Mac Rating: 5.00 | Votes: 1 | Date: 19/07/2026 20:23:00

An aquarium within the COEX Mall in the Gangnam district of Seoul, part of the Merlin Entertainments SEA LIFE chain and one of the largest aquariums in South Korea. The facility occupies the basement levels of the COEX complex, Asia's largest underground shopping mall, and presents approximately 40,000 marine creatures across themed zones designed to replicate ocean and freshwater environments from Korea and around the world. The exhibition route includes a transparent ocean tunnel where sharks, rays, and groupers swim overhead; a Korean river zone presenting freshwater fish native to the country's mountain streams and coastal estuaries; a tropical rainforest zone with piranhas, freshwater stingrays, and riparian reptiles; a jellyfish gallery using specialised lighting against dark backgrounds; and a penguin habitat with both Gentoo and King penguin species. Daily programming includes scheduled feeding shows in the main ocean tank, where divers enter the water to hand-feed sharks and rays while providing narration via underwater communication equipment. Touch pools allow visitors to handle invertebrates, and educational stations present marine conservation messaging tailored to the Korean school curriculum. Seasonal themed events overlay holiday-specific decorations and programming onto the permanent exhibits. The COEX Mall location in Gangnam places the aquarium within one of Seoul's most commercially active districts, accessible from Samseong Station on Metro Line 2. The surrounding complex includes the COEX convention centre, the Starfield Library, multiple cinema screens, and hundreds of retail and dining outlets, making the aquarium a component of a broader COEX visit. Tickets are available online with advance-purchase discounts. Combination tickets with Lotte World and Lotte World Aquarium in the same Jamsil complex provide discounted access across the entertainment cluster, and the COEX Mall location adds shopping and dining options to the aquarium visit.