Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital — South Korea's most feared abandoned asylum

The Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital, located near Seoul in Gyeonggi Province, was South Korea's most famous haunted location until its demolition. The hospital, which operated as a psychiatric facility before being abandoned under unclear circumstances, gained notoriety among ghost hunters for its dark atmosphere and persistent reports of paranormal activity. According to urban legend, the hospital's director went insane and the patients died under mysterious circumstances, though these claims are difficult to verify. Visitors to the abandoned hospital reported poltergeist-like phenomena including chairs and equipment moving, doors slamming in corridors where there was no wind, and screaming echoing from the empty wards. The hospital was featured in the 2018 South Korean horror film 'Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum,' which became a box office hit and is considered one of the best Asian horror films of its decade. In Korean shamanic tradition (무교, Mugyo), locations where traumatic deaths occur can become inhabited by angry spirits (원혼, wonhon) who require ritual appeasement. The Gonjiam hospital's troubled history and its connection to mental illness — still heavily stigmatized in Korean society — created a perfect storm of fear and fascination.