As tourists flock to a reservoir in Yesan County, South Chungcheong, known as the filming location of the horror movie "Salmokji," the local government has decided to block nighttime access.
Yesan County said on Apr. 14 via its official social media (SNS) that it will restrict nighttime visits to Salmokji to prevent nighttime accidents. The restriction runs daily from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. the following day.
Salmokji is a reservoir created in 1982 to secure agricultural water. Until now, only a few anglers occasionally visited, but after it was featured on a ghost-story program in 2022, word of mouth spread. Recently, among Millennials and Gen Z, Salmokji has been called a "haunted hotspot."
With the movie "Salmokji," set against the backdrop of Salmokji, opening on Apr. 8, visitor numbers have surged recently. The film draws on ghost stories such as a car that nearly plunged into the reservoir while following navigation at Salmokji and people saying they saw ghosts. (☞"About 100 cars flocked to Salmokji at midnight"… a pilgrimage craze to the filming site)
However, as the number of tourists visiting Salmokji has grown excessively, damage to nearby residents has also increased. In particular, as nighttime traffic has risen on the narrow access road, safety concerns have emerged, including a heightened risk of traffic accidents.