Jongno or Jong-ro ( ko, 종로), literally meaning "Bell Street", is a trunk road and one of the oldest major east–west thoroughfares in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

. Jongno connects

Gwanghwamun Plaza Gwanghwamun Plaza (, also known as Gwanghwamun Square) is a public open space on Sejongno, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea. The plaza was opened on 1 August 2009 by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and is part of the City's plans for environment ...

Dongdaemun Heunginjimun, literally "Gate of Rising Benevolence" or more commonly known as Dongdaemun, is one of The Eight Gates of Seoul in the Fortress Wall of Seoul, a prominent landmark in central Seoul, South Korea. The Korean name "Dongdaemun" means "G ...

. The area surrounding Jongno is a part of Downtown Seoul and one of the most prominent cultural, historical, and financial areas. Many important landmarks are located along its length, including the

Bigak Bigak is a pavilion near Gwanghwamun in central Seoul. The pavilion was built in 1902 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Emperor Gojong’s coronation and his 50th birthday, as well as the founding in 1897 of the Korean Empire. See also *Gwan ...

pavilion at Sejongno, the

Bosingak Bosingak is a large bell pavilion on Jongno in Seoul, South Korea. The bell in Bosingak gives Jongno its name, which literally means "bell street". It was originally constructed in 1396 but destroyed many times by both war and fire. It was desi ...

belfry (hence the street's name), Tapgol Park (Pagoda Park), the Jongmyo royal ancestral shrine, and the Dongdaemun (Great East Gate).

Seoul Subway Line 1 Seoul Metropolitan Subway Line 1 of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway is a rapid transit and commuter rail line which links central Seoul, South Korea to Soyosan Station in the northeast, Incheon in the southwest, and Sinchang (Soonchunhyang U ...

passes under Jongno. The western end of Jongno is serviced by Gwanghwamun Station (

Seoul Subway Line 5 Seoul Subway Line 5 of the Seoul Metro, dubbed ''the purple line'', is a long line crossing from west to the east across the Seoul National Capital Area, South Korea. It is one of two subway lines in Seoul to cross ''under'' the Han River (the ...

), and Jongno 3-ga Station is serviced by Subway Lines 1, 3, and 5. Because of the multitude of shops, stores, and groceries along the area, the word "Jongno" is often used in the Korean language to express "Town Square."

Famous places in Jongno

* Many of Korea's largest bookstores including the

Kyobo Book Centre The ''Kyobo Book Centre'' (, also known as ''Kyobo Mungo'') is the largest bookstore chain in South Korea. It has ten stores in seven cities, with the flagship Main Store, or Gwanghwamun-jeom in Seoul, which is located in the basement of the Kyobo ...

(near

Sejongno Sejongno (), also known as Sejong-daero, is a street that runs through Jongno-gu in downtown Seoul. It is named after King Sejong the Great of Joseon. The street is 600 meters in length, but due to its central location it is of great symbolic ...

), Youngpoong Bookstore, and Bandi & Luni's Bookstore (Jongno 1-ga) are located near Jongno. *

Jongno Tower Jongno Tower (Hangeul: 종로 타워) is a 33-story office building in Jongno, Seoul. Its top floor is equipped with a restaurant and bar which is famous for its view of Jongno and other areas of Seoul. The tower is located near Jonggak Station of ...

is a 33-story office building. Its top floor is equipped with a restaurant and bar which is famous for its view of Jongno and other areas of Seoul. The tower is located near Jonggak Station of Seoul Subway Line 1. * Insadong-gil, a street famous for its traditional attractions, including galleries, souvenir shops, and restaurants, is accessible directly from Jongno (Jongno 3-ga). * Cheonggyecheon flows just a block south of Jongno. *

Sejong Center for the Performing Arts Sejong Center for the Performing Arts is the largest arts and cultural complex in Seoul, South Korea. It has an interior area of 53,202m². It is situated in the center of the capital, on Sejongno, a main road that cuts through the capital city o ...

, one of the most famous multi-purpose

theaters Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

in Korea, lies near the intersection of Jongno and Sejongno. * The area around Jongno 3-ga Station is the origin of many famous

movie theaters A movie theater (American English), cinema (British English), or cinema hall (Indian English), also known as a movie house, picture house, the movies, the pictures, picture theater, the silver screen, the big screen, or simply theater is a ...

; Dansungsa (the oldest in Korea, established in 1907),

The Piccadilly Cinema ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

(established in 1958),

Seoul Cinema Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...

(established in 1978). * Pimatgol is a well-known alley lying just north of Jongno 1, 2, 3-ga. *

, which is more properly known as Heunginjimun, is one of the four gates of old Seoul. It is located at the east end of Jongno. *

Dongdaemun Market Dongdaemun Market or Tongdaemun (abbreviated DDM) is a large commercial district in Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea.Jongno 5-ga Station Jongno 5(o)-ga Station is a station on the Seoul Subway Line 1. It is located underneath Jongno, a major street in downtown Seoul. Station layout Vicinity *Exit 1 : Dongdaemun Police Station *Exit 2 : *Exit 3 : Hyoje Elementary School *Exit ...

Dongdaemun Stadium Dongdaemun Stadium was a sports complex in Seoul, South Korea and included a multi-purpose stadium, a baseball park and other sports facilities. It was located near Dongdaemun or Great East Gate. The surrounding Dongdaemun market had many vendo ...

and

Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station is a station on the Seoul Subway Line 2, Line 4 and Line 5. The huge Dongdaemun Market district is centered on this station and Dongdaemun Station, located to the north across Cheonggyecheon. The Lin ...

Notes and References

{{Seoul Streets in Seoul Tourist attractions in Seoul Jongno District