Salmokji site rules posted
Yesan‑gun posted strict rules for the Salmokji area: no camping, no cooking, no fishing, no littering, stay off the water’s edge at night, and a curfew between 6 PM and 6 AM. The notice circulated on social media to remind visitors about local protections and access limits for that spot (x.com).
Yesan County has posted a new rules notice for the Salmokji area, banning overnight access and several common visitor activities. (yesan.go.kr) The county notice bars camping, cooking, fishing and littering, and tells visitors not to approach the water’s edge at night. It also sets a curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. for the site. (yesan.go.kr) The restrictions surfaced as visitors began circulating photos of the sign online after late-night trips to the reservoir in Gwangsi-myeon, Yesan. Korean news reports said cars lined up near the site on April 12 and April 13, with one navigation screenshot showing about 90 to 100 vehicles headed there late at night. (mt.co.kr) (biz.chosun.com) The rush followed the April 8 release of the Korean horror film “Salmokji,” which used the reservoir as its real-world setting. The Korean Film Council’s box-office system listed the film at No. 1 on opening weekend, and reports on April 14 put cumulative admissions above 720,000. (kobis.or.kr) (v.daum.net) Salmokji is not a theme park set. Reports describe it as an agricultural reservoir in Yesan, and local coverage said some residents and observers were uneasy about a working rural water site being turned into a late-night “pilgrimage” stop for horror fans. (v.daum.net) The place had a reputation before the movie. Daum’s April 14 report said the reservoir had already circulated in ghost-story media, including a 2021 episode of Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation’s “Midnight Horror Story,” and that the old local name “Salmok” was commonly used before the film opened. (v.daum.net) Visitor data also moved upward around the film’s marketing and release. Chosun Biz, citing the Korea Tourism Data Lab, reported that outside visitors to Gwangsi-myeon averaged about 1,600 on weekdays and 3,100 on weekends after the first trailer appeared in February, roughly 15 percent above the same period a year earlier. (biz.chosun.com) That is the backdrop for the county’s sign: a real reservoir, a box-office hit released on April 8, and a local government now spelling out when people can visit and what they cannot do once they get there. (yesan.go.kr) (kobis.or.kr)
