A Visit Route to the National Daejeon Cemetery Starting from Hyeonchungwon Station

251 Hyeonchungwon-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon Metropolitan City: What can you see here?

The National Daejeon Cemetery is a national cemetery where national merit recipients are buried. According to informational materials from the National Daejeon Cemetery, approximately 32,000 national merit recipients are buried on a site covering 998,000 pyeong, and more than 41,000 memorial tablets are enshrined.

This is not a place where visitors see just one building like at a tourist attraction; instead, they move among various burial areas and memorial spaces. The road-name address is 251 Hyeonchungwon-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon Metropolitan City (Gap-dong San 23-1). The main telephone number is 042-718-7114, and the official website is https://www.dnc.go.kr/.

Why the burial areas are divided, from independence patriots to West Sea defense heroes

The official courses are divided according to the people buried there and the historical context. The Independence Course includes the third burial area for independence patriots, with names such as Hong Beom-do, Lee Dae-wi, and Shin Seok-woo listed in the guide.

The Military Course covers the Army burial areas for Korean War fallen soldiers and soldiers who died in the line of duty, Navy West Sea defense heroes, Air Force personnel who died in the line of duty, Marine Corps personnel who died in the line of duty, and patriotic police officers. The Society Course is arranged to tour the burial areas for firefighters, public officials, and persons who died or were injured while rescuing others, so choosing a course according to your purpose is efficient.

Admission hours vary by season, from 06:00 to 18:00

The National Daejeon Cemetery is open to everyone free of charge 365 days a year, with no regular closing days. Admission is free, so visitors do not go through a typical ticket office or ticket-purchasing process.

According to Daejeon tourism information, opening hours are 06:00–18:00 in summer and 07:00–18:00 in winter. Separate official information lists memorial service hours as 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., so winter morning visitors should consider both the winter opening information and the memorial service hours.

Your destination differs depending on whether you use Exit 2 or Exit 3 of Hyeonchungwon Station

For foreign visitors using the Daejeon subway, Hyeonchungwon Station is the simplest starting point. Official information indicates that from Exit 2, visitors can take the Cham-bae-gaek-mo-si-mi shuttle bus for approximately five minutes to the cemetery, while from Exit 3, they can take Bus 107 or 48 for approximately five minutes.

From Daejeon Station, both taking Bus 107 and traveling by subway to Hyeonchungwon Station before transferring to a bus are listed as taking 50 minutes in total. From Seodaejeon Station, take Bus 612 to Seodaejeonnegeori Station, then transfer to the subway and a bus, for a total of 60 minutes. From the Yuseong Intercity Bus Terminal, Bus 107 takes approximately 20 minutes in total.

• Yuseong Express Bus Terminal: Walk 10 minutes to Yuseong Intercity Bus Terminal, then take Bus 107 or 48
• Dongbu Express and Intercity Bus Terminal: Take Bus 102 to Hyeonchungwon Station, then transfer to a bus; 60 minutes total
• Seobu Intercity Bus Terminal: Take Bus 113 to Hyeonchungwon Station, then transfer to a bus; 60 minutes total

Use public transportation rather than a car on Lunar New Year, Hansik, Memorial Day, and Chuseok

The transportation method to the cemetery from Hyeonchungwon Station depends on choosing the correct exit. If you want to prioritize the shuttle bus, use Exit 2; if you plan to take Bus 107 or 48, use Exit 3. Detailed operating times for the Cham-bae-gaek-mo-si-mi service were not found in the informational materials.

By car, exit the Yuseong Interchange on the Honam Expressway, take National Route 32, and travel 3 km toward Gyeryongsan and Donghaksa to arrive on the right. From the entrance to Donghaksa at Gyeryongsan, travel 5 km toward Yuseong; the cemetery is on the left. The outdoor parking lot is reported to accommodate approximately 943 vehicles, but parking fees were not found in publicly available official materials.

Visitors are advised that traffic becomes congested on Lunar New Year, Hansik, Memorial Day, and Chuseok because many people visit family graves. During these four periods, planning around a transfer at Hyeonchungwon Station rather than driving is more practical.

The 10-km Veterans’ Circular Trail connects seven sections outside the burial areas

The Veterans’ Circular Trail consists of seven sections named after the colors of the rainbow and was expanded from the original 8.2 km to a total of 10 km. During the 2017 expansion, the Green Trail was extended by 1.2 km, while approximately 800 m of new trail was created for the Indigo and Purple Trails.

The circular trail includes the Veterans’ Spring, Veterans’ Fruit Land, and the Patriotic Railway Memorial Hall. Official information from 2018 also introduced an activity section covering 2.7 km of the Red and Orange Trails out of the total 10.04 km, making it possible to choose a color-named section and see the burial areas and nearby facilities together rather than walking the entire trail.

There are no guided tours on weekends, and group programs require reservations

“Veterans’ Kiwoomi” is a burial-area memorial visit program accompanied by a veterans’ interpreter. It starts at the Veterans’ Future Hall and proceeds with a visit to the burial areas and an explanation, an approximately 10-minute burial-area care activity, and a tour of the Veterans’ Future Hall exhibition. The program takes 60 minutes and is intended for students in middle school and above and adults, including military personnel.

This program is available to groups of 15 to 80 people, and the required vehicle is at least a medium-sized bus. Guided programs are not operated on public holidays or weekends, although independent visits are allowed, so individual travelers should not expect a reserved guided tour on weekends.

The Nara Sarang video screenings take 8 to 40 minutes depending on the video and are intended for all ages, including preschool children. The available group size is 15 to 300 people maximum. Children aged 12 or younger must be accompanied by a guardian, and reservations take priority. Same-day registration is unavailable. For inquiries, call 042-820-7079 or 7063.

Videos at the Veterans’ Future Hall have different viewing ages and durations

The cemetery promotional video is suitable for all ages and lasts eight minutes. “Bulgae Thunder” is also suitable for all ages and lasts 20 minutes. “That Day,” which covers the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong in 2002, is suitable for students in fourth grade and above and lasts 31 minutes.

“Grandfather’s Tosi” is suitable for students in fifth grade and above and lasts 40 minutes. This video tells the story of the family of three generations of anti-Japanese patriots: Lee Nam-gyu, Lee Chung-gyu, and Lee Seung-bok. If you include a video screening in your itinerary, first take into account the requirement that children aged 12 or younger be accompanied by a guardian and the principle that reservations take priority.

Wheelchairs are available free of charge at the main gate information office

Wheelchairs are available free of charge at the main gate information office. However, information about stroller rentals and slopes, stairs, and ground conditions along the entire visitor route could not be confirmed. Therefore, stroller users should narrow their destinations rather than planning to cover the entire 10-km Veterans’ Circular Trail or several burial areas in one visit.

The recommended duration for a general self-guided visit was not found in publicly available materials. However, “Veterans’ Kiwoomi” is a 60-minute program, and the burial-area care activity alone takes approximately 10 minutes. The informational materials also do not confirm whether photography is prohibited, the scope of opening and access restrictions, whether payment is cash-only, or whether English information and audio guides are available. Therefore, this site may not suit visitors expecting a photo-focused tourist attraction or a freely accessible indoor exhibition facility.