Excursion to Namsan Tower & Jangchungdan Park, Seoul, South Korea

Trip to South Korea – Part 5: A Korean Odyssey

Namsan Tower

Namsan Tower, also known as N Seoul Tower, is a well-known landmark of Seoul, South Korea. As its name already indicates, the tower is located on Nam Mountain (san=mountain).

It is a 774 ft. (236 meter) tall communication and observation tower that was build between 1969 to 1971. In 1980 the tower was finally ready to be opened to the public.

Originally used for TV and Radio broadcasting across Seoul, it is currently broadcasting signals for major South Korean media outlets. Side note: The N stands for ‘New’, ‘Namsan’, and ‘Nature’.

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Featured in too many Korean dramas to mention them all here, it has become a familiar sight for K-drama fans across the world.

Namsan Tower is the place where Gu Jun-Pyo waited for Geum Jan-Di on their first date, and where they got locked in a cable car afterwards (Drama: Boys Before Flowers).

Some other notable more recent dramas with scenes at Namsan Tower are ‘The Legend of the blue sea’, ‘My Love from the star’, and ‘Hwayugi: A Korean Odyssey’.

In 2021, scenes for the third installment of the American movie franchise ‘To all the boys’ were filmed at this location as well.

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There are several ways to reach Namsan Tower. One can take the N Seoul Tower Cable car, board a shuttle bus, take the Seoul city tour bus, or hike up using the stairs.

Personally we recommend going with option one, two or three, unless you are looking for quiet the workout. Although I imagine taking the stairs would not altogether be a unpleasant adventure. If you have the time.

Taking the bus up Nam Mountain, you are dropped off on this platform with a viewpoint and small convenience store. A few picnic tables provide seating.

From there you walk the last little bit until you reach Namsan Tower.

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Namsan Tower during the day.

After sunset, the tower is illuminated for several hours depending on the time of year. If the air quality in Seoul is 45 or less, Namsan Tower lights up in a blue colour.

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In order to go up to the top of the tower to enjoy a 360 view of Seoul, one must purchase a ticket. Since there is only a limited number of people allowed at once, one might have to wait in line a bit to take the elevator. Staff operating said elevator make sure things run smoothly.

The ceiling of the elevator is essentially a giant screen making you feel like you’re looking up into the sky. This and the motion of the upwards moving elevator gives the impression of going straight up into the clouds.

The view below Namsan Tower including the bus drop-off platform.

Several Glass panels at the top of N Seoul Tower depict different historical maps. This one shows where the original wall around the capital used to be. Portions of this wall exist to this day.

Other panels show the distance from the tower to different major cities around the world.

View of the surrounding area below depends on time of day, weather, and air quality.

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To our delight, we were fortunate enough to actually come across a K-pop group while at the tower terrace.

Noticing some commotion nearby, we went to check it out and realized there was a performance by a boy band. We were too overwhelmed to think of taking many pictures. Instead we opted to simply enjoy the impromptu mini concert.

Not until we returned to our hotel later that night did we find out the identity of the boy band. It was the hip hop band JJCC, formed and managed by Jackie Chan Group Korea. We recommend checking them out, as we quite liked their songs.

Jangchungdan Park

Jangchungdan Park is located at the base of Nam Mountain and a perfect spot for a relaxed hangout. Complete with a small waterfall, a historical looking bridge, and several paths, it also makes for a ideal photoshoot backdrop.