Waoo Park Badminton

The Scouting Report

One of the hidden advantages for badminton enthusiasts living in Seoul is the availability of public indoor badminton facilities. Especially in the winter and on rainy days, these courts are a refuge for badminton lovers. Close to Hongdae, lies an excellent badminton facility. It offers great lighting and plenty of courts. Most importantly, entry is free.

Surface

Indoors, which means a nice green-top surface that was designed for badminton. It has great grip and pretty good give.

Pros

Let’s start off by stating the obvious: it is indoors, which means optimal conditions for badminton.
The lights are bright enough that they provide adequate lighting. At the same time, they don’t interfere too much on the high shots.
The hours. The facility is caters to early birds and night owls. It is open from 5:00-23:00.

Cons

There are plenty of courts, but there may be a slight chance that you will have to wait for a court to open up.
There are no English signs within the facility. Don’t fret it! The facility is open to all.

Waoo Park badminton gym

Nearby Sports and Recreation

Basketball
Exercise Machines
Gateball Field
Walking paths
Weightlifting

Extra Information & Etiquette

To keep the facility clean, all players must change out of their outdoor shoes and into their indoor shoes before entering.
Bring your own rackets and birdies.

Cool Down

Being in Hongdae means you are already in cool-down central. If you’re looking for something specific, there is a renowned burger shop close to the base of Waoo Park. It is called ‘I Am a Burger’.

Gallery

Check out the Waoo Park photo album to see more pictures of the area.

How To Get There

Where: Seoul-si, Mapo-gu, Changjeon-dong

From Line 2 - Hongdae Station (홍대역):
-Walk out of exit 8 and take your first right. Keep walking straight until you reach a roundabout.
-Veer left and head straight. Walk on the right side of the sidewalk. You will pass a few galbi (Korean bbq) restaurants.
-You will reach another roundabout. Take a right. You should be on the street named Wausan-ro 29 gil.
-Walk all the way to the end of this street. This street is a quieter street that has restaurants and shops. It will have a smattering of bars.

Once you reach the end of the street you will be able to take a left or a right. Take a left and walk a short distance until you reach a set of street lights.
-Take a right at the street lights and walk across. There will be a main street and another small street that veers off of the main street.
-Take the small street. It will take you uphill. You will pass ‘I Am a Burger’.
-Keep following that hill and you will reach Waoo Park.

Once at the hill, follow a sign that reads, "Sports Park".

Congratulate yourself on persevering through these directions. If they seem lengthy (for they cover a distance of 849 meters), just resort to following our map and your instinct.

If you are at least partially competent in Korean, Naver has a detailed pages on buses you could take.

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Posted October 27, 2015

The Seoul Stop

Badminton