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Bongeunsa
The Korean capital is a city of two distinct halves. Seoul proper once stopped north of the Hangang, so almost all its historical sights are located there. Development then spilled over the river during the heady days of the 1970s, giving rise to an almost entirely new part of town. The area immediately south of the Hangang is known as Gangnam, which since that era of economic expansion has become the wealthiest area in the land, and indeed one of the richest urban zones in the whole of Asia. Seoulites have relocated here in their millions, creating a distinct north-south divide: northerners tend to find those from the south money-obsessed and self-centred, while southerners find the north relatively lacking in modern sophistication.
While the north wins hands-down in sightseeing terms, there’s still a fair amount to see down south: Bongeunsa is the most enchanting temple in central Seoul, while just down the road the royal tombs in Samneung Park are the grassy resting place of a few dynastic kings and queens. Moving into the modern day there’s Coex, a large underground shopping mall, and Lotte World, a colossal theme park. The area also sheds light on Seoul’s artistic scene, with several prominent galleries and performance halls, most notably those in and around the Seoul Arts Center; there are even a few in Olympic Park, an area that provides a glimpse into the Seoul of the 1980s. However, southern Seoul is perhaps best viewed as a window into modern Korean society – the teeming streets surrounding Gangnam station are simply pulsating with neon and noise, with innumerable tower blocks rising into the heavens. In addition, the restaurants, cafés and boutique shops of the classy Apgujeong district are without doubt the priciest and most exclusive in the land.
압구정
Seoulites refer to Apgujeong as “Korea’s Beverly Hills”, and the comparison is both appropriate and ridiculous. If Louis Vuitton bags are your thing, look no further, but the tiny streets hereabouts dash most thoughts of glamour, with expensive cars inching their way around in a manner unbecoming of luxury. Boutique clothing stores, chic restaurants and European-style outdoor cafés host a disproportionate number of Seoul’s young and beautiful, but bear in mind that their good looks may not be entirely natural – this is also Korea’s plastic surgery capital, and clinics are ubiquitous. Though there are no real sights as such, Apgujeong is one of the most interesting places in Seoul to sit down with a latte and people-watch.
The best restaurants huddle in a relaxed, leafy area outside the main entrance to Dosan Park (도산공원), a pleasant quadrant of grass and trees. Further north, beyond the clothes shops and plastic surgeons, the area’s main road Apgujeongno is home to Korea’s most exclusive clothes shops and department stores, including the huge, eye-catching Galleria department store, whose west wing was remodelled in 2004 by Dutch design team UN Studios. Its exterior is cloaked with thousands of perspex discs, which are illuminated at night in a kaleidoscope of vivid colour.
가로수길 • Sinsa station (line 3)
West of Dosan Park, Garosugil is a trendy street studded with hip cafés and sharp designer boutiques – though rocketing rents have made it hard for aspiring new designers to open up here, chain stores have moved in, and the area’s star is on the wane. Its name literally means “tree-lined street”, bestowed on account of the roadside lines of gorgeous ginkgo trees, whose spectacular golden fall foliage makes Garosugil a superb place to stroll in Seoul’s all-too-short autumn.
Seoul’s golden Ginkgo trees
Growing up to 50m in height, the ginkgo biloba is one of East Asia’s most characteristic species of tree. Since they can live for more than 2000 years, they have long been heralded as a symbol of longevity, and are often found on mountainsides and outside temples throughout Korea. They are known locally as eunhaeng-namu (은행나무) – eunhaeng means “bank”, as ginko does in Japanese, on account of the magical golden hue the tree’s leaves assume in autumn. Unfortunately, at this time the ginkgo also release their juicy seeds, which when trampled underfoot release a smell somewhat akin to dog excrement. However, if rescued pre-squish and roasted, they’re quite delicious – keep an eye out for old ladies selling paper cupfuls of what look like green beads.
강남
Literally meaning “South of the River”, Gangnam is the name for a huge swathe of land south of the Hangang, and an all-encompassing term for several distinct city districts. However, it’s most commonly used to describe the area around Gangnam subway station, a relatively flat district almost entirely built since the 1970s. This zone is easy to get around, its grid of perfectly straight streets served by a number of bus and subway lines. While almost entirely devoid of traditional tourist sights, this is an absorbing place to walk around; these streets – especially to the northeast of the station – are hugely popular with young Koreans, and crammed full of cafés and cheap restaurants. Recent years have seen the local city district adding huge LED displays, full-building octaves of neon and all sorts of other technological gizmos to the roadsides, which, in addition to the massed ranks of high-rises, bring something of a Blade Runner feel to the area. While sights are rather thin on the ground here, it’s an important cultural hub, being home to the superb Seoul Arts Centre and the National Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts.
삼성 딜라이트 • 11 Seochodae-ro 74-gil • Mon–Sat 10am–7pm • Free • Gangnam subway (line 2)
On the lower levels of Samsung Electronics’ towering Gangnam headquarters, Samsung D’light is the company’s sharply designed and highly appealing showroom where you can get a sneak preview of the gadgets that will be racing around the world in the near future. Samsung is the largest of Korea’s jaebeol, and it’s better known abroad than many of its Korean rivals, largely thanks to its success in the electronic goods market. Exhibitions at its showroom change as often as the products themselves, but there’s a clear emphasis on nature – water trickles down some walls, while others are festooned with (fake) greenery, and there’s a notable use of natural and ambient lighting, rather than the neon soaking the streets of Gangnam outside.
Gangnam style
In June 2012, YouTube’s most-viewed-clip chart was dominated by American superstar singers, but the following month they’d all been beaten from the unlikeliest of places – an unassuming-looking Korean guy, and his light-hearted, Korean-language diatribe about an area of southern Seoul. Psy’s Gangnam Style came from nowhere and went on to conquer the world, though few outside Korea knew what on Earth he was rapping about – the popularity of the song, of course, stemmed from its zany video and signature horse-style dance, one hurriedly mastered across the world by newspaper columnists, TV presenters, singers and even politicians. At the time of writing it remained the fourth most-watched clip in YouTube history, with over 3 billion views, but at one stage it had more than double the views of anything else.
For Koreans themselves, Gangnam Style was both something old and something new. Psy had already been a big name here since his 2002 hit Champion, which caused a bit of a stir with expats thanks to what sounded like repeated mentions of the N-word (the actual lyrics meant something completely different, though the accident may have been intentional). Unlike most K-pop success stories, Psy writes his own songs, choreographs his own videos, and dares to inject a little satire into his lyrics. With Gangnam Style, however, he went further, launching a musical assault on the hollowness of Korea’s richest neighbourhood, and the phoniness of those who aspired to live there. To the wider world, Gangnam Style may have been little more than a silly dance, but it did at least teach many what and where the country was; for Koreans themselves it was a bit of an eye-opener, though somewhat ironically it has now become a major source of national pride.
Jaebeol society
Korean society is dominated by a string of colossal conglomerates known as the jaebeol (재벌), which permeate most spheres of local society. Many of these are also household names around the world, although poor international marketing means that few people realize that these companies hail from Korea. The largest and most famous is Samsung, which helped to revolutionize the global mobile phone market, while Hyundai cars are sold in more than one hundred countries, with Daewoo and Kia (the latter a Hyundai subsidiary) not far behind, and homes around the world feature electronic goods from LG. Consumer goods are just the tip of the iceberg, however – in the 1970s, for example, colossal shipyards built by Samsung and Daewoo sounded the death knell for such business in the UK, at that time the world leader. Korea now has 29 percent of the global shipping industry, second only to China; the whole of the EU, by comparison, accounts for around one percent.
In Korea itself, these businesses have their fingers in almost everything: construction, insurance, telecommunications, heavy industries and much more besides. Indeed, many locals feel that the president of Samsung, the largest of the jaebeol, is actually more powerful than the head of the country. Many of these companies have even meddled directly in politics – prominent company heads have, on occasion, successfully run for government roles, while in the late 1990s Hyundai was at the forefront of the Sunshine Policy, a North–South thaw that saw business transferred across the North Korean border and the purchase of a whole chunk of land in the Geumgang mountains for South Korean tourist use. However, this led to allegations of money laundering and the suicide of the company founder’s son: subsequent government investigations into widespread corruption led to yet more high-level suicides at other jaebeol, and the enforced break-up of Hyundai, Samsung and other large conglomerates into more easily manageable, policeable and taxable chunks. Smaller in size they may be, but the jaebeol remain a hugely influential element of modern Korean culture.
삼릉공원 • 1 Seolleung-ro 100-gil • Tues–Sun 6am–9pm • W1000 • Seolleung subway (line 2)
During the Three Kingdoms period and beyond, deceased Korean royalty were buried in highly distinctive grass mounds. While these are more numerous elsewhere in Korea, Seoul has a few of its own, with the easiest to visit being in Samneung Park, whose name means “Three Mounds”. One was for King Seongjong (r.1469–94), an esteemed leader who (unusually) invited political opponents to have a say in national government. Two of his sons went on to rule; Yeonsangun (r.1494–1506) undid much of his father’s hard work in a system of revenge-driven purges, and was overthrown to leave his half-brother Jungjong (r.1506–44) in control. Jungjong’s mound can also be found in the park, as can one created to house one of Seongjong’s wives.
For all the history, it’s the prettiness of the park itself that appeals to many visitors, a green refuge from grey Seoul crisscrossed by gorgeous tree-shaded pathways. The area is popular with workers from nearby offices as a lunch spot, and many come here to munch a sandwich or go for a jog. Its early opening times mean that you can visit at daybreak, an atmospheric time when dew sits on the grass and the morning mist occludes nearby buildings.
코엑스 • 513 Yeongdong-daero • Mall daily 10.30am–10pm • 
coexmall.com • Aquarium daily 10am–8pm • W28,000 • coexaqua.com • Samseong subway (line 2)
The Coex complex houses a huge assortment of shops, restaurants, cafés, offices and a couple of five-star hotels. One of the few sizeable covered spaces in the whole city, its large underground mall attracts Seoulites in their droves when the weather is inclement, and special mention must be made of its large and incredibly well-designed bookstore (though it has no English-language books at all). The complex is also home to the Coex Aquarium (코엑스 아쿠아리엄), which has been designed with rare flair – it must be the only aquarium in the world to use toilets as goldfish tanks, though mercifully there are normal facilities for public use. Sharks, manta rays and colourful shoals of smaller fish are on display.
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Olympic Park
붕은사 • 531 Bongeunsa-ro • Daily 24hr • Free • Bongeunsa subway (line 9)
Despite its incongruous location amid a plethora of skyscrapers, Bongeunsa is the most appealing major Buddhist temple in Seoul. Like Jogyesa, its uglier sibling to the north of the river, it’s affiliated to the Jogye sect, the largest Buddhist denomination in Korea. There has been a temple here since the late eighth century, but assorted fires and invasions mean that all of its buildings are of fairly recent vintage; still, it’s worth peeking at its gorgeous main hall and clutch of small yet appealing outer buildings.
잠실
Jamsil is primarily a residential area of 1980s vintage, whose lofty tower blocks fan out in ever-increasing semicircles from the main Olympic Stadium. The Olympic sites, including a large park studded with other stadia, are the area’s major tourist attraction, though for Koreans it’s the Lotte World theme park that’s the big draw; it’s now presided over by the huge Lotte World Tower.
롯데월드 • Daily 9.30am–11pm • Lotte World Adventure W46,000; W26,000 after 4pm; W17,000 after 7pm • Lotte Water Park W35,000; W30,000 after 2pm • lotteworld.com • Lotte World Tower W27,000; W50,000 for fast track • lwt.co.kr • Jamsil subway (line 2 & 8)
A local version of Disneyland, Lotte World is one of Korea’s most popular attractions – the complex receives more than five million visitors a year, and it’s hard to find a Korean child, or even an adult, who hasn’t been here at some point. While it may not be quite what some are looking for on their visit to “The Land of Morning Calm”, Lotte World can be a lot of fun, particularly for those travelling with children. It comprises two theme parks: the indoor section is known as Lotte World Adventure, which is connected by monorail to the outdoor Lotte Water Park, located in the middle of a lake, and also home to a spa. Also within the complex are a bowling alley, an overpriced ice rink, and a large swimming pool.
The newest addition is Lotte World Tower, 555m in height and the fifth-tallest building in the world at the time of writing; it’s surprisingly elegant for its height, and visible from much of Seoul. They’ve gone a bit overkill with their observation levels – there’s one on the 117th floor, a glass-floor sky deck on the 118th, a café on the 119th, a sky terrace on the 120th, and a shop, café and sky lounge on the 121st and 123rd, so you’ll have plenty to keep you occupied.
올림픽공원 • Daily 24hr • Free • Bikes W3000 per hour • Olympic Park Mongcheontoseong (line 8) or Olympic Park subway (line 5)
Built for the 1988 Summer Olympics, the large Olympic Park remains a popular picnicking place for Seoul families, and hosts a regular roster of small-scale municipal festivals, with something on most weekends. The park is very large, around 2km square, but everything is well signposted, with the main concentration of sights running along the south of the park, so it’s best to stick to these paths. Bikes can be rented at the two main park entrances. The Olympic Stadium itself is not actually in the park, but lies a few subway stops to the west.
The 1988 Summer Olympics
Seoul’s hosting of the Olympic Games in 1988 was a tremendous success, bringing pride not just to the city, but to the whole nation. In fact, it did much to make Korea the country that it is today, and has even been credited with bringing democracy to the nation. President Park Chung-hee had been first to toy with the idea of bidding for the games in the 1970s, seemingly wishing to win international approval for his authoritarian running of the country; he was assassinated in 1979, but the bid went ahead. However, large-scale protests against the government in the years running up to the games brought a hitherto unprecedented level of international scrutiny, and direct elections took place in 1987.
The games themselves were no less interesting, and produced several moments that have become part of sporting folklore. This is where American diver Greg Louganis won gold despite bloodying the pool by walloping his head on the dive-board, and where steroid use saw Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson stripped of first place and his 100m world record. A lesser-known tale is that of Canadian sailor Lawrence Lemieux, who sacrificed a probable medal to race to the aid of two Singaporean competitors who had been thrown into the water in treacherous conditions.
소마미술관 • 424 Olympic-ro • Tues–Sun 10am–6pm • W3000 • somamuseum.org • Mongcheontoseong subway station (line 8)
Near the southwestern corner of the park, the Seoul Olympic Museum of Art, or SOMA, is a small art centre. Its indoor gallery hosts temporary exhibitions, most of them revolving around nature as a central concept. To either side of the gallery is an outdoor sculpture garden, which makes for particularly good strolling on a sunny day.
올림픽 박물관 • 424 Olympic-ro • Tues–Sun 10am–5pm • W3000 • Mongcheontoseong subway station (line 8)
The Olympic Museum will appeal to sports buffs with its collection of Olympic torches from various games, as well as an exhibit showing just how terrifying Olympic mascots have been through the years – two examples are Atlanta’s “Izzy”, a repulsive character of indeterminate species, and Barcelona’s “Cobi”, a cubist Catalan sheepdog. Outside, flags from the 159 countries that competed in the 1988 games stand in a semi-circle, with the originals left as a symbol of what the world was like at the time – the Soviet and Yugoslav flags remain, but there’s no South Africa, as the country was then banned from competing.
과천
Although it’s actually located in Gyeonggi province, the commuter-belt town of Gwacheon sits just south of Seoul proper and has two main sights that are popular with visiting Seoulites. Seoul Grand Park is a delightfully green area with a neat zoo, while Seoul Land is one of Korea’s most popular theme parks.
서울대공원 • 102 Daegongwongwangjang-ro • Park daily 9.30am–9pm • Free • Zoo daily 9am–6pm • W5000 • grandpark.seoul.go.kr • Seoul Grand Park subway (line 4)
Seoul Grand Park is one of the largest expanses of greenery in Seoul, and one of the best places to take children for a fun day out. Its highlight is the zoo, where a pleasingly diverse variety of animals from around the world live in conditions that are considerably better than in most such venues in Asia – although it does still put on dolphin and elephant shows.
서울랜드 • Daily 9am–6pm, later in peak season • Entry W25,000; day-pass W42,000 • eng.seoulland.co.kr • Seoul Grand Park subway (line 4), then it’s 15min walk, or take a tram train (W1000) from the Grand Park entrance
One of the main attractions in the Grand Park area is Seoul Land, a large amusement park with an abundance of roller coasters and spinning rides – around forty in all, at the last count. Along with Lotte World, this is one of the most popular places in the country for domestic tourists – with an average of almost three million visitors a year, it’s hard to find a Korean who hasn’t been here at least once.
국립미술관 • March–Oct Mon–Fri 10am–6pm, Sat & Sun 10am–9pm; Nov–Feb Tues–Fri 10am–5pm, Sat & Sun 10am–8pm • Admission price varies by exhibition, usually W3000–10,000 • mmca.go.kr • Seoul Grand Park subway (line 4); then it’s a 15min walk, or take a tram train (W1000)
Also within the confines of the Grand Park, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art houses an excellent collection of works by some of the biggest movers and shakers in the Korean modern art scene. It’s affiliated to the museum of the same name in central Seoul, though here the focus is on visual arts rather than painting and sculpture – with architecture, design and crafts all represented.