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Walking this route through the Namsan Park area offers you some good education about Korea's ancient and modern history, featuring many sites of architectural interest, some very pleasant urban forest and rest-stops with some great views of the city. It begins at Jangchung-dan Park, which is right next to Dongguk University (Korea's oldest and largest Buddhist university, an interesting place to visit in itself) and easy to get to from the Dongguk University Metro Station (Dongdae-ipgu in Korean, on Orange Line #3). This small urban park contains several interesting historical monuments including the Jangchoongdan Monument in itself, and also the beautiful and architecturally-advanced Supyo Bridge. The route proceeds past an authentic old section of the Namsan Fortress Wall, past Korea’s prominent National Theater and then on up the mountain through a lovely dense patch of forest. Near the summit you can visit the ancient Fire-signal Station and the modern Seoul Tower, the most visible symbol of Seoul. Descending to the northeast, your final stop will be the Namsan-gol Hanok Village, a charming group of authentic Joseon Dynasty houses and pavilions arranged around a well-landscaped park, where you can take some rest and refreshment before returning back into the city through its front gate. |
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| Jangchung-dan Park (Supyo Bridge and Jangchung-dan Monument) |
 This pleasant urban park is small but historically important. It contains several symbols of Korea's patriotism and fight to retain its independence, and is always colorfully busy with Seoul citizens taking their leisure. It prominently features the Jangchung-dan Monument and Altar, which was originally built on the site of the Hotel Shilla across the road to the east. Jangchung-dan was established by the order of King Gojong (the Joseon Dynasty’s last ruling monarch) in 1900 to honor the many public officials who had sacrificed their lives for the sake of the nation, as the Japanese proceeded with their imperialist conquest of Korea. It pays tribute to patriotic Royal Ministers including Hong Gue-hun and Lee Gyeong-jik, and others who were martyred in the 1892 Imo-gunran military uprising and the 1894 Gapshin-jeongbyun uprising – both of which intended to reform and strengthen the stagnant government against the imperialist encroachments. Another thing you really have to appreciate here is the beautiful granite Supyo Bridge, an excellent example of Joseon’s relatively advanced architectural technology, built in 1406. Just walking back-and-forth over it, you can feel the noble spirit of bygone days. Be sure to notice the dragon-head and water-level indicators carved underneath! This park also features other monuments established here in the 1960s to enhance its theme of Korea patriotism and nationalism, including a stone monument for patriot Lee Haneung, the Jeil Gangsan Taepyeong monument, a statue of patriot Lee Jun, and a statue of the famous Buddhist master Samyeong-daesa, who bravely led an army of monks against rapacious Japanese invaders in the 1592-98 Imjin War.
Related Info: http://parks.seoul.go.kr/main/english/namsan/sub_jangchoongdan.htm |
| Seoul (Namsan) Fortress Wall |
 Behind the park you will find a restored but authentic section of the Seoul City Wall, also known as the Seoul Fortress when its many gates are included. Built in a massive public project at the beginning of the Joseon Dynasty (starting in 1390), this stone wall averaging about 20 feet (6 meters) high encircled the entire city, providing protection from thieves and wild animals as well as military attacks. Preserved here on Namsan (South Mountain) is part of the section stretching between the Sungnyemun (commonly known as Namdaemun, or South Great Gate) and Honginjimun (commonly known as Dongdaemun or East Great Gate). This city has grown far beyond its original fortress walls and gates, but interest in them as important historical architecture has been revived by proud Seoul citizens, and they are progressively being restored to their original splendor.
Related Info: http://english.seoul.go.kr/today/news/newsclip/1230150_3675.html |
| The National Theater of Korea |
 This architecturally-prominent building, also called the National Central Theater, was built in 1973 on this lovely shoulder of the mountain. The National Theater of Korea as an institution was established in 1950, and now contains four resident companies: the National Drama Company of Korea, the National Changgeuk Company of Korea, the National Dance Company of Korea and the National Orchestra of Korea, which collectively strive to globalize the reputation of traditional Korean arts, both retaining their authenticity and re-creating them with modern interpretations. There are some interesting displays of costumes and such inside the main building. There is a very nice outdoor theater with pond around to its right. Right across the road are two other famous and fascinating examples of late-20th-century Korean architecture, the Freedom Center Building and the Tower Hotel.
Related Info: http://www.ntok.go.kr/english/index.jsp |
| Seoul Tower and other sites on Namsan’s Summit |
 Walking up the Namsan Circular Road from the National Theater, you pass through a dense forest that mixes deciduous and pine trees, which is especially lovely in the autumn. Arriving at the summit of South Mountain you can take a rest at the Palgak-jeong (Octagonal Pavilion) which offers fine views of the forest and surrounding urban areas. On the north side you will find the historic Bongsudae Signal-fire Station, strong stone platforms on which official messages were rapidly sent and received during the Joseon Dynasty. But the most prominent and well-known site up here is the Seoul Tower itself. The site on which it stands was once a nationally-important Shamanic mountain-spirit shrine (the Guksadang, now on Mt. Inwangsan which you can see to the northwest). Japanese imperialists replaced that with a Shinto Shrine to Japan's Emperor in the early 1900s, to insult Koreans and weaken their spirit; after liberation that complex was turned down by patriots. President Park Chung-hee built the Seoul Tower on this site at the end of the 1960s as an outstanding symbol of modern Korea's economic success, visible from most parts of the gigantic city. There is an interesting multicultural exhibit on the ground floor of it, and you can take the elevator up to the circular viewing platform that offers stunning views of the entire urban area and the famous mountains that surround it. With the help of the displays inside the Windows, you can pick out the locations of many of Seoul's historic sites. |
| Namsan-gol Hanok Village |
 Descending from the summit to the northeast, taking the stone stairways down across the Namsan Circular Road (instead of taking the cable car to the northwest), you will pass by the Waryong-myo, one of only two traditional Chinese Taoist shrines remaining in Seoul (four were originally built in gratitude for the Ming Dynasty is military assistance; this one remains as an active but privately-run place of worship). Further down, you will reach the Back Gate of the final destination on this tour, the Namsan-gol Hanok Village. You will first pass by the beautifully-landscaped site of the Seoul Time Capsule, in which 600 items representing Seoul’s image and civil life were buried to commemorate the 600th anniversary its establishment as Korea's capital city. You can then walk down into the Hanok (traditional Korean house) Village itself, a charming group of authentic Joseon Dynasty houses and pavilions restored and arranged around a public park which includes a plaza, a pond and a fountain. This is a great place to get some rest and refreshment in one of the teahouses and restaurants located in the traditional buildings, a thoroughly charming experience. When you have viewed the various traditional residences and their displays, you can then finish this walking-tour by exiting the Village through its front gate, returning back into the city (the Myeongdong Metro Station is just at the north end of the entrance-street). |
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