The Dark Side of Seoul: History and Ghosts

Seoul's magnificent palaces and bustling streets hide centuries of gruesome history, political intrigue, and supernatural encounters. On this chilling walking tour, you'll explore the city's haunted alleyways while discovering tales of vengeful ghosts, royal assassinations, and dark urban legends that still haunt the Korean capital today.

Starting at Exit 3 of Anguk Station, you'll journey through historic neighborhoods once home to Korean aristocrats. You'll follow the Alley of Ashes, named after a bloody royal ambush that left so many dead the area had to be burned to remove the stench. Along the way, you'll hear about Prince Sado, who was executed by being locked in a rice chest, and discover haunted houses where visitors experience mysterious heart attacks or sudden violent arguments.

As you navigate through former red-light districts and ancient market streets, you'll learn about Korea's transition from monarchy to Japanese occupation and beyond. You'll explore the remnants of Pimatgol, the Alley to Avoid Horses, where ordinary citizens once escaped aristocratic processions, and where democracy protesters later hid from authorities. The tour ends at Gwangtonggyo Bridge, built from the tombstones of a hated queen—a final testament to the dark passions that shaped Seoul's history.

On this 60-minute tour, you'll:

• Discover the fate of Prince Sado and why his rice-chest execution remains one of Korea's most notorious royal scandals
• Explore Bukchon's haunted houses, where residents report supernatural occurrences and unexplained suicides
• Visit the site where thousands of Christians were executed, turning the Han River red with blood
• Learn about Operation Butterfly, the 1968 sting operation that shut down one of Seoul's oldest red-light districts
• See a fragment of the Berlin Wall, an unexpected historic relic in Seoul's cityscape
• Hear chilling Korean urban legends, including the terrifying Bongcheon-dong Ghost
• Walk along Cheonggyecheon Stream, once a site for executions and now home to water spirits
• Cross the bridge built from a queen's desecrated tomb—a monument to royal revenge

Step into Seoul's shadows and discover the dark history that tourist brochures never mention.

Please note

The tour has been updated as of November 2025.