The tracks of the 88 Train ascend over Seoul Children's Grand Park, Feb. 23, 2013. Courtesy of Ron Bandun
By Ron Bandun
Urban explorers have an awkward relationship with social stability and prosperity. On the one hand, we want to see society progress and advance, but on the other hand, it's failure and devastation that give us opportunities to keep documenting urban decay. I don't do it for enjoyment, but more so I can look reality right in its dirty face. And I'm used to some pretty miserable stories.
An amusement park ride shows signs of decay during a heavy renovation at Seoul Children's Grand Park, Feb. 23, 2013. Courtesy of Ron Bandun
I didn't realize what I was looking at, way back in 2013, when I climbed over one fence and squeezed under another fence surrounding Seoul Children's Grand Park, so I could visit the inoperative amusement rides during an extensive period of renovation.
Tiger rail bikes collect dust during a renovation period at Seoul Children's Grand Park, Feb. 23, 2013. Courtesy of Ron Bandun
It wasn't until I read an article about next year being the Year of the Blue Dragon, which mentioned Korea's first roller coaster, that I realized I had caught a glimpse, on one of my two traipses into the park, of Korea's oldest roller coaster. The Blue Dragon Train (Cheongnyong Yeolcha in Korean) began operating there on May 5 (Children's Day), 1973 and stayed in service until Nov. 20, 1983. After that, it was left on display, for decades, underneath the tracks of the newer 88 Train.
The tracks of the 88 Train swirl and loop around at Seoul Children's Grand Park, Feb. 23, 2013. Courtesy of Ron Bandun
I hadn't known this at the time, and on my first visit I barely gave it a second look. There was so much more to see, including a merry-go-round, one or two other roller coasters and a large ferris wheel.
Some of the rides and exhibits were showing their age, while others looked new and ready to go back into service.
A duck ride is stored beneath stairs during a renovation period at Seoul Children's Grand Park, Feb. 23, 2013. Courtesy of Ron Bandun
On my list of 15 abandoned amusement parks I've visited in Korea, this was the sixth-best (that doesn't sound so high, but it's a very competitive list — one of the newer entries had a live tiger in it).
You must be as tall as this robot to go on this ride at Seoul Children's Grand Park, Feb. 23, 2013. Courtesy of Ron Bandun
One of the drawbacks to visiting this site was that there was an active building, with workers coming out from time to time. At one point, someone came out of the building for a smoke, and as he stood idly around below, I had to hide on the platform of the 88 Train.
The 88 Train would probably have given my editor an aneurysm. The front hood proudly declared the thing a "COSTER," clearly a misspelling of "COASTER."
The 88 Train displays the misspelled word "COSTER" across hits front hood, at Seoul Children's Grand Park, Feb. 23, 2013. Courtesy of Ron Bandun
Warning signs posted listed silly-sounding translations of rules, such as "NOT ALLOWED TO PREGNANT" and "NOT ALLOWED TO ELDERLY."
"NOT ALLOWED TO PREGNANT" reads one of the rules for going on a ride at Seoul Children's Grand Park, Feb. 23, 2013. Courtesy of Ron Bandun
"Don't grow old in Seoul Children's Grand Park," threatens a poorly translated sign at Seoul Children's Grand Park, Feb. 23, 2013. Courtesy of Ron Bandun
Regarding the former rule, I didn't know an amusement park ride could get anyone pregnant, and I have strong doubts I'll make it to an old enough age to break the latter rule, considering what I do in my spare time, as well as the direction the world is going.
Finally, the worker finished his cigarette and went away, and I made my escape.
I came back a week later, this time on a Sunday rather than a Saturday, and I didn't see any workers that day. This gave me the chance to check everything off my list of rides to see — and with no waiting in line.
My main target was the merry-go-round, which I had discovered after my previous visit and which had famously appeared in Psy's viral "Gangnam Style" released the year before.
This merry-go-round, seen at Seoul Children's Grand Park, March 3, 2013, had appeared in Psy's viral "Gangnam Style" music video. Courtesy of Ron Bandun
I also found the "Ghost Nation" haunted house, populated with mannequins turned into ghosts and monsters. I spent a few minutes inside there hanging out with ghosts frozen in mid-strike holding weapons including axes inside the pitch-black space, located inside a few cargo containers joined together.
A mannequin wields an axe inside the "Ghost Nation" haunted house at Seoul Children's Grand Park, March 3, 2013. Courtesy of Ron Bandun
After, I got a little bolder, knowing I'd seen enough and feeling less fear about being kicked out if caught by workers. As I wandered the grounds, I caught a glimpse of an old blue roller coaster, parked underneath the majestic loops of the 88 Train.
The Blue Dragon Train rusts away during renovation of Seoul Children's Grand Park, March 3, 2013. Courtesy of Ron Bandun
It was just sitting there on a length of track not connected to anything, out of the way of where regular visitors could get a decent look, and with no signs around at the time explaining the significance of this rust bucket. I took three quick photos of the thing and then went back to the merry-go-round.
The Blue Dragon Train rusts away during renovation of Seoul Children s Grand Park, March 3, 2013. Courtesy of Ron Bandun
Of all the dozens of rides I got to visit those two days, I didn't give a second thought to that rusted old blue roller coaster. But when I read about it over a decade later in that recent article, it hit me exactly what I'd seen, what that neglected historical relic was.
Returning for Blue Dragon Year
With that in mind, I decided I should finally return to the park to see what became of this decaying old roller coaster.
Looking online, I found several articles decrying the state of this relic, which had been left on display exposed to the elements for years. It had received Seoul Future Heritage status in 2017, but nobody ever knows exactly what that status entails, and many articles were critical of whoever was in charge of it for letting it fall into disrepair. To be honest, I didn't have high hopes for the fate of this thing.
I showed up after dark on Dec. 28, only to find radically different amusement park grounds compared to my last visit. I scouted around its edges, before taking the plunge and walking in through one of its many entrances. A sign out front seemed to say it was just closed for the night, not the season. It was very dark, and between my dim flashlights and the rising moon I could barely see the empty rides around me. I was able to find the general area where I'd last seen it, only to confirm that it was no longer there. I wandered the park, searching for the thing.
The moon rises over amusement park rides closed for the night in Seoul Children's Grand Park, Dec. 28. Courtesy of Ron Bandun
When it was clear I couldn't find it on my own, I looked up photos online showing how it looked when it was on display. In some shots, I could see a big roller coaster in the background, but it didn't match the tracks up there now from any angle I could imagine — even the color was wrong. Either there was another one somewhere else in the fairly expansive Children's Grand Park, or it had been removed and replaced — which turned out to be exactly what had happened.
I determined the Blue Dragon was no longer within the amusement park grounds, but maybe still nearby. So I walked the circumference of the fairgrounds again, this time going further. And then I saw it up ahead, right out in the light next to a well-traveled path.
The Blue Dragon Train and the 88 Train sit next to a well-traveled path in Seoul Children's Grand Park, Dec. 28. Courtesy of Ron Bandun
The old Blue Dragon Train is still on display, just south of the park. And it's been restored to pretty good condition, looking fine next to its younger replacement, the 88 Train, the same one that still boasts "COSTER" painted across its hood — a fresh coat, it appears, which is also there.
The Blue Dragon Train and the 88 Train, or "COSTER," sit next to a well-traveled path in Seoul Children's Grand Park, Dec. 28. Courtesy of Ron Bandun
I have to admit, when I started this story I thought it would take a dark turn, and the Blue Dragon would turn out to have been destroyed or still hidden from public view. But it's sitting proudly out on display. I didn't know it at the time, but this was what I needed to see to give myself some hope for the coming year.
A sign displays information about the two roller coasters on display at Seoul Children's Grand Park, Dec. 28. Courtesy of Ron Bandun
If the Blue Dragon Train can survive all the way to 2024, so can you. If it's to survive longer for the years to come, while carrying that nebulous Seoul Future Heritage status, it needs visitors to show that they care. If you don't want to go all the way out to the coast to see the first sunrise, go take a walk through Seoul Children's Grand Park. Get a look at Korea's first roller coaster on display, take pictures, upload them and tag them. Let's rise again in 2024 with the Blue Dragon Train.
The Blue Dragon Train and the 88 Train, or "COSTER," sit next to a well-traveled path in Seoul Children's Grand Park, Dec. 28. Courtesy of Ron Bandun
Ron Bandun is an urban explorer. He has been visiting forgotten, abandoned and forbidden spaces in Korea since 2005, documenting changes and conflicts in the urban environment.