Jeju media art with retro rooms and disco: Nohyeong Supermarket

My favorite media art exhibition in Jeju: Nohyeong Supermarket

I finally made it to Nohyeong Supermarket (노형수퍼마켙), which I’d only ever seen while passing by .ᐟ.ᐟ.ᐟ At first, since its name was “Supermarket,” I was like, what on earth is this place??? haha My boyfriend told me it was a media art exhibition hall?

Whenever we travel, my boyfriend and I tend to seek out media art exhibitions if there are any ⟡.· ⸝⸝◉◉⸝⸝ ⟡.· And to give you my one-line review first: of the four media art places I’ve visited in Jeju so far, Nohyeong Supermarket was my favorite -ˋˏ ♡ ˎˊ-

It wasn’t so much a “Whoa, it’s huge!” or “Overwhelmingly dazzling!” kind of place. What I loved most was that, with its retro feel + colorful media art + varied music + quick screen changes and all that, it never got boring the whole way through - ̗̀( ˶' ３'˶) ̖́-

You know… at media art exhibitions, soft piano music plays while one famous painting stays on screen forever… It’s pretty, but then comes that moment when you start wanting to see the next thing… haha But here, disco suddenly comes on tooㅋㅋㅋㅋ So fun, so fun ♪( 'ω' و(و" ♪( 'ω' و(و" ♪( 'ω' و(و"

I thought the retro rooms would be great for a nostalgic trip with parents, or for looking around with children while saying, “This is what they had in the old days~” (●'ᴗ'●) I photographed every. single. bit. today, so come have a look with me, let’s go ㄱㄱ ♡⁼³₌₃ + I’ve also got a huge money-saving admission tip.

Nohyeong Supermarket

Parking, admission prices, and a Jeju Tour Pass comparison

When you’re traveling around Jeju, parking at attractions can unexpectedly become stressful, but this place had plenty of parking even though it’s near the airport. Love it ✺⋆* (⸝⸝⸝´▽`⸝⸝⸝)⋆*✺

Standard admission is ₩15,000 for adults, ₩13,000 for teens, and ₩10,000 for children. Honestly, considering media art exhibition prices, I didn’t think ₩15,000 was terribly expensive either. But. Here. Comes. A huge tip. (whisper whisper)

You can get in much more cheaply with the Jeju Tour Pass .ᐟ.ᐟ.ᐟ When I went, one adult ticket to Nohyeong Supermarket was ₩15,000, but a 24-hour Jeju Tour Pass was ₩13,900… huh? Σ( Д )ﻌﻌﻌﻌ⊙ ⊙ Even if you only visit Nohyeong Supermarket, it costs less than admission ˀ̣ ˀ̣ ˀ̣

If you bundle it with other attractions available on the pass, you can really get your money’s worth, so compare prices when planning your itinerary - ̗̀( ˶' ３'˶) ̖́- It’s genuinely useful, right right? Protect that wallet as much as possible .ᐟ.ᐟ.ᐟ

Nohyeong Dabang, where you can bring drinks into the exhibition

Another unusual thing about Nohyeong Supermarket is that it isn’t a media art place where you simply see the exhibition and leave—it’s designed to be enjoyed with a café. There’s Nohyeong Dabang (노형다방) by the ticket counter, and you can buy a drink there and take it straight into the exhibition hall (◍•ᴗ•◍)♡ ✧*。

There are light baked goods and desserts too, plus a separate seating area where you can sit and have a drink ෆꔛ(⑉･ ･⑉)ꔛෆ

On the same floor, there was also Nohyeong General Store (노형잡화점), a nice place to browse souvenirs. It was fun wandering around and looking at things before the exhibition *+:꒰◍•ᴗ•◍꒱:+*

We each grabbed a strawberry drink and a hallabong tangerine juice, then headed into the exhibition for real, go go ᕱ⑅ᕱ You don’t just enter one by one whenever you want here; they gather people and let everyone in together, and it begins a bit like a “show” ː̗̀ (☉.☉) ː̖́ But it wouldn’t be fun if I told you too much, hehe. Go see it for yourselves ｡ˆ⸝⸝. ݂ .⸝⸝ˆ𓈒ׁ♡

Retro and disco vibes that change from the moment you enter

The atmosphere changes completely as soon as you walk in - ̗̀ retro vibes everywhere ̖́- I wanted to take fifty thousand photos right here alone…??? ♡◟(●•ᴗ•●)◞♡ It felt like stepping into an old neighborhood alley from Black Rubber Shoes, which is a feeling you don’t often find at media art exhibitions these days.

And just when you’re soaking in the retro mood, the atmosphere suddenly turns sparkly ✧⁺₊˚‧ It shifts into kind of a nightclub vibe(?) and the music switches to disco tooㅋㅋㅋ I came to see media art, so why am I having this much fun? ˀ̣ ˀ̣ ˀ̣ Personally, I really loved this kind of change - ̗̀( ˶' ３'˶) ̖́-

Instead of carrying the same mood from beginning to end, every space had a different atmosphere and different music, so I kept wondering what would come next (●'ᴗ'●)

Gobeullak before the main hall

And ta-da, this is the main hall ⟡.· ⸝⸝◉◉⸝⸝ ⟡.· It looks spacious even in photos, but when you actually enter, video fills the walls and it feels wonderfully open *+:꒰◍•ᴗ•◍꒱:+*

But the guidance at the entrance recommended seeing “Gobeullak” (곱을락) in the basement before the main hall .ᐟ.ᐟ So down we went, doing as we were told, hehe (●'ᴗ'●) “Gobeullak” means hide-and-seek in the Jeju dialect.

Gobeullak is a space that continues behind the main screen, with capsule-toy machines and vintage props—such retro vibes here too… ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ What do you call bags like that? The little handbags that elementary-school kids from well-off families might have carried to school long agoㅋㅋ There’s fun in examining each prop, and the mood changes completely again once you go farther inside ✺⋆* (⸝⸝⸝´▽`⸝⸝⸝)⋆*✺

It was a sparkling space that looked as though nature had been brought indoors, completely different from the retro rooms at the front (⸝⸝ ᷇•⩊• ᷆⸝⸝) So rather than feeling like I’d seen one exhibition, it felt like going through several little spaces and experiencing a different mood in each one - ̗̀( ˶' ３'˶) ̖́-

The main exhibition: seven themes in about 30 minutes

After Gobeullak, we finally returned to the main hall ෆꔛ(⑉･ ･⑉)ꔛෆ Thankfully, there were soft, comfy chairs for viewing, so it was perfect to sit here, sip our drinks, and enjoy the media art 乃

And the main exhibition was the biggest reason I said Nohyeong Supermarket was my favorite media art spot in Jeju -ˋˏ ♡ ˎˊ- Various themes follow one another, from Jeju’s spring, summer, fall, and winter to nature and famous paintings.

Those of you who have visited lots of media art exhibitions will know that sometimes, while watching… there are works that make you think, “Hmm… so how long am I supposed to keep watching this…?”ㅋㅋㅋ ..,,,, But Nohyeong Supermarket’s main exhibition is intuitive, pretty, colorful, and above all, the transitions are fast.

I really felt that was a strength, because I’m someone who has waited 20 minutes through famous paintings elsewhere just to see one nature-themed section I liked. Quick screen changes are the best. So. Good. (◍•ᴗ•◍)♡ ✧*。

Seven themes play over about 30 minutes here, so no one video stays on too long. Just when you’ve had enough time to think, “Oh, pretty,” and fully enjoy it, it moves neatly into the next mood. There’s no chance to get bored. Jeju’s four seasons appear, along with scenes using famous paintings by Monet, Van Gogh, Klimt, and more, and colorful videos fill every direction, so it was lovely even just sitting there blankly watching.

And hehe… even the ocean I love appeared ⤜♡⤞ By this point, today’s Nohyeong Supermarket visit was a total success ദ്ദി˶ˊᵕˋ˵) ദ്ദി˶ˊᵕˋ˵) ദ്ദി˶ˊᵕˋ˵) I’ve visited quite a few regional media art spots while traveling around Korea with my boyfriend, and sought out supposedly famous places in Seoul too. Nohyeong Supermarket may not overwhelm you with sheer scale, but it definitely felt like a tightly made, genuinely good exhibition ➸ ---( ⌯' '⌯ )--- ෆ ̖́-

It has retro vibes, lots of photo spots, dazzling media art, and varied music so your ears don’t get bored either. Most of all, the exhibition moves at a quick pace, so it never felt boring from beginning to end—that was what I loved most -ˋˏ ♡ ˎˊ-

Forty minutes felt rushed if you want photos too

My one regret was… that I made my next plans way too tight ⩌﹏⩌ At first I thought, 40 minutes should be enough, right? But I had to get up and leave feeling so sad ㅠ__ㅠ

If you want to take photos in the photogenic spaces in the poses you like, slowly look around Gobeullak, and sit in the main hall for a full video cycle, 40 minutes is quite rushed ꒰ ˃ ᅳ ˂ ꒱ If you like taking photos and prefer to enjoy exhibitions at a leisurely pace, I recommend allowing at least 60 minutes. Seriously (⸝⸝⸝⋅⃘᷄﹏⋅⃘᷅⸝⸝⸝)

Especially if you’re traveling in Jeju with your parents, looking for an indoor attraction to visit with children, searching for somewhere to go in Jeju on a rainy day, or love media art like we do, put Nohyeong Supermarket on your itinerary right now ㄱㄱ, block it into your calendar ㄱㄱ .ᐟ.ᐟ.ᐟ.ᐟ And definitely compare Jeju Tour Pass prices before you go .ᐟ.ᐟ.ᐟ Don’t end up saying, “Why didn’t I come sooner?” like me >__< Next time, I want to leave plenty of room in my schedule and come back during Christmas season to take fifty thousand photos with the tree as my backdrop -ˋˏ ♡ ˎˊ-