Oil Tank Culture Park

The Oil Tank Culture Park in Mapo-gu is one of the newest parks in Seoul, repurposed from an old oil depot into a cultural center and park. The Seoul Metropolitan Government, with the help of citizens, transformed the site to preserve its history and promote sustainability and urban regeneration.

The Mapo Oil Depot was built as an oil storage facility in the 1970s to prepare for future oil crises. At the time, there were 22 oil depots next to Seoul World Cup Stadium.

The depot was decommissioned in 2000 for the 2002 World Cup. After 41 years, as part of Seoul City’s Urban Regeneration Project, the park opened to the public on September 1, 2017, as an eco-friendly cultural complex.

Today, the park is home to six former oil tanks. In these repurposed tanks, you will find performance venues, exhibition halls, a café, learning spaces, and more. Visitors can also participate in cultural events, join community activities, and find plenty to discover.

The historic site, which had been closed to the public for decades, now highlights the importance of sustainability and urban renewal for the future of our planet.

T0 : Culture Yard

T0: Culture Yard is a large open space for diverse programs, events, markets, and gatherings. At certain times of the year, large-scale festivals take place, along with various cultural events. The area is also a meeting spot for visitors.

As the first area you encounter when arriving at the park, the yard is a popular spot. It’s a favorite place for families, couples, friends, and tourists to have picnics, relax, or let children play.

Also in the Culture Yard are walking paths, vegetable gardens, and art installments.

One of these pieces is The Voice of the People, a bronze sculpture shaped like a tower made with old speakers. It plays recorded sounds that mix voices from the past and present, representing diversity and open communication.

T1: Glass Pavilion

T1: Glass Pavilion is a multi-purpose communications space for exhibitions, performances, workshops, and filming.

The original tank, which housed gasoline, was dismantled and transformed into a space with glass walls and a roof.

The space combines the original retaining walls with modern glass architecture, seamlessly connecting to the rock bed of Mount Maebongsan.

This tank also hosts cultural events and has a unique vibe that shifts with the seasons, weather, time of day, and lighting.

T2: Indoor Stage

T2: Indoor Stage features an indoor performance hall and an outdoor stage surrounded by nature and trees. The indoor stage on the bottom level serves as a performance hall.

Visitors can walk upstairs to the tank deck to reach the outdoor performance stage. The stage sits against cliffs, creating a sense of being surrounded by nature. In the summer, the plants and trees are especially lush and green.

T3: Sustained Oil Tank

Out of all the tanks at Oil Tank Culture Park, T3: Sustained Oil Tank is the only one that remains unchanged. It looks the same as it did back when it was part of the Mapo Oil Depot

Untouched and slowly blending into nature, the tank has been preserved as a reminder of the past. It offers a glimpse into the history and economic conditions of the time when the oil depot was in use.

Reaching this oil tank requires a short uphill walk along a stone pathway, but the view makes it worth it. From the top, you’ll enjoy a panoramic view of the surrounding area, including Seoul World Cup Stadium. On a clear day, you can see Gwanaksan Mountain in the distance.

The tank’s exterior has a thick protective wall that looks more like a bunker than an oil tank. A passageway through a door in the wall allowed maintenance workers to access the tank.

After you pass through the doorway, a locked gate prevents visitors from accessing the tank. Even though the gate is locked, you can still view most of the front of the tank. You can also see the maintenance stairs workers used to reach the top of the tank.

T4: Culture Complex

T4: Culture Complex is a multi-purpose cultural space for special exhibitions and performances. It hosts events, exhibitions, and performances, often featuring themes of the environment, culture, art, and interactive experiences.

Large concrete pillars stand in front of the tank. As you walk closer, you realize just how massive the tank is. Each tank stands 15 meters tall, or about 50 feet. In the past, this tank stored kerosene.

If a special exhibition is taking place, you can enter the tank and view the expansive original interior. The steel walls and pipes will remind you of the tank’s former life.

If there’s no special exhibition or performance going on, you can walk around the entire tank and admire its size. Walking around, you’ll notice metal pipes, retaining walls, fire suppression pipes, and stairs.

For a moment, you’ll feel like you’re in a lush green forest rather than a busy city like Seoul.

T5: Story Hall

Like the previous tank, T5: Story Hall once stored kerosene. Today, it serves as a media hall, museum, and exhibition space.

The first floor features a 360-degree media hall. The second floor houses a circular exhibition hall and museum that tells the story of the transformation of the oil depot into a cultural hub and park.

The exhibition on the second floor shows a timeline of past and present events. You can also view photographs, artifacts, and details about the tanks.

You can also read about what an oil depot is and learn the story of Mapo Oil Depot. The story tells how the citizens of Seoul helped transform the depot into a cultural hub.

Artifacts, helmets, tank models, and work uniforms used by employees during the oil depot era are also displayed, bringing their history to life.

As with the previous tank, you can observe the exterior of the tank. As you walk around the tank, keep an eye on the surrounding concrete retaining walls, rocky cliffs, and excavation sites.

T6: Community Center

T6: Community Center might look like an old tank. But it’s not. It is a new building made from recycled steel plates from the tanks that now house T1: Glass Pavilion and T2: Indoor Stage. It is the only newly constructed tank in the park.

The center features a conference hall, cafeteria, laboratory, library, culture archive, seminar room, and offices. It often hosts classes and cultural events.

The best part of this tank is the open-air circular rooftop deck on the top floor. From here, visitors can see how massive the tank is while enjoying a clear view of the sky above.

You will also find Cafe Tank 6, a relaxing café offering espresso, lattes, tea, ades, smoothies, and small snacks.

Information Office

Near the park entrance is the information building, where visitors can get help planning their visit, pick up brochures and maps, access resources, and have any questions answered.

Nearby Sights

Seonyudo Park

Seonyudo Park is a popular park and open space located on an island on the Hangang River that was formerly used as an industrial water treatment plant. The small island, located west of Yeouido, was opened in 2009 after city officials realized that the island could be better used as an urban park instead of an idle industrial plant.

Seonyudo Bridge

Seonyudo Bridge is a pedestrian only footbridge that connects Yanghwa-dong in the south to Seonyudo Park located on the Hangang River. The name means "spending time idly in the scenic heaven." It is also known as the footbridge of peace.

Yanghwajin Foreign Missionary Cemetery

Yanghwajin Foreign Missionary Cemetery is an international cemetery designated by King Gojong that holds the tombs and graves of many foreign missionaries. The cemetery is also known as Hapjeong-dong International Cemetery.

Trickeye Museum

Unique museum where visitors can interact with the artwork

Hongdae (Hongik University Area)

Hongdae area is a vibrant, energetic, and youthful neighborhood and nightlife district popular for indie music, street art, galleries, cafes, and shops. The area is named after the nearby Hongik University (Hongik Daehakgyo), one of the most prestigious fine arts universities in Korea.

Hongdae Free Market

The Hongdae Free Market is a fun and unique arts and crafts market where artists, performers, musicians, and visitors can interact face to face. Artists from all over Korea, and even from other countries, meet here each Saturday from March to November.

Last Updated on Jan 28, 2025