Yeulmaru Grand vs. Small Theatre: Sightlines, and Free Parking for Ticket-Holders

Is parking at Yeulmaru free?

Yes, if you are attending a performance or exhibition. The venue’s own FAQ states that parking inside the complex is free for performance and exhibition visitors, with no validation stamp or separate payment step. The only condition mentioned is to use the outdoor car park when the indoor one is full.

Yeulmaru has 324 spaces of its own.

The Grand Theatre alone seats 1,021 against 324 on-site spaces, so on a busy weekend the 187 indoor spaces go quickly. Arrive about an hour before curtain, or plan for a nearby public car park from the start.

How do I get from the car park to my seat?

One lift does it. Per Yeulmaru’s accessibility guide, the car park lift serves levels 1 to 4: get out at level 3 for the Small Theatre and level 4 for the Grand Theatre. You barely need a staircase.

The seventh-floor exhibition rooms need one change: take the car park lift to level 4, then the lift on the left side of the Grand Theatre lobby.

Level 3 of the car park is reserved for registered disabled vehicles and coaches, so a general vehicle should park on levels 1–2 and take the lift up.

How are the Grand Theatre’s 1,021 seats made up?

In four blocks that add up exactly. 668 on the first level, 268 on the second, 73 orchestra-pit seats in front of the stage and 12 wheelchair spaces gives 1,021 — the figure Yeulmaru publishes on its about page, and the same number Korea’s Performing Arts Integrated Computer System (KOPIS) holds on its Yeulmaru record.

The Small Theatre works the same way: 298 general seats plus 4 wheelchair spaces is 302, which again appears identically in the official figures and in KOPIS. The 12 and 4 wheelchair spaces are published directly, as a table, in Yeulmaru’s accessibility guide.

It is not common for a venue to publish its own capacity, for the public dataset to carry the same number, and for that number to reconcile again from the zone-level breakdown. At Yeulmaru all three layers agree.

Which Grand Theatre seats have the best view?

Rows 6–13 of Block B on the first level. You see the stage at eye level, and the full 16m-wide, 10m-high proscenium fits in your field of view. Rows 1–3 make you look up at the stage, and Blocks A and C on either side introduce an angle.

For ballet or musicals — anything where the picture the whole stage makes is the point — rows 1–4 of Block B on the second level are arguably better. The second level looks slightly down on the stage, so you take in the full width, and with only rows 1–8 it is far shallower than the level below.

A cross aisle runs between rows 13 and 14 on the first level, and Gates 1 and 2 sit behind row 19 at the back — useful if you arrive late and want to slip in quietly.

Why are the front seats missing from the booking page?

The orchestra pit. The 73 seats in blocks OA, OB and OC in front of the stage become the pit whenever a show has live musicians, so they are not sold. Book a musical or an opera and those 73 disappear, making row 1 of Block B the front row.

When the players are on stage instead, the area opens as seating. That is why the same Grand Theatre sells 73 more or fewer seats depending on the show.

Can I see properly from the back of the Small Theatre?

Yes — there are only 14 rows, so even the last one is close to the stage. The seating is raked, and the distance to row 14 is less than half the depth of the Grand Theatre’s first level.

The catch is the stage shape. It is a half-round thrust that projects into the room, so the end seats of Blocks A and C can lose a corner of the upstage area to the angle. At equal prices, take the central Block B.

The stage width is adjustable from 13.7m to 18m, so even within the same room the distance between stage and seats changes from show to show.

Where is the cloakroom and when is it open?

In the Grand Theatre’s first-level lobby, from one hour before the performance until 30 minutes after it ends, on the day of the show. It is free, and only for that day’s ticket-holders.

One thing to watch. "The Grand Theatre’s first level" is not the building’s first floor — it is the first level of the auditorium, which sits on the building’s fourth floor. At Yeulmaru the Small Theatre is on building floor 3 and the Grand Theatre on floor 4, so theatre levels and building floors do not line up. To find the cloakroom, go up to the Grand Theatre lobby on building floor 4.

What accessible facilities are there?

Twelve wheelchair spaces in the Grand Theatre and four in the Small Theatre. Accessible parking for ten vehicles is on level 3, and accessible toilets are on floor 3 (Small Theatre), floor 4 (Grand Theatre) and floor 7 (exhibition rooms). A low ramp is installed by the fountain plaza.

Ticket discounts cover the holder plus one companion for disability grades 1–3, and the holder only for grades 4–6. The purchase route is restricted: advance telephone booking only, on 1544-7669 between 09:00 and 18:00, with the disability certificate presented at the box office on the day. Without the certificate you pay the undiscounted price.

Discounts apply to Yeulmaru’s own programmed performances and exhibitions; for hired-in shows the hirer sets its own rate.

One caution when looking up the number. Yeulmaru’s main line is 1544-7669, but the lost-property answer in the official FAQ prints it as 1554-7669. The number used across the rest of the site is 1544-7669, so use that one for lost property too.

What time should I arrive?

Yeulmaru officially recommends 30 minutes before the performance starts — enough to collect tickets, look at the programme in the lobby, find your seat and use the toilets.

What happens if you are late depends on the show. Some allow latecomers and some do not, and where they do, an usher seats you at a point the company has chosen. You may wait in the lobby for a while.

Age limits are generally 8 and over (primary school age) for everything except children’s programming. Under-age visitors are refused at the door, and proof of age may be requested.

How do I get there without a car?

Bus routes 61, 62, 68, 82, 83, 610, 1000 and 2000 stop at Ungcheon Beach Park and at the front gate of Ungcheon Zwell Apartments. The address is 100 Yeulmaru-ro, Yeosu, Jeollanam-do, and enquiries go to 1544-7669 or info@yeulmaru.org.

Yeulmaru was designed by the French architect Dominique Perrault and opened in 2012. Its glass roof — 23m wide and 152m long, on a 700,000㎡ site — runs down the slope of Mount Mangma toward the sea, so the building itself is worth some of your time before or after the show.

In short

1. Parking is free for performance and exhibition visitors, but there are only 324 on-site spaces (187 indoor, 137 outdoor) against a 1,021-seat Grand Theatre. Arrive early or use a nearby public car park.
2. In the Grand Theatre, rows 6–13 of Block B on level 1 are the default, and rows 1–4 of Block B on level 2 when the whole-stage picture matters. The Small Theatre is only 14 rows deep, so every seat is close — just mind the angle at the ends.
3. The capacity figures agree at three levels: 668+268+73+12 = 1,021 and 298+4 = 302, matching both the venue’s published totals and the KOPIS record.

Seating, parking, facility and booking figures were checked on 23 September 2026 against the official GS Caltex Yeulmaru site (about, FAQ, accessibility and directions pages). Capacities were cross-checked against the KOPIS record for GS Caltex Yeulmaru. Auditorium, lobby and car park photographs are cited from the panoramas published in Yeulmaru’s official 360° VR tour. Enquiries: 1544-7669.