In one corner of our house, there’s this huge poster of N Seoul Tower and the nightscape of Seoul. No particular reason why it’s there, it’s just one of those random pictures taped on our walls. It was given to me in 2015, along with Korean cooking books and ref magnets, by a friend who knew that I love kdramas. It didn’t mean much back then but that poster eventually gave a face to my growing desire to visit Korea. And so it was only fitting that when I finally visited Seoul, N Seoul Tower was among my first stops.
The N Seoul Tower is a communication and observation tower located on Nam Mountain (san stands for mountain in Korean). The tower provides radio and TV broadcast signals for Korean media outlets. The top of the tower is at almost 480m above sea level, including the mountain (243m) and the tower’s own height (236.7m), making it one of the tallest towers in Asia.
Construction of the Seoul Tower, as N Seoul Tower used to be called, started in 1969. The tower body was completed in 1971 and the observatory, museum, and other facilities were completed in 1975, but it wasn’t open to the public until 1980. YTN took over in year 2000, hence it became officially known as the YTN Seoul Tower. It was renamed N Seoul Tower in 2005 and went on to becoming one of the most recognized landmark of Korea.
The tower has three observation decks, a few museums, and several gift shops and restaurants, but the most famous spots would have to be the “Locks of Love.” You’ve probably seen this in so many kdramas and Korean shows. The locks are spread out on Tower 1F and 2F, but there’s also a smaller version near the tower’s main entrance.
As expected, the place is teeming with tourists. I generally don’t like crowded places but here, the view does make up for it, especially with the sunset.
My favorite area in the plaza is not the Locks of Love but the Octagon Pavilion. It’s like it’s got a world of its own amidst the bustling tourist area.
I didn’t go inside the Observatory because a friend told me the view from the plaza was enough. And it was. Don’t take my word for it though, if you’ve got KRW 10,000 to spare, I imagine a visit to the Observatory would be a good experience, too. And despite being a tourist trap, the N Seoul Tower is still a worthy addition to one’s Seoul itinerary. ❤️
2 Comments
We didn’t go to the observatory either. The view is the same, anyway. I miss Seoul. I’m going back soon. 😊
Lucky you! I want to go back, too. Maybe next year. There’s so much more to see, experience, and eat!