Daejeon Expo Aquarium

The aquarium uses mythology as stage design

Daejeon Expo Aquarium opened inside Shinsegae Art & Science in 2021. Its five permanent sections follow Poseidon and Greek sea mythology. The route opens with a 27-metre-wide screen showing the deep sea and the Greek coast before visitors reach the live tanks

After that screen, wine-glass and curved tanks bring the first live fish into the story. Hologram and media-wall effects continue through the aquarium route alongside the tanks, so the digital layer remains part of the animal display

In the Power of the Gods section, four videos follow Poseidon’s changing emotions around round tanks. Poseidon Temple then places a ceiling-mounted LED above a panoramic tank with god statues, extending the mythic-sea imagery over live fish

The main tank supplies the physical scale

The main tank holds about 2,500 tonnes of water and presents a viewing face roughly 20 metres wide and four metres high. It is also used as a performance space for underwater ballet and feeding shows

A 40-metre underwater tunnel carries visitors below and beside the animals. Sharks and other large fish pass overhead through clear acrylic, creating a long stretch of direct live-animal viewing between the media-heavy sections

Optional experiences move visitors closer

Two add-ons move visitors above or inside the water. A transparent boat carries visitors over a tank while staff explain the animals and visitors can feed fish; Sea Walker uses a special helmet so participants can walk inside a tank rather than swim. Scuba and feeding programs are also sold separately, but none is required for the standard aquarium route

The attraction sits on B1 of Shinsegae Art & Science, so there is no separate outdoor approach or stand-alone aquarium building. Visitors enter through the department-store complex and move directly down to the aquarium level

Before you go

The aquarium closes earlier than the department store: current hours are 10:30–19:00 with last admission at 18:00. Adult admission is ₩32,000; visitors under 19 and adults 65 or older pay ₩27,000, while children under 36 months enter free with age documentation and a parent