and low tides alternate twice a day, changing the shape of the flat. The traces left by the creatures living in the mud also add to the changes. The tracks of a passing crab and the breathing holes of clams create different expressions on the tidal flat's surface from moment to moment.
"If it weren't for the territorial dispute with Japan, it would have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site before Jeju Island." This is how Mun Gyeong-su, Science Explorer and expert member of the Natural Heritage Committee of the Korea Heritage Service, described the Nari Basin on Ulleungdo Island.
In fact, Ulleungdo, along with Jeju Island, was designated as Korea's first National Geopark. What kind of sensory reconfiguration is possible in Ulleungdo's Nari Basin? Mun emphasized, "While Cheonji Lake on Baekdusan Mountain is famous, the Nari Basin is not yet well-known. Both are 'caldera terrains' formed through the same process."
A caldera is a large, basin-shaped depression formed by volcanic activity. It's different from a typical crater. He added, "You've probably never thought that there are volcanic terrains at the northernmost and easternmost tips of the Korean Peninsula that were created by the same cause."
Jang Yi-kwon, a professor at Ewha Womans University's Division of EcoScience, emphasized that "you can experience 'absolute darkness' at the Cheongsuri Firefly Habitat in Jeju." The Cheongsuri Firefly Habitat is a place where you can enjoy the Gotjawal forest during the day and fireflies at night.
Both Gotjawal and the Cheongsuri Firefly Habitat made it onto the list of 40 science travel destinations. Gotjawal is a unique forest ecosystem found only in Jeju. It's cool in the summer and warm in the winter, subverting conventional seasonal sensations. Professor Jang explains that the Cheongsuri Firefly Habitat stimulates three-dimensional senses.
"When it's too dark, the boundary between up and down becomes blurry. The experience of darkness is already unfamiliar, but when fireflies appear at that moment, you feel like you're floating in a three-dimensional space."
And that's not all. Places like the Socheongdo Stromatolite Fossil Site, Jeongok Prehistory Museum, Hwaseong Geopark Dinosaur Egg Fossil Site, and Haenam Uhangri Dinosaur Museum evoke the creatures and humanity that shaped and passed through the Korean Peninsula.
Expanding the past to hundreds of thousands or billions of years ago requires the power of imagination. The National Science Museum, Gwangju National Science Museum, and National Miryang Meteorological Science Museum also blur the lines between science and daily life through hands-on experiences and exhibitions.
● Mission Map: A Fun Way to Enjoy Science Destinations
As soon as I arrived at the National Maritime Museum in Yeongdo, Busan, a gasp of admiration escaped me. Built on reclaimed land on the east side of Yeongdo with a view of Oryukdo Islets, the National Maritime Museum stands right in front of the sea. The curved building rising against the ocean backdrop was truly impressive.
The National Maritime Museum is one of the 40 selected science travel destinations and a place where a 'Mission Map' is available to make the visit even more enjoyable. 'Children's Science Dong-A,' a sister magazine of Dong-A Science, has created mission maps for 10 of the 40 selected locations.
By following the missions, which are a mix of activities and quizzes, you can naturally see and enjoy the key points of the destination.
The National Maritime Museum is a 'newborn' museum, having opened only 13 years ago. When I visited, I found it to be a complex cultural space where you can experience the sea with all five senses. That's why the concept of the mission map is a 'dive' into the ocean.
To carry out the missions, I first visited the Maritime History and Culture Hall on the 3rd floor with Kim Jin-tae, Senior Curator of the Exhibition Planning Team. The permanent exhibition at the Maritime Museum is divided into the Maritime History and Culture Hall and the Maritime History and Figures Hall. The seven missions are also split between these two halls. The first exhibition room in the Maritime History and Culture Hall was filled with old documents.
"It's a maritime museum, but it's interesting that the exhibition starts with ancient documents," I remarked. Curator Kim replied with a smile. "Since Korea is surrounded by sea on three sides, Korea's history is also the history of the sea. Therefore, stories of the sea are an indispensable part of our old records."
The first mission is to find out what the 'Jo-haeng Il-rok' is and then find the tax-grain ship (segokseon) mentioned in it in the Maritime History and Figures Hall. "The Jo-haeng Il-rok is, simply put, the work log of a Joseon Dynasty official." After hearing Curator Kim's explanation, I looked closely and saw it was a book in which Im Gyo-jin, who served as a magistrate in Jeolla Province, recorded in detail by date the events and contents of the tax grain being transported by ship from Jeolla Province to Hanyang.
It's a document that contains information about the tax-grain transport system of the late Joseon Dynasty and even the anguish of an official troubled by the rough seas that wouldn't allow the tax grain to reach Hanyang. The tax-grain ship I encountered in the Jo-haeng Il-rok in the Maritime History and Culture Hall could be seen in person in the Maritime History and Figures Hall on the 4th floor.
Taking the escalator to the Maritime History and Figures Hall on the 4th floor, I soon found the subject of the second mission: the 'Juk-cheon-i-gong-haeng-jeok-rok.' It was a book recorded by Lee Deok-hyeong, a civil official of the mid-Joseon Dynasty, when he went as an envoy to China in 1624.
"But aren't you curious why they took the difficult sea route instead of the land route to get from Joseon to the Ming Dynasty?" The answer was that the Liaodong Peninsula was under the occupation of the Jurchens at the time.
In the 'Hanghae-jo-cheon-do,' a painting displayed alongside the 'Juk-cheon-i-gong-haeng-jeok-rok,' there was an interesting picture. "It's a waterspout drawn 400 years ago." A waterspout, a powerful low-pressure vortex that forms when the atmosphere is unstable and the wind directions at the surface and upper levels differ, is not a frequent occurrence in Korea.
But Lee Deok-hyeong and his delegation encountered one on their way to China. 400 years ago, when scientific knowledge was not as sophisticated as it is today, the waterspout was drawn reflecting the belief that a dragon was ascending to heaven. If you find the waterspout in the 'Hanghae-jo-cheon-do,' the pictorial record of the 'Juk-cheon-i-gong-haeng-jeok-rok,' you have successfully completed the second mission.
After completing the third and fourth missions in the Maritime History and Culture Hall, you take the escalator back to the Maritime History and Figures Hall on the 4th floor. In this hall, I encountered the scientific technology that enabled navigation across vast oceans during the Age of Discovery, which lasted from the mid-15th to the 17th century.
You complete the fifth mission by confirming how the present-day East Sea was labeled on a sea chart atlas made by the English-born Italian explorer Robert Dudley in the 1640s, and the sixth mission by finding the record of Ulleungdo by La Pérouse, a French naval officer and explorer in the 1780s.
Then, only the final mission remains. You have to find the models of the Santa Maria and the Niña, the ships Christopher Columbus sailed on when he discovered the New World.
"The two ships Columbus sailed on were different from other sailing ships." Curator Kim said, pointing to the ships' sails. The development of sailing ships was the development of sails. In the era before engines, the propulsion of a sailing ship came solely from the wind caught by its sails. Columbus, who left Spain in 1492 and reached the American continent, was one of the pioneers of the new sea routes. The ships he sailed were among the earliest types of sailing ships.
"If you look, the sails of the Santa Maria and the Niña are triangular, but later ships have more square sails, and eventually, they used both square and triangular sails together."
The reason the sail shapes changed and were later used together was that while triangular sails were advantageous against headwinds and crosswinds, they couldn't sail as fast with a tailwind as square sails could. Later, by using both shapes together, ships could respond to winds from all directions.
Completing all seven missions gave me a strange feeling. It was a mix of joy from completing all the missions and satisfaction from having thoroughly explored the National Maritime Museum. The mission map also recommends good restaurants and other attractions to visit nearby.
※This article was produced with the support of the Korea Tourism Organization.
※Related Article
Dong-A Science September issue, K-Science Tour Hunters' Guide to 40 Science Travel Destinations
