Korea's surreal monument to cheese: Imsil Cheese Theme Park

It's up there with the cream of South Korea's tourist attractions - the Imsil Cheese Theme Park in North Jeolla Province.

Possibly the only dairy-themed park in the world, Imsil is set in 32 acres of pasture in buildings shaped like giant wheels of Emmental cheese.

As a celebration of the Korean cheese industry, visitors can ply their hand at making cheesy pizza, mozzarella or visit a giant Swiss-inspired cheese chateau.

You're unlikely to be left hungry, as the on-site restaurant serves up hearty portions of spaghetti and cheese steaks.

Buildings at the Imsil theme park are shaped like huge tranches of cheese. Photo / facebook.com

Other sights to visit include a petting farm with resident dairy herd, a cave for ageing cheese in and – of course – a well-stocked cheese shop.

This fanatic tribute to all things cheesy is at home in Imsil, which claims to be the birthplace of Korean cheese.

It was here the founding father of cheese, Didier Serstevens, first imparted his knowledge to the locals in the 1950s.

As a Belgian priest who first moved to Korea with the Catholic church, Serstevens decided the landscape would be perfect to start a smallholding. He soon started raising goats and making his own goats cheese.

To this day, Father Serstevents is seen as the patron saint of caseiculture.

The fattiest place on earth: Imsil Cheese Theme Park was opened in 2004. Photo / facebook.com

Arriving shortly after the Korean war as a missionary, Serstevens had a true vocation for cheese-making. Adopting the Korean name of Ji Junghwan, the priest was given honorary Korean citizenship in 2016 for his services to the country.

The cheese still produced in the area became took on the name Imsil, as the country's first regional cheese delicacy. Today, Imsil Cheese Pizza can be found throughout the country.

Imsil: There is - of course - a well-stocked cheese shop. Photo / Facebook.com

The success of the foodstuff rose the region to prominence and in 2004, the cheese theme park was opened to celebrate the area's heritage and teach the cheese-making process.

The Imsil Cheese Festival is held here, annually attracting 100,000 dairy-mad visitors.

Opening hours

• Imsil Cheese Theme Park is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 8pm.