This is Part 1 of a two-part story about going to the movies in rural Korea. In this post, I’ll show you what our small local cinema is actually like.
When people imagine going to the movies in South Korea, they may picture a huge multiplex in Seoul, surrounded by shopping malls, restaurants, and crowds.
But movie theaters in Korea do not always look like that.
I live in Yeonggwang, a rural county in Jeollanam-do in southwestern South Korea. Here, we have a movie theater with a wonderfully straightforward name: Yeonggwang Small Cinema.
And yes, it really is small.
But that is exactly what makes it interesting.
A Movie Theater in a Rural Korean County
Yeonggwang Small Cinema opened on March 4, 2021. It has two screening rooms with a total of 109 seats, making it very different from the large multiplex cinemas found in Korea’s major cities.
For people living in the area, however, its size is not the important part.
The important thing is that there is a place nearby where we can simply go and watch a movie.
It Really Is a “Small Cinema”
The Korean name is 영광작은영화관, which literally means “Yeonggwang Small Cinema.”
Even the entrance displays the English name YEONGGWANG SMALL CINEMA.
There are only two screening rooms, so the atmosphere is naturally different from a giant urban multiplex.
It feels compact and local.
Inside, the screening room still has everything you expect from a movie theater: a large screen, tiered seating, cup holders, and the darkened atmosphere of a proper cinema.
The difference is simply the scale.
There is something comfortable about that size. You walk in, find your screen, take your seat, and watch a movie without the feeling of being inside an enormous entertainment complex.
There Is Still Popcorn
Of course, a movie theater would not feel complete without snacks.
Yeonggwang Small Cinema has a small ticket and snack counter selling popcorn, drinks, coffee, and packaged snacks.
From my experience, the snacks and drinks here are less expensive than what I usually find at the big multiplex cinemas.
And I have one very personal opinion.
I think the popcorn here is better.
It is especially crispy, and somehow I enjoy it more than the popcorn I have eaten at larger theaters.
Maybe that is not something you will find in an official travel guide to Korea, but it is one of the little reasons I enjoy coming here.
A Small Detail I Found Interesting: Reusable Cups
There is another detail inside this little cinema that caught my attention.
Carbonated drinks and coffee are served in reusable cups.
Instead of throwing the cup away after the movie, customers return it to a designated collection point. A sign inside the cinema reminds visitors to return reusable cups and separate disposable cups for recycling.
It is a very small part of going to the movies, but these are exactly the kinds of everyday details that I find interesting.
They show what ordinary life in Korea actually looks like beyond the famous tourist destinations.
Rural Korea Does Not Mean Having Nothing Nearby
Living in rural Korea certainly means having fewer choices than someone living in Seoul or another large city.
There are fewer restaurants, fewer stores, and fewer entertainment options.
But “fewer” does not mean “none.”
We still go out for coffee. We still eat at restaurants. And when we feel like watching a movie, there is a little cinema in town where we can do exactly that.
That is one of the things I want to show through this blog.
Rural Korea is not simply rice fields, mountains, and old houses. People here live ordinary modern lives too — just on a smaller and quieter scale.
And sometimes, a two-screen movie theater is all you really need.
One Night at Yeonggwang Small Cinema
I did not visit the cinema just to take these photographs.
My husband and I actually came here to watch a movie.
We put our children to bed, left home for a little break together, and went to an 8:50 p.m. screening.
For parents living in the countryside, even something as simple as having a movie theater close enough for a spontaneous evening out can feel surprisingly valuable.
But that story deserves its own post.
Part 2 will be about our late-night movie date in rural Korea — and the movie we watched that evening.