Namsan Seoul Tower

From any given point in Seoul, one can usually spot the thin white Tower on top of Namsan Mountain. In such an enormous city, it is amazing that any one location can make a name for itself. Namsan is 849 feet tall, Seoul Tower extends another 775 feet into the air. So, it is actually over 1,500 feet above sea level. The tower was built in 1969 and used as an intelligence and communication tower. It was opened to the public in 1980.

In order to reach the tower, most visitors take a cable car (as we did). For just 6,000 Won you can take a 5 minute ride to the base of the tower. Once at the base there are restaurants, museums, gift shops, and a park. We decided to buy our tickets and head straight for the top.





Once inside, there is a long elevator ride and then you’re released into the glass-encased circular building. The windows encircling the observation room have names of cities and their distances listed-it was interesting to face a certain direction and imagine Chicago, Cairo, or Jakarta being a certain number of kilometers in front of you. Luckily there is no time limit and you can stare out into the city for as long as you like. Even on clear days it is impossible to see all of Seoul, but you can gain perspective on how gargantuan a city Seoul is; as well as how diverse it is.





After hanging out in the observation deck, we took an elevator back down to the platform. In on area at the base of the tower there is a special area covered in “Love Locks”. “Love Locks” at Seoul tower are a popular tradition amongst locals. When a couple decides that they are going to be together for a long time, or to celebrate their love and commitment; they chain two locks to the tower. There are thousands among thousands of locks both rusted and shiny, attached to the tower. Some have been weathered, some have been tampered with, and most have love notes scribbled on them. It is fun to browse the locks and guess how long they have been there; and ponder if their owners are still in tact. You can also watch new couples latch their locks together.





We decided to end our visit with a hike down Namsan. The paths were beautiful. I was surprised to see how many people made the trek up. On the walk down there is a lot of nature to be seen as well as the city skyline in the background. The walk down took us just under an hour.




All major need cities need some type of tall structure to serve as part of their skyline, arouse interest amongst tourist, and create cheesy traditions for locals – N Seoul Tower is just the place!