Namsan Park | ||||||
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Namsan (South Hill) once marked the southern edge of Seoul many generations ago. Nowadays, it stands
in the center of the sprawling city, surrounded by the major shopping districts of
Namdaemun,
Myongdong, and
Itaewon. The park itself covers almost a million pyong
(1 pyong = 3.3 sq. meters), with over 60 species of trees, plants, and animals. 
The park gives a wide patch of green to the downtown area. The park has several hiking trails leading
to the 262-meter peak with Seoul Tower, as well as several
exercise areas, making the park very popular among Seoulites for early morning exercise. The Citizens'
Health Jogging Course is one of the regular annual events and you can have your blood pressure and
pulse taken by volunteers during Spring and Autumn.
However, it also blocks traffic in and out of the downtown area, so engineers have built no fewer than
three tunnels underneath it. The 1st Namsan Tunnel connects Hannam-dong with the Myeong-dong and Chungmu-ro
areas, the 2nd Namsan Tunnel runs from Itaewon to the southwestern part of Chung-gu (near Dongguk
university), and the 3rd Namsan Tunnel runs between Itaewon and Namdaemun. Urban encroachment threatened
many of the plants and animals in the park. In the 1990s, the Seoul government decided to remove some
existing buildings (mostly residential buildings used by foreigners) and return the land to nature. However,
several deluxe hotels remain along its slopes.
In addition to Seoul Tower and its attractions, Namsan Park
contains many places of interest, including the National Theater, Namsan Public Library, Namsan Botanical
Gardens, and several statues in memorial of Korean patriots. The park also contains
Paljakjung (an octagonal pavilion), an aquarium, a fountain, and a cable car
leading to Seoul Tower. For tourist groups, a tour program called Namsan Field Classroom is provided from
June to October. Except for cable car, the other facilities are free. To the north is
Namsangol Traditional Folk Village.
Hours: Closed MondaysNamsan Cable Car Station Mar. ~ Oct. - 10:00-21:00 Nov. ~ Feb. - 10:00-22:00 Namsan Botanical Garden Mar. ~ Oct. - 09:00-18:00 Nov. ~ Feb. - 19:00-17:00 Seoul Tower Mar. ~ Oct. - 09:00-23:30 Nov. ~ Feb. - 09:00-22:30 Patriot Ahn Jung-geun Memorial Hall Mar. ~ Oct. - 09:00-18:00 Nov. ~ Feb. - 09:00-17:00 Admission: Namsan Cable Car Station Adults: Round-trip- 6,300 won (Group: 5,000 won), One way- 4,800 won (Group: 3,800 won) Children: Round-trip- 4,000 won (Group: 3,050 won), One way- 3,000 won (Group: 2,500 won) Patriot Ahn Jung-geun Memorial Hall Individuals: Adults- 1,000 won, Students (Elementary/Junior/High)-700 won Group: Adults- 900 won, Students (Elementary/Junior/High)-600 won Namsan Botanical Garden (Group Price) Adults: 500 won (350 won) Youths: 300 won (210 won) Children: 200 won (140 won) Directions: Hoehyeon Area: Subway line 2, City Hall Station, 30 minutes walking Subway line 4, City Hall Station or Hoehyeon Station, 20 minutes walking Hannam Area: Subway line 6, Hangangjin Station Jangchung Area: Subway line 3, Dongguk Univ. Station
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