Smilegate opened an experiential theme park called Dolkori Forest on April 30 in Andeok-myeon, Seogwipo City, on Jeju Island.
Dolkori Forest is a lifestyle park that blends exhibitions, garden walks, art installations and food-and-beverage offerings. The company repurposed roughly 18,000 pyeong (about 14.7 acres) of idle land that once hosted the Small Country Theme Park. The site is framed around the idea of a village imagined and decorated by cats traveling the world, with the park’s central theme focused on the comfort and lingering presence of cats. Using Jeju’s landscape and these feline motifs as conduits for rest and solace, the park aims to provide modern visitors with emotional calm.
The name "Dolkori Forest" combines the Jeju folktale figure Dolkonaengi (stone cat) with the village suffix "-ri." Drawing on the island’s guardian-deity traditions, the concept is designed to feel like an authentic village, bringing together Jeju’s nature and folklore with works by contemporary, trend-forward artists.
The space is arranged around a simple flow: walk, discover, stay. Inside the exhibition area, "Dolkori Village," visitors follow traces left by five cats—Doldol, Coco, Momo, Chichi and Shasha—and are invited to reconnect with the kind of happiness they’re born with.
In the adjoining outdoor "Dolkori Garden," visitors can stroll among works by Korean and international artists inspired by cats. Herb-scented landscaping and an subtly exotic atmosphere appeal to both smell and sight.
The park also includes charming, cat-scale attractions such as a miniature train, RC boats and a wooden play forest. Beneath a 30-year-old landmark tree, the designers placed a picnic area and a small library. True to the concept of cats quietly taking over the Small Country, Smilegate plans to continue adding outdoor sculptures and cat characters over time.
“It’s time to bring the creative imagination we developed through games into real-world spaces,” said Lee Jeong-jun, CEO of Smilegate Cat Park Museum. “By extending digital experiences into physical places, we aim to deliver a distinct new form of entertainment.”
