Jongno or Jong-ro () is a trunk road and one of the oldest major east–west thoroughfares in

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

, South Korea. Jongno connects

Gwanghwamun Plaza Gwanghwamun Square (), a.k.a. Gwanghwamun Plaza, is a public square located in Sejongno, Jongno-gu, Seoul, in front of Gyeongbokgung. Serving as a public space and, at times, a road for centuries of Korean history, it is also historically signi ...

Dongdaemun Heunginjimun (), Dongdaemun (), is one of The Eight Gates of Seoul in the Seoul City Wall, a prominent landmark in central Seoul, South Korea. The Korean name "Dongdaemun" means "Great East Gate," and it was so named because it was the major ...

. The area surrounding Jongno is a part of

Downtown Seoul Downtown Seoul (), also known as Seoul Central Business District or ''Sadaemun-An'', is traditional city center and central business district of Seoul, located through Gwanghwamun of Jongno District and Seoul Station of Jung District, Seoul, Ju ...

and one of the most prominent cultural, historical, and financial areas. Many important landmarks are located along its length, including the Bigak 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 translates to "bell street". The pavilion was originally constructed in 1395 but destroyed many times by both war and fire. ...

belfry (hence the street's name),

Tapgol Park Tapgol Park (), formerly Pagoda Park, is a public park located at 99 Jongno, Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea. It is in area. The park was previously known as Pagoda Park until May 28, 1992. It is served by Jongno 3-ga Station on Lines 1, ...

(Pagoda Park), the

Jongmyo Jongmyo () is a Confucian royal ancestral shrine in the Jongno District of Seoul, South Korea. It was originally built during the Joseon period (1392–1897) for memorial services for deceased kings and queens. According to UNESCO, the shrine i ...

royal ancestral shrine, and the Dongdaemun (Great East Gate).

Seoul Subway Line 1 Seoul Subway Line 1 (dubbed ''The Dark Blue Line'') of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway is a rapid transit and commuter rail line which links central Seoul, South Korea to Yeoncheon station, Yeoncheon in the northeast, Incheon in the southwest, an ...

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

Seoul Subway Line 5 Seoul Subway Line 5 of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway, 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 ...

), and

Jongno 3-ga Station Jongno 3(sam)-ga Station is an underground station on lines 1, 3 and 5 of the Seoul Subway in South Korea. In December 2010 the station is recorded as having the fifth highest WiFi data consumption of all the Seoul Metropolitan Subway 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 ''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 Kyob ...

(near

Sejongno Sejongno (), officially Sejong-daero () is a street that runs through Jongno District, downtown Seoul, South Korea. 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 o ...

), Youngpoong Bookstore, and

Bandi & Luni's Bandi may refer to: People with the name * Bandi (writer), North Korean fiction writer, born 1950 * Bandi Rajan Babu (1938–2011), Indian photographer * Bandi Yadagiri, Indian revolutionary poet * Damdinjavyn Bandi (1942–2018), Mongolian boxer ...

Bookstore (Jongno 1-ga) are located near Jongno. * Jongno Tower 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 Insa-dong () is a '' dong'', or neighborhood, in Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea. Its main street is Insadong-gil, which is connected to a number of alleys that lead deeper into the district,David Armstrong (June 3, 2007)''SEOUL lives life o ...

-gil, a street famous for its traditional attractions, including galleries, souvenir shops, and restaurants, is accessible directly from Jongno (Jongno 3-ga). *

Cheonggyecheon Cheonggyecheon (, ) is a stream and public space in downtown Seoul, South Korea. A natural stream sourced from the Suseongdong Valley in Inwangsan, it was historically maintained as part of Seoul's early sewerage until the mid-20th century, when ...

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 ...

, one of the most famous multi-purpose

theaters Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

in Korea, lies near the intersection of Jongno and Sejongno. * The area around

is the origin of many famous

movie theaters A movie theater (American English) or cinema (Commonwealth English), also known as a movie house, cinema hall, picture house, picture theater, the movies, the pictures, or simply theater, is a business that contains auditoriums for viewing fi ...

;

Dansungsa Dansungsa () was one of Korea's earliest and most historic movie theaters. It was first established in 1907, during the Korean Empire period, in what is now Jongno 3-ga in Seoul. It was once widely believed to be the oldest movie theater in Korea ...

(the oldest in Korea, established in 1907), The Piccadilly Cinema (established in 1958), Seoul Cinema (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 Dongdaemun (abbreviated DDM) is a large commercial district in Jongno District, 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, with a multi-purpose stadium, Dongdaemun Baseball Stadium, a baseball park and other sports facilities. It was located near Dongdaemun or Great East Gate. The surrounding Dongdaem ...

and Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station.

Notes and References

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

Famous places in Jongno

See also

Notes and References