Gangnam, Seoul's modern center

Let me introduce you the Seoul's modern center

Gangnam 강남 is the place to be in Seoul! The best shopping malls, clubs, restaurants and cafés are located in this huge area, south-eastern from the historic center of Seoul. There's a lot of subway lines crossing this area, so you can't really miss it. I've been walking all around the place and made a lot of photos of the awesome buildings along the way. I wrote a lot of posts about the places in Gangnam, here's an overview of them.

Click on the links below the photos and read about a certain part of Gangnam that interests you.

This is Gangnam:


The megalomaniac Tower Palace in Dogok>> read my post


The long Gangnamdaero from south to north>> read my post


The glassy Samsung Town buildings>> read my post


The colossal Kyobo Gangnam Tower>> read my post


The trendy district Apgujeong>> read my post


The famous Teheranno road is here, too>> read my post


The landmark Trade Tower is in Gangnam>> read my post

And at last, another modern masterpiece: Hyundai I'Park Building. Also in Gangnam.

This is about it. No more Seoul posts. Only a post about Hyori's new album is coming up. Other than that, you are now well informed and if you need some more detailed info on Seoul, check my main Seoul page that links to all my Seoul posts.

How do you like Gangnam and the modern Seoul?

[My Seoul][All photos by MKL, 2010]

Jongno Tower, Seoul

Seoul's modern architecture at its best

Jongno Tower in its full glory. Stop staring at the girls!

The top floor is amazing. There's a restaurant there with a great view.

Jongno Tower from bottom up. It's one of Seoul's landmark buildings.

The area at the main entrance looks huge. The Jongno Tower is wide and it's 132m tall (source). On the other side of the street is another famous historic sight named Bosingak, the bell tower. The whole area is very pleasant to walk. If you have time, go and have a look around.

[Skyscrapers][My Seoul][Jongno Tower at night][All photos by MKL, 2010]

Hangang Park, Yeouido

Beautiful park on a beautiful island in Seoul with lots of sakura

Hangang park (한강공원) is a beautiful park on a famous Yeouido island (여의도) in the middle of Seoul next to the majestic Han river, that separates this awesome city into two parts. I've been recommended to see this place by the owner of the hostel I've stayed in and I tell you, I was not disappointed. Yeouido became one of my favorite spots in Seoul and if I have the chance to visit again, I will definitely stay in the park longer and explore the island further. I was so lucky to see the peak of the cherry blossoms in Korea and the sakura was really really beautiful, the most beautiful in whole Seoul, I would say. Also the famous landmark skyscraper Building 63 is here. Yeouido is also called "Seoul's Wallstreet", because of its stock street and business district. But let my photos do the speaking here:

I took the subway from central Seoul to Yeouinaru station. The first thing I saw was the Han river and Namsan tower in the back and a beautiful park along the river banks, the place I wanted to see - the Hangang park.

I saw young Korean couples riding tandems.

People riding jet ski on the river Han.

Enjoying a nice afternoon on the river banks. On the right is the Wonhyodaegyo bridge.

Mount Namsan in the center, with the famous Namsan tower.

Mapodaegyo bridge on the left side.

Hangang park under the warm spring sun.

The famous Building 63.

People renting bikes near the Building 63. More about the skyscraper on the link below:

Check my high-def Building 63 photos here>>

Do you remember her from this post? She was waiting for someone.

Young Koreans playing games, having fun.

After walking around the park a bit, I decided to go to the cherries above.

A beautiful tree alley of cherries in full blossom.

One of my favorite Seoul trip photos. I love it.

The cherries on Yeouido were planted by the Japanese during the occupation of Korea.

Sakura close-up.

Do you remember them? Many beautiful Korean girls took photos of the sakura here.

And the sakura (cherry blossoms) was truly amazing here.

So thick, so pure... so majestic.

I went to a little café nearby and enjoyed a nice coffee...

View from the café. I took a rest and left soon after. My Seoul adventure was at its peak.

How do you like the photos?

[My Main SEOUL page][All photos by MKL, 2010][Info: Yeouido, Hangang Park]

Sejongno, Seoul

A famous street in the heart of Seoul

Sejongno (also Sejong-ro or 세종로/世宗路) is one of the famous streets (although it looks like a square) in the historic center of Seoul. Although the part you see on the photos is new, but the location is very close to other famous spots in Seoul, some of which are: Gwanghwamun in the north (currently being restored) with the Gyeongbok palace (and the Korean National folk museum). There's also the American embassy nearby, which is heavily protected. Many government buildings are located here as well, so you can see a lot of police and military presence near and at Sejongno.

The street is named after the Korean King Sejong. A famous king, who invented the Korean alphabet hangul in the 15th century (this one -> 대한민국을 사랑합니다/사랑해요). So there's a big statue dedicated to king Sejong's honor. But there's another statue dedicated to a famous Korean admiral named Yi Sun-sin. He was a victorious naval commander of Korean forces against Japanese during the Japanese invasions of Korea between 1592-1598. It's said, that he never lost a battle and he participated in 23. No wonder he got such a prominent place in Seoul. Japan was historically the no 1 enemy of Korea. See my photos.

The majestic Yi Sun-sin above Sejogno.

He defended Korea against Japanese invaders in the late 16th century.

King Sejong the great, invented the Korean alphabet.

Is he the father of modern Korea? Most likely, I would say.

No comments here, thanks.

[My Korea][Photos by MKL, 2010][Wiki: Sejongno, King Sejong, Admiral Yi Sun-sin]

The Five Grand Palaces of Seoul

The magnificent palaces built during the Joseon dynasty

Let me introduce you the Five Grand Palaces of Seoul, one of the main sights of this amazing city. I only saw three of the five, but those were the biggest and the main ones, which are well preserved and being further restored. They're located in the northern part of the historic Seoul and most of the tourists go and see these palaces. So in case you're heading there one day, here's a brief intro. In my upcoming posts I will post some beautiful photos of the three palaces I've seen, I hope you will like it. So here they are, placed in order by their significance:

Chang·deok·gung [창덕궁/昌德宮] - "Palace of Prospering Virtue"

This incredible Korean royal palace is today a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It's like a holy place for Koreans. This is my favorite palace of the three I've seen. It's huge and massive, with a beautiful secret garden and amazing architecture [source].

Gyeong·bok·gung [경복궁/景福宮] - "Palace Greatly Blessed by Heaven"

This was the main palace of the Korean kings during the Joseon dynasty. It's truly an amazing place. You can see the changing of the guards ceremony in front of the main gate. The National Folk Museum of Korea is also located near by and during my visit, there was some beautiful sakura everywhere [source].

Chang·gyeong·gung [창경궁/昌慶宮] - "Palace of Flourishing Gladness"

This former palace of Korean kings is also very interesting. It's the first one I have visited. The whole area is big, if you include gardens and Jongmyo, so you'll have a lot of walking to do, if you want to see everything. But the palace itself is not so big and there's not so many accompanying buildings like with the previous two palaces. It's worth to see the whole premise [source].

Deok·su·gung [덕수궁/德壽宮] - "Palace of Virtuous Longevity"

Like every of the palaces, this one was also heavily destroyed by the Japanese and only 33% of the original size remains. I haven't visited this palace during my trip [more here].

Gyeong·hui·gung [경희궁/慶熙宮] - "Palace of Serene Harmony"

This palace was completely destroyed by the Japanese and has been rebuilt in the recent years. I haven't visited this one as well [more here].

No comments here, thanks.

[My Korea page]

Changgyeonggung, Seoul

Palace of Flourishing Gladness in 2010

Main throne hall of Changgyeonggung.

Let me introduce you the last grand palace of the three I've seen in Seoul. The name is Chang·gyeong·gung [창경궁/昌慶宮] or the "Palace of Flourishing Gladness" and it's also a very interesting Korean royal palace. It's the first one I have visited. The whole area is big, if you include gardens and Jongmyo (where you need to enter and buy the ticket, cost me 1000 Won). You'll have a lot of walking to do, if you want to see everything. But the palace itself is not so big and there's not so many accompanying buildings like with the previous two palaces. It's worth to see the whole premise, though. I think it's best to see Changgyeonggung as the first of all the palaces (it's located in the east part) and then go to the western part and see the other four of the Five Great Palaces of Seoul. Enjoy my photos of this lovely place:

Jongmyo, a confucian shrine

Jongmyo, a Confucian shrine, is where you enter, if you're going to see Changgyeonggung. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site and definitely worth to see.

See my photos of amazing Jongmyo here>>

The gate from Jongmyo to Changgyeonggung. Both parts are surrounded by a wall.

The Changgyeonggung palace complex.

The cherry blossoms were beautiful that day.

Haminjeong (涵仁亭) or the royal pavilion.

Hwangyeongjeon hall (歡慶殿) royal residence. The king slept here.

Off to the main part of the palace.

Myeongjeongjeon, the main throne hall

The buildings are very close to each other.

On the right side is the throne hall, in front is the courtyard.

The gate is named Myeongjeongmun (明政門).

Myeongjeongjeon (明政殿), the main throne hall of Changgyeonggung.

The throne of Korean kings.

The so called Bonghwang phoenixes above the throne.

The only photo of the front of Myeongjeongjeon was taken by a Korean man, who I ask for help. I don't know, why I didn't take photos of the whole building from the front. Bummer "-_-

The throne hall from the side.

Munjeongjeon hall, the council hall

Munjeongjeon hall (文政殿). The king dealt with state affairs here.

Inside Munjeongjeon hall. Very colorful and very well restored.

King's main spot.

After that I went uphill, above the palace is a forest, that leads to a pond.

This pond is called Chudangji and there's a lovely small island in the middle.

A greenhouse at the end. It has a beautiful garden.

View on the Namsan mountain and Namsan tower, my next destination.

How did you like my photos?

Realated sources: [Changgyeonggung on Visitkorea.or.kr][Changgyeonggung Wiki]

[My Korea][All photos by MKL except the small, 2010][Changgyeonggung Map]