Ice Skating in Seoul, Korea: Lotte World vs Mokdong vs Taereung vs Seoul Plaza Rinks

Last updated: 9 November 2026. Lotte World Ice Rink, Mokdong Ice Rink and Taereung International Skating Rink prices were read on each rink's own website that day. Seoul Plaza figures are last season's (2025–26), from the Seoul Metropolitan Government's news site; the city has set 18 December 2026 as the reopening date but has not yet published this winter's fee or hours. Dollar figures use ₩1,360 = US$1 (9 November 2026) and are approximate. Sources are at the end.

Where can you go ice skating in Seoul, and what does it cost? Seoul has three indoor rinks a visitor can reach by subway and bus, and they are open all year: Lotte World Ice Rink in Jamsil, and the two public rinks at Mokdong and Taereung. Their prices are far apart. Lotte World costs ₩21,000 (about US$15.44) on a weekday with skates for three hours; Mokdong and Taereung cost about ₩8,000 to ₩9,200 (US$5.88 to US$6.76) with skates, for an open afternoon session. In winter a fourth option appears: the outdoor rink on Seoul Plaza (서울광장) in front of City Hall, which charged ₩1,000 (US$0.74) an hour last season and reopens on Friday 18 December 2026.

This guide compares them side by side, using each rink's own price page: price with and without rental, time on the ice, opening hours, how you get a ticket, age limits, and what each rink makes you wear. Gloves are compulsory at all three indoor rinks, and only one of them sells gloves on site.

Lotte World Ice Rink, Jamsil: weekday entry with skate rental is ₩21,000 on the rink's 2026 fee table. Photo: Christophe95 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Lotte World, Mokdong and Taereung all require gloves on the ice, and Seoul Plaza's notice does not list them as rental gear. A pair of Tough Outdoors insulated waterproof gloves covers both the rink and a cold walk home. See them on AmazonAffiliate link. As an Amazon Associate, EpicKor earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Quick Guide: Seoul ice rinks and prices compared

Adult prices. Child rates differ by rink: at Lotte World a child ticket covers those born 2014–2020 and anyone born 2021 or later cannot enter; Mokdong's child rate covers pre-school and primary-school children; Taereung lists a child rate without an age range. Details are in each rink's section.

The short version: for one hour of skating in the open air, nothing in Seoul beats Seoul Plaza, provided you are here between 18 December and early February and can get a ticket. For an afternoon on the ice, Mokdong or Taereung charge about a third of the Lotte World price. Lotte World is the easiest to fit into a sightseeing day, because it sits inside Jamsil's shopping and theme-park complex.

Seoul Plaza: the ₩1,000 winter rink, in brief

The outdoor rink on Seoul Plaza (City Hall Station, Lines 1 and 2, exit 5) is the benchmark every price in this guide is set against. Three facts matter for comparing it with the indoor rinks:

• Price and time. Last season, 19 December 2025 to 8 February 2026, it charged ₩1,000 (US$0.74) for one hour on the ice, skates and helmet included, the same fee since 2004. The 2026–27 fee and hours have not been announced; the city has set 18 December 2026 as the reopening date.
• Tickets. Last season each session had 600 tickets: 300 sold online up to seven days ahead, 300 at the box office on the day. Weekend afternoons sold out.
• Crowds. The rink drew 180,701 skaters in 52 days last winter, more than one in four of them (49,693) foreign visitors.

Last season's hours, the booking site, the Discover Seoul Pass deal and the festival around the rink are in our Seoul Winter Festa 2026–27 guide, which we update when the city publishes the 2026–27 notice. For what December feels like on an open square at night, see Korea weather in December.

You might like: Seoul Winter Festa 2026–27: Gwanghwamun Christmas Market, Seoul Lantern Festival and the ₩1,000 Seoul Plaza Rink

Lotte World Ice Rink: the easy one, at twenty times the price

Mokdong Ice Rink, Yangcheon-gu: public rink, ₩4,000 adult entry. Photo: Jpbarrass via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Lotte World Ice Rink (롯데월드 아이스링크) is the indoor rink in the basement of the Lotte World Adventure complex in Jamsil. It has its own ticket office, and you do not need a theme-park ticket to skate. It opens all year. The rink's own fee table, marked "2026 기준" (2026 rates), reads:

The rules that matter. A ticket gives you three hours, and the resurfacing breaks count inside that time. The weekday or weekend price depends only on the day, not the time you arrive. Children born in 2021 or later cannot enter (in 2026 terms, roughly under five); children born in 2020 may skate with a parent. Helmets and gloves are compulsory on the ice. There is a glove vending machine by the changing rooms, and the rink notes that seniors get no separate discount. Skaters may not hold hands on the ice, and the area inside the lesson cones is off limits to public skaters.

Getting there. Jamsil Station (Lines 2 and 8), exit 4. Walk straight on underground towards Lotte Mart and the Folk Museum, then turn towards the Lotte World Adventure main gate, and follow the signs down to the rink ticket office.

Hours. The rink posts "today's operating hours" on its homepage each day rather than a fixed timetable, and resurfacing times change with the day's schedule. Check the page on the morning you go. Lotte also publishes discount offers on a separate benefits page; the prices above are the standard counter rates.

Is it worth ₩21,000? It is a good choice if you are already in Jamsil, if the weather is bad, or if you are visiting outside the Seoul Plaza season. Per hour it works out at about ₩7,000 (US$5.15), against ₩1,000 on the plaza. If the point is simply to skate for a whole afternoon, Mokdong and Taereung give you more ice time for less money.

Mokdong Ice Rink: the city's big indoor rink for ₩8,000

Mokdong Ice Rink (목동아이스링크, officially 목동실내빙상장) is a public rink in Yangcheon-gu, in south-west Seoul. On its own website the rink describes itself as the largest indoor rink in Seoul, and its booking pages refer to two ice sheets, an above-ground rink and a basement rink. It doubles as a training rink for young Korean skaters, which is why public skating is limited to the afternoons.

Hours. The rink's 2026 notice sets public skating at 14:10–18:00 on weekdays and 12:10–18:00 on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. The same notice opened the rink from 10:10 during the summer break, 24 July to 16 August 2026; the winter-break schedule goes up on its notice board. The rink closes on the Seollal and Chuseok holidays themselves.

On the ice. Helmets and gloves are compulsory. Helmets are lent free, but gloves are not, and the rink's notices remind skaters to bring their own. The ice is resurfaced about every two hours, so expect one break in a typical visit. No food is allowed inside. There is no online booking for public skating: you buy entry and rental at the counter. Only groups of 30 or more need to reserve.

Getting there. Omokgyo Station (Line 5), exit 3, then about a 10-minute walk to the stadium complex at 939 Anyangcheon-ro. The rink posted an English guide for foreign visitors on its notice board in 2023.

You might like: Korean Ski Resorts 2026–27: Season-Pass Prices and the Rounds Closing This Month

Taereung International Skating Rink: Korea's national-team oval

Taereung International Skating Rink (태릉국제스케이트장) in Nowon-gu, north-east Seoul, is run by the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee's athletes' village. It is a 400-metre speed-skating oval where national-team skaters train, which makes it the most unusual rink on this list: you can skate long, wide laps instead of circling a hockey-sized sheet.

Taereung International Skating Rink, Nowon-gu: the national-team speed-skating oval, open to the public 10:00–18:00 for ₩4,000. Photo: 평창동스케이트삼촌 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 KR.

Prices (the rink's own fee page): entry ₩4,000 (US$2.94) for adults, ₩3,500 for teens and ₩3,000 for children. Skate rental is ₩4,000 (US$2.94) and a helmet ₩800 (US$0.59), the same for all ages. An adult who rents both pays ₩8,800 (US$6.47). Groups of 20 or more pay less, and a monthly pass costs ₩70,000 for adults. The rink has about 2,000 pairs of rental skates, speed skates and inline skates among them, and a snack bar sells eomuk (fish cake) and other street-food snacks.

Hours. 10:00 to 18:00, every day, with resurfacing inside those hours. The catch: when the national team is training, or a competition is on, the public is moved to the smaller auxiliary rink. During televised competitions, public skating may be closed altogether. In November 2026 alone the rink has posted competition notices for 5–7, 11 and 13–14 November, so check its notice board before making the trip.

Getting there. The rink is not next to a subway station. From Taereung Station (Lines 6 and 7) exit 7, or Hwarangdae Station (Line 6) exit 1, take bus 155, 2155, 115, 82A or 82B to the "태릉국제스케이트장" stop.

Other rinks you may read about

• Grand Hyatt Seoul's ice rink, Yongsan. Each winter the hotel turns its outdoor pool on Namsan into a rink with a city view. It is priced as a hotel experience, several times the public rinks. We could not read the hotel's own price page for 2025–26, and the figures on travel sites conflict, so we are not quoting one. Check the hotel's site before you go.
• Olympic Park. Seoul city's winter-activities page lists the Olympic Park skating rink as "준비중" (in preparation). The last details it gives are for 30 December 2019 to 2 February 2020, at ₩3,000 per 50 minutes with skates. Treat English guides that give current prices for it with caution.
• Mapo Redroad "엄빠랑 아이스링크", next to Hongik University Station exit 6. Last winter, 20 December to 13 February, this was a small free rink for children aged 5 to 12 only (at least 110 cm tall, with a guardian), open 11:00–17:00 in 50-minute sessions. Whether it returns for 2026–27 has not been announced.
• Han River sledding parks (Ttukseom, Jamwon, Yeouido) are for sledding, not skating: ₩6,000 last winter, 31 December to 18 February.

Which Seoul rink fits your trip

What a family of four pays at each rink

Two adults and two primary-school children, everyone renting skates, on a Saturday. Seoul Plaza is at last season's price.

Lockers and gloves are extra everywhere, and Mokdong takes a refundable deposit on skates in peak season. Seoul Plaza buys you one hour; the others give you two to eight.

What to bring, and what to skip

• Gloves. Compulsory at Lotte World, Mokdong and Taereung, and only Lotte World sells them on site (from a vending machine). At Seoul Plaza they are not required, but the rink is outdoors in December.
• Thick, long socks. Rental skates are cold and stiff, and Mokdong specifically asks for thick socks that come up the leg.
• Your shoe size in millimetres. Korean rental counters size skates in mm (a US men's 9 is about 270 mm), so look yours up before you queue.
• Cash or a card for the locker. None of the rinks include a locker in the ticket.
• Skip: bringing food into Mokdong, which bans it inside the rink, and holding hands with a beginner partner at Lotte World, where the rink asks skaters not to.

Hot packs (핫팩) are sold at every convenience store in winter; our Korean hot pack guide has the prices.

You might like: Korea Winter Travel Guide: Skiing, Skating, and Snow Trips

FAQ

Q: How much is the Seoul Plaza ice rink, and when does it open in 2026? A: In 2025–26 it was ₩1,000 (about US$0.74) for a one-hour session, skates and helmet included, the same price since 2004. The city has set Friday 18 December 2026 as the reopening date; the 2026–27 fee, hours and booking details have not been announced. Our Winter Festa guide carries the full rink details.

Q: How much is Lotte World Ice Rink? A: On the rink's 2026 fee table, adult entry with skate rental is ₩21,000 (US$15.44) on weekdays and ₩24,000 (US$17.65) on weekends and holidays, for three hours. Entry alone is ₩15,000 or ₩18,000, and skate rental alone is ₩6,000.

Q: What is the cheapest indoor ice rink in Seoul? A: The two public rinks. Mokdong charges ₩4,000 entry plus ₩4,000 for two hours of skate rental on weekdays; Taereung charges ₩4,000 entry, ₩4,000 for skates and ₩800 for a helmet, 10:00 to 18:00 every day.

Q: Do I need my own gloves to skate in Seoul? A: At Lotte World, Mokdong and Taereung, gloves and helmets are compulsory. Helmets can be rented or borrowed, but only Lotte World sells gloves on site, from a vending machine. Bring your own.

Q: Can young children skate? A: Lotte World does not admit children born in 2021 or later, and those born in 2020 need a parent with them. Seoul Plaza had a separate children's area for under-10s last season, and Mokdong charges child rates from pre-school age.

Sources

• Seoul Metropolitan Government, Seoul Media Hub, 「올해도 1,000원…서울광장 스케이트장 19일 개장」, 16 December 2025 (mediahub.seoul.go.kr): 2025–26 season 19 Dec – 8 Feb, hours, ₩1,000 per one-hour session including skates and helmet, 300 online and 300 on-site tickets per session, online sales from 7 days ahead at seoulskate.kr, free skating after the opening ceremony, free entry for Discover Seoul Pass holders, closures for air quality and weather, and the session timetable (one hour on the ice, sessions starting every 90 minutes). Read 9 November 2026.
• Seoul Metropolitan Government press release, 「18만이 사랑한 겨울 명소 서울광장 스케이트장, "12월에 다시 만나요!"」, 11 February 2026 (seoul.go.kr): 180,701 visitors, 3,475 a day, 49,693 foreign visitors, ₩1,000 since 2004, reopening on 18 December 2026. Read 9 November 2026.
• Seoul Media Hub citizen reporter, 「10만 명이 찾은 명소! 겨울철 필수 코스 된 '서울광장 스케이트장'」, 20 January 2026 (mediahub.seoul.go.kr): one hour of skating then a 30-minute resurfacing break, children's area for under-10s, address and City Hall Station exit 5.
• Lotte World Ice Rink, official site (adventure.lotteworld.com/icerink), price pages "개인요금" and facilities and usage notes, marked 2026 기준, read 9 November 2026: entry and rental prices, 3-hour skating time, age rules, compulsory helmet and gloves, locker fees, directions from Jamsil Station exit 4.
• Mokdong Ice Rink, official site (mdicerink.com, 일반개장안내), read 9 November 2026: entry, rental, deposit, viewing-ticket and locker fees, 30% Saturday and holiday surcharge, compulsory gloves and helmet; notice 「2026년 일반개장 시간 안내」 (31 December 2025): 2026 hours and the 10:10 opening for the 24 July–16 August 2026 summer break; "largest" claim on the 일반개장안내 and directions pages; above-ground and basement rinks on the 대관안내 and 특활신청안내 pages; group page: free helmet loan; directions page: Omokgyo Station exit 3.
• Taereung International Skating Rink, official site (icerink.sports.or.kr, 이용안내), read 9 November 2026: 10:00–18:00 daily, entry, skate and helmet prices, monthly passes, auxiliary rink during training and competitions; notice board: competition notices for 5–7, 11 and 13–14 November 2026; directions page: bus routes from Taereung and Hwarangdae stations.
• Seoul Metropolitan Government, winter skating and sledding page (seoul.go.kr/story/skate), read 9 November 2026: 2025–26 list of rinks and sledding parks, Han River sledding prices, Olympic Park rink listed as 준비중 with last details for 30 Dec 2019 – 2 Feb 2020 (₩3,000 per 50 minutes).
• Seoul Media Hub citizen reporter, Mapo Redroad 「엄빠랑 아이스링크」, 12 January 2026 (mediahub.seoul.go.kr): free children's rink, ages 5–12, dates and hours for 2025–26.
• Exchange rate: ₩1,360 = US$1, from the open.er-api.com daily rate for 9 November 2026 (₩1,361.40), rounded; dollar figures are approximate.