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Gwanghwamun Plaza
Looking north from Gwanghwamun, the main gate of Gyeongbokgung palace, one can see little but cascading palace roofs, and the mountains beyond. Turn south instead, and the contrast is almost unbelievably stark – looming up behind Gwanghwamun Plaza are the ranked masses of high-rise blocks that announce Seoul’s main business district, its walkways teeming with black-suited businessfolk and civil servants pouring in and out of the grand new City Hall. However, there’s more of interest than you might expect in this balli-balli (Korean for “quickly, quickly!”) area, including two palaces, a few major museums and art galleries, some fine examples of colonial architecture, and Jeongdonggil, one of Seoul’s most charming roads.
Though public transport in this area is excellent, you’ll find it easy to get everywhere on foot. Two of Seoul’s five royal palaces sit in the centre of this business district, and are both worth hunting out: at the western edge of the district is Gyeonghuigung, Seoul’s “forgotten” palace, with the large Museum of History just outside its northern wall. From here, it’s a short walk east to Deoksugung, a palace notable for a couple of Western-style buildings, one of which houses the National Museum for Contemporary Art. Linking the two palaces is Jeongdonggil, a pleasant, ginkgo-tree-lined road with a number of interesting sights on its fringes, including the fantastic Seoul Museum of Art.
광화문
Though named after the southern gate of Gyeongbokgung, to most Koreans Gwanghwamun means the area on the other side of the road. Stretching south to a subway station of the same name is Gwanghwamun Plaza, a large expanse of concrete renovated at enormous expense in 2009. There’s not that much to see here, save a couple of statues, including a seated likeness of King Sejong, creator of the Korean alphabet, and national hero Admiral Yi Sun-shin, a fourteenth-century naval commander who stands proudly at the plaza’s southern end. There are several notable buildings around the plaza: to the west is the Sejong Center, famed for its performances, while on the eastern flank you’ll find the giant Kyobo Building, the relatively small Bigak pavilion, the fortified-to-the-hilt US Embassy, and the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History.
대한민국 역사박물관 • 82-1 Sejong-ro • Tues, Thurs, Fri & Sun 9am–6pm, Wed & Sat 9am–9pm • Free • 
much.go.kr • Gyeongbokgung subway (line 3)
Opened in 2012, the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History focuses on Korean history post-1876, including plenty of material on the Japanese occupation and the Korean War. The displays here are less crassly nationalistic than in other museums around the country, and it pays heed to the foreign influence which ended said conflicts: in essence, however, it remains a feel-good exercise for Koreans – more of a primer in recent Korean history, rather than the full story. As well as a spellbinding series of photographs from the occupation and war periods, and a re-created “street” from said times, keep an eye out for a simple wooden signboard on the lower level – this, at one stage, divided Koreans North and South, yet the text is only in English, Russian and Chinese.
경희궁 • 45 Saemunan-ro • Tues–Sun 9am–6pm • Free • Gwanghwamun subway (line 5)
Humble Gyeonghuigung is the least visited of Seoul’s five grand palaces – even locals may struggle to find it – but its simplicity tends to strike a chord with those who track it down. Built in 1616, Gyeonghuigung became a royal palace by default when Changdeokgung was burned down in 1624. Though a little forlorn, it’s a pretty place, and may be the palace for you if crowds, souvenir stands and false-bearded guards in faux period clothing aren’t to your liking. Unlike other palaces, you can enter the throne room – bare but for the throne, but worth a look – before scrambling up to the halls of the upper level, which have a visually pleasing backdrop of grass and rock. Although the palace closes in the evening, its grassy outer compound is open all hours, and makes a good place to relax with a few drinks or some snacks.
서울 역사박물관 • 55 Saemunan-ro • Tues–Fri 9am–10pm, Sat & Sun 10am–7pm • Free; around W12,000 for big-name special exhibitions • eng.museum.seoul.kr • Gwanghwamun subway (line 5)
A large building adjacent to Gyeonghuigung palace, the Museum of History has several halls which host rotating exhibitions, while the permanent exhibition is on the third floor and focuses on Joseon-era Seoul. Here you’ll find lacquered boxes with mother-of-pearl inlay, porcelain bowls and vases thrown in gentle shapes, plus silk gowns with embroidered leaves and dragons; you may be surprised by how much “quintessentially” Japanese design actually started in Korea, or at least passed through here first on its way from China. Another room on the third floor fills its entire floorspace with a gigantic photographic image of Seoul.
Across the road from the museum, look out for an intriguing piece of art – a 22m-high metal statue of a man hammering. Intended by his sculptor, Jonathan Borofsky, to be a mute reminder that life’s not all about work, he stands silently mocking the black-suited denizens of the surrounding business district.
정동
The easy-going neighbourhood of Jeongdong feels a world removed from the bustle of the neighbouring business district. Home to a few important embassies, it’s bisected by Jeongdonggil, a pretty, shaded street lined with towering ginkgo trees, each buzzing with cicadas in the summer, and illuminated at night by thousands of tiny lights. Though a romantic place for a stroll, it was once eschewed by courting couples – Seoulites have historically held the superstition that those who walk here will soon break up, since the divorce courts were once present on this road. Couples are certainly seen here now (often in their requisite matching T-shirts); for the tourist, Jeongdonggil links two of Seoul’s five royal palaces, and is also home to the Chongdong Theatre, which puts on regular performances of pansori and other traditional Korean arts.
구러시아 공관부지 • 21-18 Jeongdong-gil • Daily 24hr • Free • Gwanghwamun subway (line 5)
Though only its central tower remains, the former Russian legation is the most interesting of a few structures dotted nearby which prove that Japan was not the only imperial power taking an interest in the Korea of the late 1890s. The UK and Germany were among those to establish legations in Seoul, but Russia and Japan were the two empires with most to gain from Korea, and both vied for dominance. Japanese victory in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–05 saw them take the upper hand, and the subsequent signing of a Protectorate Treaty in the nearby hall of Jungmyeongjeon (중면전) – also Russian-designed, and worth a look – ceded Korea’s foreign policy-making to Tokyo, a prelude to full-scale annexation five years later.
서울시립미술관 • 61 Deoksugung-gil • Tues–Fri 10am–9pm, Sat & Sun 10am–6pm • Admission price varies by exhibition – around W15,000 for major ones • sema.seoul.go.kr • City Hall subway (lines 1 & 2)
The large, modern Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) is more gallery than museum, and well worth popping in for a look at what are invariably high-quality exhibitions of art from around the world – Picasso, Monet, Van Gogh and Renoir have all found temporary homes here. In addition, there are always free secondary exhibitions to peruse, most commonly the work of local (or at least Asian) artists.
덕수궁 • 99 Sejong-daero • Tues–Sun 9am–9pm • English-language tours Tues–Sun 10.30am & 1.30pm; Changing of the Guard ceremonies Tues–Sun at 11am, 2pm & 3.30pm • W1000; also on combination ticket • deoksugung.go.kr • City Hall subway (lines 1 & 2)
Located in the very centre of Seoul’s business district, the palace of Deoksugung receives plenty of visitors, a volume amplified by the compound’s relatively small size. The atmosphere here is somewhat different to that of the other royal palaces – Deoksugung’s perimeter walls are surrounded by high-rise tower blocks, which if nothing else make for a pleasing contrast, as do the Western-style buildings found within the complex itself, one of which houses the National Museum for Contemporary Art.
Deoksugung was the last palace of Seoul’s big five to be built, and it became the country’s seat of power almost by default in 1592 when the Japanese destroyed Gyeongbokgung and burned all the other palaces. Its reign was short, however, since only two kings – Seonjo (r.1567–1608) and Gwanghaegun (r.1608–23) – lived here before the seat of power was transferred to a newly rebuilt Changdeokgung in 1618. Deoksugung became the de facto royal residence again after the assassination of Empress Myeongseong in 1895; King Gojong fled here after the murder of his wife, then hid in the Russian legation for a short time before making a final return to the palace in 1897. Backed up by his new Russian comrades in the face of ever-increasing pressure from the Japanese, he declared the short-lived Empire of Korea here that same year. Despite having ceded control to Japan, Gojong remained in Deoksugung until his death in 1919.
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Deoksugung
The palace is entered through Daehanmun (대한문), a gate on the eastern side of the complex – this goes against the tenets of feng shui, which usually result in south-facing palace entrances. It’s outside this gate that the Changing of the Guard ceremonies take place, the procession eventually heading up Jeongdonggil at a slow pace, usually backed up by a few unfortunate cars. Back inside the palace walls, most visitors make a beeline to the main hall, Junghwajeon (중화전), whose ceiling sports a pair of immaculate carved dragons. Be sure to check out Jeonggwanheon (정관헌), a pavilion used for coffee-drinking by King Gojong, who developed something of a taste for said beverage while sequestered at the Russian legation in 1895. Indeed, he almost certainly became the first-ever Korean coffee addict, since even a century later the country had almost no decent cafés: today, however, there’s a nice little one in the grounds of the palace itself. Jeonggwanheon features an intriguing mix of contemporary Western and Korean styles, Gojong having commissioned his Russian architect friend Aleksey Seredin-Sabatin to design it.
국립미술관 • Tues, Thurs, Fri & Sun 10am–7pm, Wed & Sat 10am–9pm • Admission price depends on the exhibition – usually W3000–10,000, plus the palace entrance fee • mmca.go.kr
Deoksugung contains a couple of other Western-style buildings, dating back to when the “Hermit Kingdom” of the latter part of the Joseon dynasty was being forcibly opened up to trade; these incongruous Neoclassical structures are the most notable in the complex. At the end of a gorgeous rose garden is Seokjojeon (석조전), which was designed by an English architect and built by the Japanese in 1910; the first Western-style building in the country, it was used as the royal home for a short time. It now houses the National Museum for Contemporary Art, whose exhibits are usually quality works from local artists, more often than not blending elements of traditional Korean styles with those of the modern day. The steps of the museum are a favourite photo-spot for graduating students – in June you may find yourself surrounded by grinning young doctors, accountants or nurses, all dressed up to the nines.
시청 • 110 Sejong-daero • Daily 9am–9pm • Free • City Hall subway (lines 1 & 2)
Squatting by Seoul Plaza, Seoul’s City Hall is, in fact, two buildings – one new, one old. Of more than symbolic and administrative importance to the city, the structures have lent their name to the entire area around them – indeed, when Seoulites say “Meet you in City Hall”, they mean the area, not the building – and each night (weekdays, in particular) a slew of suits pours into the surrounding bars and restaurants.
Seoul’s former City Hall, which was built by the Japanese in 1926, sits just east of Deoksugung at the northern side of Seoul Plaza, a near-circular patch of grass that hosts free musical performances on summer evenings. Most locals would rather see this building torn down on account of its Japanese heritage; mercifully, it has been granted listed status, and was refurbished rather than demolished when the adjacent building was constructed in 2012. Unfortunately, no attempts were made to integrate the two structures and Seoul’s new City Hall squats in Seoul Plaza like some sort of grounded spaceship; the shape of the new chrome-and-glass building resembles a tsunami intent on wrecking the old. There’s little for visitors to do here, bar take a lift to the upper levels of the new building for a nice view down over Seoul Plaza; there’s a “sky gallery” on the eighth floor, and a café on the ninth.
숭례문 • 40 Sejong-daero • Tues–Sun 9am–6pm • Free • Hoehyeon subway (line 4)
Also known by its more literal name of Namdaemun (“Great South Gate”), Sungnyemun was built in 1398 by King Taejo as a means of glorifying and protecting his embryonic capital. This was by no means the only major project to come out of Taejo’s first years of rule, but random fires, Japanese invasions and civil war rubbed out the rest over the following centuries. The final survivor, Namdaemun – also known as Sungnyemun – was destroyed by an arsonist in 2008 , though reconstruction was completed in 2013, and the traffic-encircled gate makes for a very pleasant photo-op.
남대문 시장 • Sections open daily 24hr • Hoehyeon subway (line 4)
One of Seoul’s most vaunted markets, Namdaemun market spreads across the area behind Shinsegae department store, with a dense collection of stalls, malls and restaurants. It’s second only in size to Dongdaemun market out east, and, like Dongdaemun, its name is taken from that of a hefty city gate, which stood here from the 1390s until it was destroyed by an arsonist in 2008. You’ll essentially find the same things on offer here as at Dongdaemun, but Namdaemun is particularly known as a source of two handy products – cheap spectacles, and used camera equipment. There’s also a pleasing line of outdoor snack stands just outside exit 5 of Hoehyeon subway station, which make a good place to chow down and meet the locals.