Specimens of Korea’s Native Species and Urban Wildlife at Saengsaeng Chaeum
Saengsaeng Chaeum, an exhibition hall at the National Institute of Biological Resources in Incheon, offers free admission to displays of specimens of Korea’s native species and digital interactive exhibits. This guide covers routes combining buses and walking from Cheongna International City Station and Geomam Station, scheduled guided-tour times, closure days, exhibition-hall rules, and available amenities.
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How the National Institute of Biological Resources, opened in 2007, was established in Incheon
After the basic construction plan for the National Institute of Biological Resources was established in July 2002, construction began in June 2004. Construction was completed in January 2007, and the institution was launched in March 2007 with 2 divisions, 8 departments, and 102 staff members before officially opening in October 2007.
It was converted into a responsibility-based operating institution in January 2011, and the Genetic Resources Information Management Center was established in March 2018. The official chronology also records an organizational reorganization establishing the National Biodiversity Center in January 2026. This explains the character of the current facility: it is not merely an exhibition hall but a national institution managing biodiversity data.
How to plan your viewing route first on the second floor of Saengsaengchaeum
The exhibition hall of the National Institute of Biological Resources is called Saengsaengchaeum and occupies two floors. The first floor has Exhibition Hall 1, the Special Exhibition Hall, and the Children's Experience Room, while the second floor has Exhibition Halls 2 and 3.
The official permanent exhibition list includes Exhibition Halls 1, 2, and 3, Jeju Gotjawal, Children's Saengsaengchaeum, and the Outdoor Theme Garden. Adult first-time visitors may find it easiest to begin with the broad classification of Korea's native organisms in Exhibition Hall 1 on the first floor and then proceed upstairs. Visitors with children can place the urban wildlife experience at Children's Saengsaengchaeum as a separate part of the route.
More than 1,300 specimens and the seven-kingdom classification in Exhibition Hall 1
Exhibition Hall 1 displays more than 1,300 actual specimens of Korea's native organisms, along with models and videos, arranged according to the visitor flow. Reflecting recent academic research, organisms are divided into seven kingdom categories, so the exhibition is designed for visitors to follow a classification system rather than simply view a list of species names.
Interactive exhibition techniques allow related information, such as videos, to respond when an exhibit is selected. An interactive illustrated guide depicting the life cycles of native plants is also available. In addition, media exhibits let visitors explore the forms, characteristics, and traces of various animals, while a digital collection allows them to select information about more than 300 species of native organisms. The experience therefore differs from an exhibition where specimens are viewed only visually.
How to look for urban wildlife at Children's Saengsaengchaeum
Children's Saengsaengchaeum is an exhibition hall exclusively for children, designed to help them discover, understand, and empathize with the diverse wildlife living in cities. At the orientation corner, children explore where and how urban wildlife lives. In the corner comparing organisms' weight, size, colors, and patterns, they can examine external characteristics directly.
During the visit, the route continues to a corner where children search for the food of wild animals and another where they watch videos about efforts to live alongside wildlife encountered by chance in their surroundings. The children's area is on the first floor of the exhibition hall, while the nursing room is on the second floor of the exhibition hall's amenities building and is equipped with a microwave, diaper-changing table, and nursing room.
How to use the 40-minute reserved exhibition tours at 10:00 and 14:00
The exhibition hall is open from 09:30 to 17:30, and admission is free. Individual visitors may enter without a reservation, but groups of 10 or more must make an advance reservation. The exhibition hall is regularly closed every Monday and is also closed on January 1.
Reserved exhibition tours operate from Tuesday through Sunday, with regular guided tours beginning at 10:00 and 14:00. Each session accommodates about 20 people and lasts approximately 40 minutes. Reserved tours must be booked through the integrated reservation system at least three days before the visit and begin in the first-floor lobby of the exhibition hall. The facility is also closed on the day of and the day before Lunar New Year and Chuseok, so visits scheduled around these holidays should be avoided.
Preparing for the final 20 minutes from Cheongna International City Station and Geomam Station
From Cheongna International City Station, visitors can take buses 2-1, 24-1, 43, 202, or 8801 toward Seobusandan. According to the official directions, the ride takes about five minutes and covers two stops. Get off at the Hana Financial Group Integrated Data Center · National Institute of Biological Resources stop, then walk for approximately 20 minutes.
From Geomam Station, bus 43 is listed as an option. The ride takes approximately 17 minutes and covers 17 stops, followed by another 20-minute walk from the stop. Route 43 is described as departing from Geomam Sageori Seohae Apartment and passing the Gyeongseo Farm, Nokcheongja Museum, and Taepyeong Apartment 1st Complex (A) stops. A free shuttle bus is also available in front of Geomam Station, but specific operating times and intervals have not been provided. Older directions stating that the walk from the National Institute of Biological Resources Entrance stop on bus 111-2 takes 15 minutes may differ from the current route.
Operating hours to know before taking a break at Compose Coffee or Kofu Snack
Compose Coffee is on the first floor of the Saengsaengchaeum building. It is open from 08:30 to 17:00 on weekdays and from 10:30 to 17:00 on weekends. Disposable cups are not permitted; only store cups, personal cups, and reusable cups for collection are allowed. Visitors planning to take their drinks away should be aware of this rule.
Meals are available at Kofu Snack on the first floor of the amenities building. It operates from 10:30 to 17:00 Tuesday through Sunday, but last orders are at 15:00 and it may close early if ingredients run out. For group meals and inquiries, call 070-4161-8028. The Kofu Snack convenience store operates from 08:00 to 17:30 Tuesday through Sunday.
Where food, photography, and mobility equipment are restricted inside the exhibition hall
Food and beverages may not be brought into the exhibition hall, and pets other than guide dogs are not allowed. Since all areas are non-smoking zones, bringing coffee or snacks into the exhibition rooms is not permitted.
Photography using flashes or tripods, as well as photography for commercial purposes, is prohibited. Baby wagons, kick scooters, bicycles, skateboards, roller skates, and similar equipment may not be used indoors or on outdoor viewing paths. Detailed conditions for personal commemorative photography and the scope of glass barriers and access controls for individual exhibitions have not been separately provided, so visitors coming primarily for photography may face restrictions.
Facilities available to international and family visitors
Lockers are available in the amenities connecting passage on the first floor of the exhibition hall. They can be used from 09:30 to 17:30 Tuesday through Sunday. A guidance robot in the Saengsaengchaeum lobby provides information about the audio guide for Exhibition Hall 1 and the locations of amenities. It operates from 09:30 to 17:00 on opening days.
The nursing room is available from 09:30 to 17:00 Tuesday through Sunday, and its inquiry number is 032-590-7190. However, the specific locations of wheelchair-accessible ramps, elevators, and accessible restrooms, as well as the availability of English information or audio-guide rentals, cannot be confirmed from the available guidance. Before visiting, it is safest to ask about the accessibility assistance you need by calling the main number, 032-590-7000.
How to distinguish address listings when traveling to 42 Hwangyeong-ro
The official address of the National Institute of Biological Resources is 42 Hwangyeong-ro, Seohae-gu, Incheon (Comprehensive Environmental Research Complex). The listing “Compose Coffee, part of the first floor, 42 Hwangyeong-ro, Seohae-gu, Incheon (Oryu-dong)” combines the facility name and floor information and is not the institution's full address. The official website uses the National Institute of Biological Resources address within the Comprehensive Environmental Research Complex.
For navigation systems or map apps, entering National Institute of Biological Resources or the official road-name address is more accurate. The official website is https://www.nibr.go.kr and the main telephone number is 032-590-7000. Visitor parking is available, but the number of spaces and parking fees were not separately confirmed in the official visitor information.
Before You Go
- Address
- 42 Hwangyeong-ro, Seohae-gu, Incheon (Comprehensive Environmental Research Complex)
- Hours
- 09:30–17:30
- Closed
- Every Monday; January 1; the day of and the day before Lunar New Year and Chuseok; and other dates separately designated by the director
- Admission
- Free
- Phone
- 032-590-7000
- Official site
- https://www.nibr.go.kr
- Transport
- From Cheongna International City Station, take bus 2-1, 24-1, 43, 202, or 8801; get off after approximately 5 minutes and 2 stops, then walk about 20 minutes. From Geomam Station, take bus 43 for approximately 17 minutes and 17 stops, then walk about 20 minutes. A free shuttle bus is available in front of Geomam Station.
- Parking
- Visitor parking at the National Institute of Biological Resources Saengsaengchaeum; parking fees were not separately confirmed in the official visitor information
- Time needed
- Official guided exhibition tour: approximately 40 minutes; the recommended duration for the full visit has not been officially confirmed
- Accessibility
- The second-floor nursing room has a microwave, diaper-changing table, nursing area, and other facilities; a guidance robot provides information about the Exhibition Hall 1 audio guide and amenity locations
The information above is accurate as of the time of writing. Check the official information again before visiting.
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