Seoul Stories

Cafes, restaurants, theatres, youth... Several old universities. Daehanno District is located in the historical center, near the palaces (the nearest is Changgyeonggung), next to the ancient Confucian academy Sungkyunkwan. East Gate - Dongdaemun - about 15 minutes on foot. In the background is a small mountain Naksan, along which stretches a section of the Seoul fortress wall...

A futuristic complex by world-famous architect Zaha Hadid, a fashion and design center with flowing lines and modern aesthetics. Located in the Dongdaemun area. A venue for exhibitions, forums, fashion shows, biennales, etc.

A youth district with a large number of various music clubs, cafes (including specific ones with cats, dogs, arctic foxes, meerkats and kangaroos running underfoot). The name of the district comes from Hongdae University located here.

An excursion to the National Folklore Museum is also included in this tour. Here you can get acquainted with the way of life, the rituals of the life cycle, the history of Korea.

Changdeokgung - "Palace of Flourishing Virtue", built between 1405 and 1412, was the home for the kings of Joseon throughout most of the kingdom's 500-year history (1392-1897). It was also the residence of the last ruler of the Korean Empire.

The palace was destroyed during the Imjin War (1592-1598) and was restored in 1609. From 1623 to 1868, it served as the official residence of Korean kings. Since 1997, the Palace of Flourishing Virtue has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Chogyesa Temple is located in the heart of the capital of South Korea - Seoul. Despite the small area, the temple is the central administrative temple of the largest school of Buddhism in Korea with the same name - "chogye".

Gyeongbokgung Palace became the first residence of Korea's new Joseon Dynasty in 1395.

During the war with Japan (1592-1598) the palace was almost completely destroyed; however, it was restored in the middle of the 19th century and again became the residence of the Korean kings.

The palace is the architectural center of the northern part of the city of Seoul and impresses both with its size and extraordinary symmetry.

You will not only be able to capture yourself against the background of classical palace architecture, but also hear an entertaining story from our guide about the history, palace culture, the customs of the royal family, the symbolic meaning of the material attributes of the palace.

Insadong is famous for the abundance of souvenir shops, traditional restaurants and tea houses, boutiques.

Insadong-kil Pedestrian Street is the central street of the area.

Often you can see street performances - traditional Korean samul-nori percussion quartet or martial arts tekkyon, taekwon-do or performances of youth groups in the fusion style, etc.

On June 25, 2002, South Korea lost the battle to reach the finals against Germany. She lost at this stadium, built in Seoul on the eve of the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

But can this loss be considered a defeat? Perhaps this was the greatest achievement of the Korean team. Crowds of fans dressed in all red filled the streets and squares not only of Seoul, but of the whole country ...

But we digress. The stadium is Asia's 2nd largest rectangular stadium and is built to resemble a traditional Korean kite in shape. And yes, it was he who became the unwitting culprit of the emergence of a unique urban space - the Park of Culture of the Oil Storage...

On the first day of the first lunar month in 1395, the first king of the Li (Joseon) Dynasty, Taejo, founded a special department, the only task of which was to build a fortress wall to protect the new capital of the young state. The department was called Doson Chhukcho Togam, meaning, literally, "City Wall Building Department". No less than 197,000 workers were placed at the disposal of TChT. Naturally, at that time they were not hired, but driven away. Such were the times.

This army completed the wall in less than 100 days (98 days to be exact). The wall stretched along the four Feng Shui mountains surrounding Seoul (by the way, then it was called Hanyang): Namsan, Inwangsan, Pugaksan and Naksan.

It is precisely along Naksan (Camel Mountain) that we will walk with you today. And at the same time we will find out what the camel has to do with it (and what the dragon has to do with it, by the way).

On the slope of Mount Naksan, there is an area called Inhwa-dong, beautifully painted by artists. Graffiti, cafes, small shops and shops, bars overlooking Inhwa-dong. Don't forget to bring your camera - after all, the district was painted especially for those who like to take pictures!

South Korean President Yoon Sogyeol decided to return to the people (although, strictly speaking, he never belonged to the people) the official residence of the presidents of the Republic of Korea. And, true to his word, he did so. in 2022, on May 10, he took office in the building of the Ministry of Defense, never once using Cheong Wa Dae.

We, ordinary people, citizens and non-citizens of the Republic of Korea, can now freely enjoy the presidential views. Inside some buildings, in particular, the main building of the residence, built in 1991, we can go and get acquainted with the interiors and history of Cheong Wa Dae.

The garden and park ensemble of the Former Presidential Palace deserves a separate ode and recommendations.

Symbiosis of urban landscape architecture and nature - the Cheonggyecheon River; everything is artificial in it: the bed of the river, the banks, the water itself ...

In fact, it was a real, natural river; but after the Korean War, it was "hidden" underground. As a result of the grandiose Cheonggyecheon restoration project in 2005, the river was reopened to visitors and residents of Seoul.

Temple of Bongeunsa is located in close proximity to the COEX Convention and Exhibition Center.

Originally named Gyeongseongsa, it was built by King Wonseong of the Silla Kingdom in the 10th year of his reign (794 AD).

In 1498, thanks to Queen Jeonghyeon, it was renovated and expanded to the east of King Seongjong's tomb, and at that time it was given its new name - Bongeunsa.

The iconic view of COEX is visible from the Maitreya Buddha statue on the temple grounds.

The complex of the central Gwanghwamun Square in front of the Gyeongbokgung Royal Palace, which is the compositional center of the capital of Korea, offers amazing views of Seoul: on one side is the main residence of the kings of the Joseon state (now a museum). But along the  Sejong-daero Avenue, departing from the square, there are high-rise modern buildings: government, embassies, Kyobo - the largest bookstore in Korea. Further down the avenue we can see the Seoul City Hall and still further - the Great South Gate of Namdaemun (National Treasure No. 1).

The grand mounds, in which the ashes of two kings and one queen of the Li dynasty rest, are carefully guarded by the Koreans to this day; Every year, ceremonies are held here to commemorate the spirits of the ancestors of the kings.

During the tour, we will get acquainted with the symbols of buildings, sculptures and structures located on the territory of burials, with Confician norms that formed the basis of the cult of ancestors, to which most Koreans are faithful to this day.

The largest exhibition and convention center in Seoul (COEX = Conventions and Exhibitions) boasts not only the most interesting exhibitions of all industries and services, but also interesting sights: a monument to the same handles in the style of a rider from a song about the Gangnam district, where COEX is located; the largest library for the general public Starfield Library - a great place for great insta photos; a monument to the controversial Chang Pogo, ruler of the seas during Silla times; a huge advertising screen with an immersive effect (for example, in an ocean wave) ...

The museum, located in the Yongsan district of Seoul, was opened in 1994 on a site that the city inherited from military units.

First of all, the museum is dedicated, of course, to the Korean War (1950-1953). But not only: all the wars waged between themselves and with neighboring countries by the states that were on the Korean Peninsula from the Bronze Age to the present are displayed in the museum's exposition.

The open space, created on the site of a former oil storage facility, is an eco-park and cultural spaces created by rethinking and rebuilding former tanks for kerosene, diesel, etc. Tank No. 6 was not recreated, but created from scratch: the material (steel) left after the partial dismantling of Tanks No. 1 and No. 2 went to its walls.

If you are a fan of urbanism, modern art, modern ways of implementing open spaces, or just want to enjoy the harmony of industrial design and nature, you will definitely like Oil Tank Culture Park.

The tallest building in Korea is Lotte World Tower. 123 floors and 555 meters high. And on the highest floors is Seoul Sky - an observation deck.

Floor with transparent floor; the floor where you can go outside, the floor with cafes and souvenirs. Even the elevator that takes you to Seoul Sky is a separate attraction with Guinness records to boot.

The unique architectural structure was opened to the general public (and city officials, of course) in 2013.

Its uniqueness lies in environmentally friendly, unusual and unexpected solutions: a double facade of an unusual shape, reminiscent of a sea wave, covering, by the way, the former Seoul City Hall; choice of heating sources; way of preserving the old city hall, Guinness record for the world's largest vertical green façade (internal).

To the northeast of Gyeongbokgung Palace lies the scenic hilly area of ​​Samcheon-dong. Due to the fact that the residence of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan was located north of Gyeongbokgung (and west of Samcheon-dong), development activity in Samcheon-dong is very limited. Thus, despite the unique location in the center of the capital of Korea, there are no high-rise buildings in this area, and the cost of land is relatively low. This feature gives the area a unique charm: art galleries have chosen it; cafes and restaurants; flea markets and boutiques of stylized Korean clothes; here you will see a large number of preserved Korean-style houses - hanok.

The name of the district comes from the name of the government office of the Kingdom of Joseon, Samcheon-jeong (also known as Seogyeok-jeon); Samcheon-jeong's activities included performing Taoist sacrifices to Heaven, Earth and Stars. Literally, the name translates as "Districts / quarter of three purity": "Clean (light) mountains and clean water lead to greater purity and kindness of the human soul."

뚝 / ttuk or 독 / current - a kind of flag; Som is an island.

There are several versions of the origin of the name. In particular, one is associated with the name of the founder of Hanson (modern-day Seoul), the first king of the Joseon Dynasty Lee Song. The king abdicated in favor of Jeongjong (King No. 2); Jeongjong was essentially a protege of Lee Banwon, another son of Lee Song. In the end, everything fell into place, Jeongjong renounced in favor of Lee Banvon (King No. 3). Meanwhile, the founder of the dynasty left Seoul in anger and went to taste the famous Hamhyn nenmyeon (a kind of noodle) retired to the homeland of his ancestors, in Hamhyn county. King No. 3 (Lee Banvon), wanting to show that everything is in order in the family, asks the father below to return; father refuses several times; in the end, still going to Hanyang. This is where our Ttuxom appears. On the way to Seoul, Li Song stopped in this area, apparently, to rest (and put a banner - ttokki). Either Li Song periodically shot from the bow of the annoying envoys of Lee Banvon, whom he expelled with a request to expedite the process of the return of the pope; whether Lee Banvon himself came out to meet his father, who again shot him from a bow - his son had to hide from the arrow behind a tent column. (Hence, another old name for this place - salgogzhibol - roughly: the field in which there is a pillar into which an arrow stuck.

Another version - kings in the Joseon era loved to hunt in these places; instead of the portrait of the user - the king - they put a pole with a flag here (the flag, in this case, meant the king).

In 1906-1908, the first drinking water supply system in Ttukto Suwonji was commissioned in Korea.

In 1930 a recreation area with a pool is already opening here. Immediately after the war, in 1954, a hippodrome opens here (now it was moved to Gwanchon). Under President Park Jonghi, a golf course appears (not preserved).

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The modern viewer, passing along the Northern embankment or crossing the Chkhondamsky bridge, is struck by a huge goose-shaped building, which is called the Ttuksomsky cultural complex and the observation platform "caterpillar". In the recreation park Ttuxom you can swim in the outdoor complex (almost a water park) in the summer; go rollerblading / board / cycling in the X-Game-Jang (playground with slides, rails, etc. for extreme sports), rent a bike, canoe, windsurf board, camp.