Seoul Han River outdoor pools 2026: June 19 – August 30, night swim runs full season

Seoul's Han River outdoor swimming pools and water playgrounds open Friday June 19, 2026 and run through Sunday August 30, 2026 — roughly 73 days of public water access inside the riverside parks. Two reasons to pencil it in now: pricing is genuinely cheap (₩5,000 for adults at the full swimming pools, ₩3,000 at the water playgrounds), and 2026 is the year night swim runs the full season, not just a 26-day pilot like 2025. Walk-up entry, no reservation needed for the swimming pools. We pulled the 2026 details together before the Seoul Metropolitan Government's English-language announcement caught up.

What's open in 2026 — and what's not

Seoul runs 2 swimming pools and 4 water playgrounds across the Han River park system this year. Two facilities you might remember from past years are off the map:

• Mangwon Pool — closed for 2026 (Seongsan Bridge North reinforcement construction).
• Gwangnaru — reopens as a natural-materials water playground, not a chlorinated swimming pool. New format, kid-friendly.

The swimming pools (real lap pools, deeper water)

• Yeouido Pool (여의도수영장): Largest in the Han River system, capacity ~3,600. Fountains, slides, an air-bounce zone, sundecks. Nearest subway — Line 9 National Assembly Stn (also walkable from Yeouinaru Stn Line 5).
• Ttukseom Pool (뚝섬수영장): The only lazy river / current pool in the Han River park system — drift around without effort. Line 7 Jayang Stn, about 5 minutes' walk.
• Jamwon Pool (잠원수영장): 1.5 m adult lap pool, for swimmers who want actual laps. Line 3 Jamwon Stn. Note: 2026 operation listed in some sources, ambiguous in others — confirm against the official Seoul announcement closer to opening date.

The water playgrounds (shallow, family-first)

• Jamsil Water Playground: Songpa-gu, Line 2 Jamsil Naru Stn.
• Gwangnaru Eco Water Playground (NEW 2026): Gwangjin-gu, natural-materials concept, kid-first.
• Yanghwa Water Playground: Yeongdeungpo, Line 9 Seonyudo Stn. Max depth 0.8 m, under-10 friendly. Shorter hours.
• Nanji Water Playground: Mapo-gu, Line 6 World Cup Stadium Stn. The infinity-pool-style edge over the Han River — the most photographed of the four.

Hours and prices

• Swimming pool hours: 09:00–22:00 daily. Night swim runs the full season for the first time in 2026 (2025 was a 26-day pilot).
• Yanghwa water playground hours: 09:00–18:00 (shorter).
• Closing days: None scheduled — closes only on severe weather (heavy rain, thunder, typhoon).
• Swimming pool admission: Adult ₩5,000 · Youth (13–18) ₩4,000 · Child (7–12) ₩3,000 · Under 6 free.
• Water playground admission: Adult ₩3,000 · Youth ₩2,000 · Child ₩1,000 · Under 6 free.
• 50% discount: Multi-child families, age 65+, registered disability grade 1–3 plus one carer, national merit recipients. Bring the relevant ID at the gate.
• Sunbed rental: ₩10,000 (limited supply, weekend afternoons run out).
• Lockers: Coin-operated, around ₩1,000.

Foreign passports are accepted at the gate. No Korean ID requirement, no advance reservation required for the swimming pools. Water playgrounds can sometimes route through Naver Booking on peak days — walk up first, that's usually enough.

The dress code (this is what trips foreigners up)

Korean public swimming pools enforce a stricter dress code than most international visitors expect. Coming with the wrong setup is the most common reason foreign visitors get turned around at the gate:

• Swim cap mandatory. For 2026, the rule was loosened — regular cap-style hats (캡모자) are now accepted alongside traditional swim caps. Hair must be covered for entering the swimming pools (water playgrounds are more relaxed).
• Swimsuit required. No board shorts, no cotton T-shirts, no athletic shorts. Lap-style swimwear for adults; rashguards are allowed.
• What works: A proper swimsuit + rashguard + swim cap or cap-style hat is the foreigner-friendly setup. Most ₩10,000–20,000 sets at any Daiso or local sports store will do the job.
• Showers before entering: Standard in Korea — there are rinse showers between the changing room and the pool. Use them.

When to go (and when not to)

• Weekend afternoons 13:00–16:00: Capacity hit, especially at Yeouido and Nanji. Lines can be long even outside the gate.
• Weekday mornings 09:00–11:00: The quietest window. Locals work, kids in school, water is the cleanest of the day.
• Night swim 19:00–22:00: The 2026 sweet spot — cooler, lit up, full lap pool access without the day-time crowd. Truly new this year as a full-season offering.
• Rainy days: Light rain doesn't close the pools but lightning does. Check Korean weather (KMA) or call 1330 before traveling.

What's new and what's not

• New: Night swim runs full season (was a 26-day pilot in 2025), Gwangnaru reopens as a natural-style eco water playground, and the swim-cap rule now accepts cap-style hats.
• Closed: Mangwon Pool through 2026 (bridge construction).
• Not new: Pricing — same as 2025. The cheapest way to swim in Seoul is still Seoul itself.

Direct links you'll actually use

• Seoul Future Han River Office — pool portal (Korean): hangang.seoul.go.kr — authoritative source for 2026 dates, hours, and any mid-season updates.
• Seoul Mediahub — official Han River summer announcement: mediahub.seoul.go.kr — Seoul Metropolitan Government's English/Korean news hub with pricing, discount eligibility, and night swim details.
• Visit Seoul (English): english.visitseoul.net — Seoul Tourism Organization English portal.
• Klook (Han River day-tour packages): klook.com — search "Han River" for bundled day-tour options around Yeouido / Ttukseom. Affiliate link.
• 1330 Korea Tourism Hotline (free, 24/7, multilingual): visitkorea.or.kr/1330 — call for English / Japanese / Chinese / Vietnamese / Thai routing if a gate question or directions issue comes up on the day.