Table of Contents
Sinyongsan is an area centered around Hangang-daero in Yongsan-gu. It is home to Yongsan Station, Yongridan-gil, and Yongsan Children’s Garden.
After Seochon, Bukchon, and Jeong-dong / City Hall, I decided to explore this area because Sejong-daero eventually leads into Hangang-daero.
However, Hangang-daero isn’t quite as suitable for dividing the neighborhood as Jahamun-ro in Seochon or Bukchon-ro in Bukchon. So instead, I decided to use the Amorepacific headquarters, which could be considered a sort of landmark(?), as the midpoint for the walking route.
Walking Route
- Yongsan I’Park Mall -> Baekbin Crossing -> Ramen Restaurant -> Yongsan History Museum -> Yongsan Urban Memory Exhibition Center -> Amorepacific
- Amorepacific -> Yongsan Children’s Garden -> Yongridan-gil -> War Memorial of Korea -> Samgakji Station
Album for the Walk: After Hours - The Weeknd (Spotify</a> Apple Music</a> YouTube</a>)
It’s been a while since I last listened to The Weeknd’s After Hours.
It’s the first album in his Nightmare Trilogy, and the album that contains “After Hours,” the song that got me into The Weeknd.
I hope that someday I’ll get to walk across Hangang Bridge in the early hours of the morning while listening to “After Hours,” just like The Weeknd does in the music video.
Yongsan I’Park Mall
Route: [Yongsan I’Park Mall] -> Baekbin Crossing -> Ramen Restaurant -> Yongsan History Museum -> Yongsan Urban Memory Exhibition Center -> Amorepacific
Today, I started by heading to Yongsan I’Park Mall to see the movie The Odyssey.
I wanted to see it in IMAX, but there weren’t any seats left at all, so I booked a regular theater instead.
If you’re going from Sillim to Yongsan Station, where I’Park Mall is located, taking a bus without transferring is probably the easiest option.
You can take bus 152 or 504, get off at Sinyongsan Station, and cross two crosswalks to reach I’Park Mall.
It was an early-morning screening, and I arrived even earlier than expected, so the movie theater was pretty quiet.
That caramel popcorn looks ridiculously delicious.
If I worked at a movie theater, I’d want to work at the food counter. During my break, I’d grab a huge tub of nothing but caramel popcorn and just shovel it into my mouth.
They were promoting Spider-Man, which I’d watched a few days earlier.
This was the first Spider-Man movie I’d seen since the first two films starring Tobey Maguire, and I actually enjoyed it quite a lot.
There’s a scene where the main character goes to a party, and Tame Impala’s “Loser” plays in the background.
I got to hear it through the movie theater speakers, which produced a completely different level of sound compared to the earphones I normally use.
At the very end of the movie, there are scenes capturing everyday life in New York. I thought I’d try something similar today and capture the streets I walked through on camera.
After watching The Odyssey, I saw a poster announcing an animated movie coming out next month.
The art style reminded me of Summer Wars, so I think I’ll go see it once September comes around.
I stopped by the Cine Shop and looked around for a while before coming across the Simpsons family, all smiling brightly.
Maggie Simpson’s stretched-out mouth looks less like she’s sucking on a pacifier and more like a drain stopper keeping the bathtub from emptying.
Homer Simpson’s feet look like horse hooves.
Yongsan I’Park Mall is divided into Living Park (Dopamine Station), Fashion Park, Taste Park, and The Center.
After leaving the Cine Shop, I headed toward Living Park.
Living Park is a great place for people who enjoy collecting things.
From Bandai Namco, Marvel Store, and POP MART on the sixth floor to Dopamine Station on the third, there are all kinds of character goods and merchandise.
I took photos of Gundam and Evangelion.
There were more characters I didn’t recognize than ones I did, so I kept walking around thinking, “Oh, I see,” until I ran into Snorlax.
It was nice to see a familiar face, but I couldn’t tell whether it was sleeping or smiling.
Maybe it’s sleeping with a smile on its face.
Inside Dopamine Station on the third floor, there’s a Yongsan Tourist Information Center toward the back.
They hand out maps and information about Seoul and Yongsan, so if you’re planning to walk around Yongsan, it might be worth picking one up.
After entering Yongsan Station and coming out of Exit 3, you can see a large construction site behind the station.
This area is planned to become the Yongsan International Business District, with several landmark skyscrapers around 100 stories tall. The project is expected to be completed around the mid-2030s.
Yongsan-gu also plans to introduce Yongsan Gateway, an underground pedestrian route connecting Yongsan Station to Yongsan Park, and has set a vision of turning the area into a future global business hub under the brand “Yongsan Seoul Core.”
Beyond the construction site, I could see the E-Land building.
Up to Amorepacific
Route: Yongsan I’Park Mall -> [Baekbin Crossing] -> Ramen Restaurant -> Yongsan History Museum -> Yongsan Urban Memory Exhibition Center -> Amorepacific
After crossing Yongsan Station Plaza and walking past the now-closed Dragon Hill Spa, I came across a vending machine.
It was the first time in my life I’d seen a vending machine giving away free water.
It was hot and muggy, so I was planning to stop by a convenience store, but thanks to the free water vending machine, I didn’t need to and was able to hydrate myself right there.
The alleyways next to Yongsan Station are packed with atmospheric cafés and restaurants, just like Yongridan-gil.
Actually, I think I like this area even more than Yongridan-gil.
This place has an exterior designed with exposed reinforced concrete.
Looking at the door, it reminded me of the Flintstones.
This street has both clusters of pretty cafés and restaurants with large signs, as well as places tucked away inside ordinary alleyways like the one below.
It looks like a residential neighborhood, but there are surprisingly quite a few businesses hidden among the houses.
After walking through the alley, I headed to Baekbin Crossing.
I waited around for a train, but none came, so I just took a quick photo of the crossing itself.
I passed through this alley when I was heading to the front lines after finishing my advanced training in Jaundae. Seeing it again brought back a lot of memories. I wonder how my friends from back then are doing.
I left the alley and headed toward the ramen restaurant.
Route: Yongsan I’Park Mall -> Baekbin Crossing -> [Ramen Restaurant] -> Yongsan History Museum -> Yongsan Urban Memory Exhibition Center -> Amorepacific
I went up onto a pedestrian overpass and took a look at N Seoul Tower.
It was sunny and humid today, which made walking around pretty difficult.
Whenever the clouds stopped blocking the sun, I kept sweating as if a rain shower were pouring straight out of my body.
The sign of the ramen restaurant I arrived at.
They only sell ramen and gimbap. I ordered egg ramen and vegetable gimbap.
An elderly couple runs the restaurant together.
The wallpaper is covered with traces left behind by people who have visited the place.
Route: Yongsan I’Park Mall -> Baekbin Crossing -> Ramen Restaurant -> [Yongsan History Museum] -> Yongsan Urban Memory Exhibition Center -> Amorepacific
After filling up on ramen and gimbap, I headed to the next destination.
I took some time to learn a little about Yongsan’s history at the museum.
If I had to pick a few keywords to describe Yongsan, they would be commerce, the military, and railways.
During the Joseon Dynasty, Yongsan was located outside Seoul’s Four Great Gates. Because the area could be reached by following the river currents all the way to Sungnyemun Gate, it was well suited for commerce and transportation.
During the Korean Empire and Japanese colonial period, Japanese residents settled in the area, and much of Yongsan was used for military purposes.
Yongsan Station, Hangang Railway Bridge—the first railway bridge in Korea—and the Gyeongin Railway, Korea’s first railway, were all built during this period.
There’s something strange about Yongsan Station. Right next to Yongsan Station, there’s another station called Sinyongsan Station. But originally, during the Joseon Dynasty, there was only Yongsan.
After Yongsan Station was built, the commercial district and streets centered around Japanese residents came to be called Sinyongsan, meaning “New Yongsan.” The name stuck and eventually became the name we use today.
After liberation, the military land once used by Japan was taken over by the U.S. military. Today, the U.S. military base has been relocated to Pyeongtaek, and some of the former base area has been transformed into Yongsan Park and opened to the public.
A quick shot from the museum’s rooftop garden.
Route: Yongsan I’Park Mall -> Baekbin Crossing -> Ramen Restaurant -> Yongsan History Museum -> [Yongsan Urban Memory Exhibition Center] -> Amorepacific
Across from the museum, if you go inside the orange building, you’ll find the Yongsan Urban Memory Exhibition Center.
It was a nice place to get a quick introduction to Yongsan.
Route: Yongsan I’Park Mall -> Baekbin Crossing -> Ramen Restaurant -> Yongsan History Museum -> Yongsan Urban Memory Exhibition Center -> [Amorepacific]
After looking around the exhibition center, I headed to Amorepacific.
After about ten minutes of walking, I reached an entrance leading to the main entrance of the building.
This building looks impressive every time I see it.
The Amorepacific headquarters is open to the public from B1 to the third floor.
As soon as I entered the first floor, I saw a giant balloon.
The Amorepacific Museum of Art is located on B1, but it was preparing for a solo exhibition by Sol LeWitt opening in September, so I’ll save it for my next visit.
I only looked around the first and third floors before heading to Yongsan Children’s Garden.
From Amorepacific Onward
Route: Amorepacific -> [Yongsan Children’s Garden] -> Yongridan-gil -> War Memorial of Korea -> Samgakji Station
Yongsan Children’s Garden was temporarily opened to the public in 2023, for the first time in about 120 years.
If you leave through the back entrance of Amorepacific, the road leading to Yongsan Children’s Garden begins almost immediately.
Along the way, I came across dozens of funeral wreaths.
Recently, there was a major controversy after the government proposed building a large-scale rental housing complex on the site of Yongsan Children’s Garden. I assume the wreaths were placed to express opposition to the government’s proposal.
I heard a little child in the photo tell their mother that the flowers were pretty, without knowing what they had actually been placed there for.
On the far right of the photo, you can see a warning notice from Yongsan-gu.
Yongsan Children’s Garden is quite large. There are exhibition halls, a library, plazas, and even a shuttle that takes visitors around the site.
I especially liked the library among all the facilities here.
I think I’ll come back someday when I want to work for an hour or two or just read a book.
This is what Amorepacific looks like from the Children’s Garden.
The exhibition hall.
The plaza.
Another view of the plaza. You can see a Ministry of National Defense facility and N Seoul Tower.
I took this photo because I liked the sunlight and the composition while walking through the garden.
Route: Amorepacific -> Yongsan Children’s Garden -> [Yongridan-gil] -> War Memorial of Korea -> Samgakji Station
Yongridan-gil begins almost immediately after leaving Yongsan Children’s Garden.
I came across Neungdong Minari in Yongsan again for the first time in a while.
As always, I ran into a cat during this walk too.
Not a real cat, though. It was a mural.
I followed the direction the cat was pointing with its eyes.
Apparently, Yongsan-gu calls its clothing donation bins “Happy Closets.”
I came out onto a wide road lined with old apartment buildings.
If Crayon Shin-chan has Wareru Mansion, then Yongridan-gil has Samgak Mansion.
Route: Amorepacific -> Yongsan Children’s Garden -> Yongridan-gil -> [War Memorial of Korea] -> Samgakji Station
After leaving Yongridan-gil, I could see Samgakji Station.
I headed to the nearby War Memorial of Korea.
The statue at the entrance is called The Statue of Brothers.
Apparently, during the Korean War, two brothers were sent into battle—one fighting for the South Korean military and the other for North Korea—and eventually encountered each other on the battlefield.
They pointed their guns at each other, but after recognizing one another’s faces, they embraced. What happened to them after that is unknown.
The pointy thing on top of the statue isn’t part of the sculpture. It’s a crow.
This is the view of Namsan from the War Memorial of Korea.
The wind happened to be blowing, so all the flags were fluttering.
The site of the War Memorial of Korea was also used as a Japanese military base during the colonial period and was later occupied by the U.S. military government after liberation.
It was eventually used as the headquarters of the Republic of Korea Army. After the Army Headquarters was moved to Gyeryong, the site was transformed into the War Memorial of Korea as it is today.
It was almost closing time, so I only took a quick look around.
There’s also a library-like cultural space here, which looked like another good place for doing some short work or reading, much like the library at Yongsan Children’s Garden.
There was a summary about General Paik Sun-yup.
General Paik Sun-yup is regarded as a national hero for his role in defending South Korea during the Korean War, but controversy over his past collaboration with Japan has continued because he served in the Gando Special Force, a unit involved in suppressing Korean independence fighters during the Japanese colonial period.
On the other hand, there was a man named Kim Won-bong. He was active in the Korean independence movement through the Heroic Corps during Japanese colonial rule and later led the Korean Volunteer Corps, but defected to North Korea after liberation.
A pro-Japanese collaborator but a war hero who defended South Korea. An independence hero but later a collaborator with the North Korean regime.
What a complicated mess.
There’s a staircase at the back of the library that leads upstairs.
This is the view of Namsan from up there.
I stopped by the gift shop to look around and found something I liked.
It was a plum blossom badge, and I thought it would look nice pinned to a jacket, so I bought it.
Something like this?
After leaving through the entrance and turning right, there’s a memorial space dedicated to foreign soldiers who died in the war, as well as members of the South Korean military and police.
Route: Amorepacific -> Yongsan Children’s Garden -> Yongridan-gil -> War Memorial of Korea -> [Samgakji Station]
I headed to Samgakji Station to make my way home.
Samgakji Station is served only by Line 4 and Line 6. I took Line 6 to Hapjeong, transferred there, and headed to Sillim Station.
In the End
Just like the ending of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, I put together a series of short quick cuts to capture what Sinyongsan looked like.
I think it’s fun to show the streets I explored this way too.
Music used in the video: On Track - Tame Impala
There was a Starlight Festival going on near my home in Sillim.
I wonder if everyone had a good time.
