Contents
- Contents
- Seoul Station
- Namdaemun Presbyterian Church
- Namsan Park
- Shinsegae Supermarket and Piknic
- Namdaemun Kalguksu/Galchi Alley, Namdaemun Market
- Sungnyemun Gate
- Bank of Korea Money Museum, Shinsegae Department Store Main Store
- In the End
Today, I’m heading to Hoehyeon-dong. It’s home to the most famous gate among Seoul’s four main city gates.
The area is divided roughly along Toegye-ro into the parts closer to Namsan and those closer to Sungnyemun Gate (Namdaemun).
I’ll start at Seoul Station and explore the area closer to Namsan first.
Walking Route
- Seoul Station → Namdaemun Presbyterian Church → Namsan Park → Shinsegae Supermarket → Piknic
- Namdaemun Kalguksu/Galchi Alley → Namdaemun Market → Sungnyemun Gate → Bank of Korea Money Museum, Shinsegae Department Store Main Store
Music for the walk: Charli xcx’s BRAT (Spotify Apple Music Youtube)
Maybe because of the heat, I felt like listening to something upbeat.
The mornings and evenings are cool and breezy, but it’s still hot and the sunlight is strong in the afternoon. I feel like I’ve been wearing short sleeves until the middle of October for the past few years, and it looks like it’ll be the same this year.
Seoul Station
I take the Sillim Line from Sillim-dong and transfer once at Daebang Station to reach Seoul Station on Line 1.
I can see the tent promoting a drama that I saw when I went to Yeouido for a walk at the beginning of the month. Saetgang Ecological Park is underneath the bridge in the photo.
After getting off the subway, I take the escalator up to the main entrance of Seoul Station.
Right in front of the main entrance, I can see Seoul Square and Seoul Namdaemun Police Station.
There’s a Zara store before you enter the station.
I looked around to see if there was anything I wanted to buy for fall. I had already bought a few things, though.
Here’s what I wore today.
I wore a checkered shirt, dark brown cotton pants, and loafers. This is the first time I’ve introduced what I was wearing as part of my walking project.
Right next to Seoul Station is the old Seoul Station building, formerly Gyeongseong Station.
Today, it is used as a cultural complex called Culture Station Seoul 284.
I previously saw an exhibition called Seoul Station 2026: The Beating Heart, but today there was an exhibition called The Design of Care.
It presents exhibitions based on themes related to public design and runs through November 1 this year.
According to the description at the entrance, the exhibition focuses on objects that care for our lives in public spaces.
After passing the information panel, I immediately see a collection of objects that somehow feel familiar.
MUJI also collaborated on this exhibition.
A collection of MUJI cleaning tools was displayed together in one place.
According to the description, cleaning isn’t simply about removing dirt. It is an activity that seeks a comfortable balance between the built environment and nature.
When I start cleaning, I sometimes get so absorbed in it that I want to make everything completely spotless. Cleaning in the morning, in particular, gives me a boost of energy.
It’s hard to get started, though…
Namdaemun Presbyterian Church
I leave the exhibition.
If you walk straight to the left after leaving the Culture Station Seoul 284 building, you’ll find an elevator directly underneath Seoul Station 7017.
Seoul Station 7017 is a pedestrian walkway with floor-to-ceiling glass on both sides, making it a nice place to walk while looking around the surrounding area.
Looking to the left, I can see Sungnyemun Gate.
During my walk through Yeouido Park last time, I learned about a plant called variegated privet. This time, it’s dianthus.
When the World Garden Festival was held at Boramae Park last year, I collected some seeds from these flowers and bought a pot to grow them. Unfortunately, they never bloomed.
Looking up, I can see N Seoul Tower and Namdaemun Presbyterian Church.
Maybe because it was Saturday, I wandered around the area for a while, but unfortunately I couldn’t go inside and had to settle for looking at the building from a distance.
I’ll have to come back on a Sunday someday.
On my way back after failing to get into the church, I saw some trees turning red.
They’re welcoming fall in their own way.
Namsan Park
After walking down the hill from Namdaemun Presbyterian Church, I head toward the spot where the Seoul Station 7017 overpass comes into view. I can see the word “Jung-gu” written there.
After crossing at the crosswalk and taking an elevator, there’s a path leading up to Namsan.
I can see the Seoul Station 7017 walkway and the old Seoul Station building behind it.
This is the end of Seoul Station 7017 on this side. On the other side, it ends at Mallijae-ro behind Seoul Station.
There are already tons of ginkgo fruits lying on the ground. The leaves haven’t changed color yet, so I wondered if this was normal.
I walked around avoiding them like landmines while putting up with the awful smell.
After a short walk, I reach the entrance to Namsan Park.
This is both a path leading up Namsan and Baekbeom Square Park.
The hill is steeper than I expected.
It was hot, but that also meant I could capture plenty of beautiful sights with my camera.
When I reached the park, I could see N Seoul Tower and a white building.
I think that was Namsan Science Center, or something like that. It seemed to be used as an interactive space for children.
I could see the fortress wall and the Seoul Square building I had seen earlier at Seoul Station.
Namdaemun Presbyterian Church was also visible in front of Seoul Square.
A statue of Baekbeom Kim Gu stands proudly in the park.
Besides Baekbeom Kim Gu, Namsan Park also has statues, memorial stones, and monuments related to Udang Yi Hoe-yeong and Thomas An Jung-geun.
There was also the An Jung-geun Memorial Hall, so I went inside.
As soon as I entered, I saw a statue of An Jung-geun, with a Taegeukgi bearing the words “Korean Independence” behind it.
There were artificial rose of Sharon flowers placed at his feet. I’ve been thinking this lately, but artificial flowers can look just as beautiful as real ones.
Sometimes I even find myself more drawn to artificial flowers than real ones.
There were permanent and special exhibitions spread across the first and second floors.
They covered everything from the situation in Korea around the time An Jung-geun was born to his life, the assassination of Itō Hirobumi in Harbin, and his execution.
This is the model of the handgun used to assassinate Itō Hirobumi.
An Jung-geun was imprisoned at Lushun Prison in China, where he was executed.
It is said that the Japanese authorities secretly buried his remains somewhere around Lushun Prison because they feared that returning them would turn into another rallying point for the independence movement.
But even after 100 years, his remains have never been recovered, and there is only a symbolic grave at Hyochang Park.
Near the An Jung-geun Memorial Hall is the Hanyangdoseong Historic Site Museum.
You can see how stone walls were built to create the fortress during the Joseon Dynasty.
Apparently, there used to be the Namsan Botanical Garden and a fountain here in the 1960s, and many people came to visit.
The botanical garden was demolished, but the fountain was preserved as a nostalgic landmark.
When you leave the Hanyangdoseong Historic Site Museum, there’s a staircase going down on the right.
I thought the staircase looked strangely familiar, and then I realized I’d seen it on Infinite Challenge in the “Let’s Become Friends” segment with Jung Hyung-don and Haha, as well as in the drama My Lovely Sam Soon.
Shinsegae Supermarket and Piknic
As I walk down the road, I see an apartment building that looks quite old.
Maybe because of the hills, the area mostly consists of low-rise buildings.
I was thirsty, and there happened to be a small shop, so I stopped by.
I wanted a Toreta!, but they didn’t have any, so I bought a Pocari Sweat instead.
I went to Piknic, a space that operates as an exhibition venue, café, and lifestyle goods store.
There’s a path next to the sign that leads inside, and it is laid out like a running track.
I looked around the lifestyle shop on the basement level and then left.
There was practically no one there, so it was nice and easy to browse.
There was a HAY store nearby, so I took a quick look around.
A pretty ceramic planter caught my eye.
Now I head down the narrow stairs toward Namdaemun Market.
I was so hungry that I just wanted to eat something as soon as possible.
Namdaemun Kalguksu/Galchi Alley, Namdaemun Market
You can reach Namdaemun Kalguksu Alley through this narrow passage.
As you walk along, there’s an elderly woman selling coffee.
Past her, there’s an area filled with restaurants selling sundae-gukbap and set meals. I was originally thinking of having lunch there, but it was packed with people, so I kept going.
Maybe because I came on the weekend, there were so many people. It wasn’t just foreigners either—there were plenty of Koreans as well.
With the heat and all those people, I could feel my energy slowly being drained.
I had no choice but to explore Namdaemun Market first.
It’s like a maze. There are all kinds of things for sale, so it was fun to look around.
A shop selling pretty teacups
A shop selling all kinds of flowers and plants
A shop selling dishes, tableware, and kitchenware
A shop selling various little goods
I couldn’t ignore my growling stomach any longer, so I quickly opened Naver Maps and looked for a restaurant.
I noticed there was a place called Galchi Alley next to Namdaemun Market, so I headed there without giving it much thought.
I walked straight into a restaurant at the entrance to the alley.
I happily devoured grilled and braised hairtail.
There was a foreigner sitting nearby who was having trouble removing the bones from his hairtail. I thought about offering to show him how, but I was too shy to say anything. I don’t think this habit of being shy around strangers is ever going to go away.
Sungnyemun Gate
After filling my stomach and leaving the alley, I can see Sungnyemun Gate.
It looked like it was undergoing maintenance work.
I went through the gate and took a photo of the plaque.
The plaque on Sungnyemun is unusual in that it is mounted vertically.
I looked up why, and according to Korean feng shui, Gwanaksan Mountain was considered a mountain of fire, so the plaque was placed vertically to protect Hanyang from it.
The character sung (崇) in Sungnyemun resembles rising flames, while rye (禮) is associated with fire in the theory of the Five Elements. The idea was therefore to counter fire with fire.
I used to think things like this were nothing more than superstition and had no real purpose, but lately I’ve started to find these kinds of beliefs quietly amusing in their own small way.
Bank of Korea Money Museum, Shinsegae Department Store Main Store
Now I head to the final part of today’s walk.
On the way, I saw nuts and snacks laid out all along the sidewalk, starting from the subway entrance.
I looked through them one by one and ended up wanting some chocolate-covered sunflower seeds, so I bought a pack.
An elderly man was selling them, and he thanked me.
He said he had served in the Vietnam War for two years in the past. I felt like I was the one who should have been thanking him.
I stopped by the Bank of Korea Money Museum to look at some money.
These days, I rarely use cash, so it was nice to see all those bills again after a long time. I think the ₩50,000 note has the prettiest color.
The museum also explained some basic concepts about central banks and displayed currencies and commemorative coins from various countries.
When you leave the Money Museum, Shinsegae Department Store’s main store is right across the street.
I’ll have to come back in winter to see the Christmas decorations. But first, I hope this heat goes away soon.
In the End
There was Myeongdong Cathedral nearby, so I went to see it.
The photo came out dark, but the crape myrtle was in full bloom.
Sometimes when I visit a temple or cathedral like this, I feel at ease and can clear my mind of all the distracting thoughts.
