The Place

“I would like to have a good time with my boyfriend, but I’m fed up of going to the movies. Where is a nice place for us?” I want to recommend to anyone who has this question to go to a special place. That is the Latin American Cultural Center, where you can feel the passion of Latin America to the fullest.


The Latin American Cultural Center consists of a cultural museum, an art museum, and a sculpture garden. It was founded by Lee Bok-hyung who was a diplomat in the Korean Embassy in many countries of Latin America for 30 years. He created the center for many people to experience Latin American culture. This Latin American Cultural Center is the only one in Asia and is authorized as a theme museum by Gyeonggi-do.

As soon as visitors enter the culture center, there stands a sculpture of an ancient soldier, which is made of metal, in front of the gate. This sculpture looks welcoming visitors to the cultural center.

First of all, if visitors go to the cultural museum, they can view antiquities from those of the Maya and the Inca, to those affected by the introduction of Catholicism. Mexican masks being displayed are the most popular with visitors. The origins of various Mexican mask cultures lie in native people having developed various symbolic masks in their culture to connect with the soul.

Totonac Indians who lived near the Mexican East coast covered their faces with masks and emancipated their soul and ego from routine life for a short while. In putting on a mask, they believed it substituted a personality and soul of a new ego for theirs.

The art museum located to the right of the cultural museum is being used for an exhibition on Latin American painters. Although the works which are being displayed are different, they are in harmony with a common point, Latin America.

The Latin American Cultural Center is very famous for its sculpture garden, which is in addition to the cultural museum and the art museum. So, many visitors take pictures of the sculptures, and themselves, against the backdrop of the sculpture garden. If visitors walk around this garden and are a bit tired, they can take a break on the benches which were installed for visitors to appreciate the sculptures.

Taco which offers visitors Latin American foods is located in the sculpture garden. Latin American food is an integral part of Latin American culture. I recommend that visitors eat Alambra and Quesadilla, both very delicious. Before visitors go to eat, you should know that Taco is open only on Saturdays, Sundays, and national holidays.

Useful tips for people going to the Latin American Cultural Center
How to get there:
Take subway line 3 to Gupabal station and go out exit 1
→ Get on the 703 bus and get off at Goyang market.
→ At Family Mart, across from the bus stop, get on the number 8 bus and get off at the Latin American Cultural Center
(Visitors can go to the Latin American Cultural Center on foot following the signposts, but are likely to get lost. Therefore, I recommend you to take the number 8 bus.)

Opening hours : Open year round
November ~ March (10:00am~5:00pm)
April ~ October (10:00am~6:00pm)
Entrance Fee :Adults: 4,500 won
Soldiers, Students : 3,500 won
Children under 12 : 3,000 won
Groups (over 50 people) : 20% off

For more information, please visit the Latin American Cultural Center website http://www.latina.or.kr or contact them at 031) 962 - 9291
Sculptures in front of the cultural museum
저작권자 © The UOS Times(서울시립대영자신문) 무단전재 및 재배포 금지