Downtown Seoul (), also known as Seoul Central Business District or ''Sadaemun-An'', is traditional

city center A city centre, also known as an urban core, is the commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely equivalent terms that exist in ...

and

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...

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 ...

, located through

Gwanghwamun Gwanghwamun () is the main and south gate of the palace Gyeongbokgung, in Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea. It is located at a three-way intersection at the northern end of Sejongno. As a landmark and symbol of Seoul's history as the capita ...

Jongno District upright=1, Bosingak bell pavilion Jongno District () is one of the 25 districts of Seoul, South Korea. It is the historic center of Seoul that contains Gyeongbokgung, the main royal palace of the Joseon dynasty, and the Blue House, the for ...

and

Seoul Station Seoul Station () is a major railway station in Seoul, the capital of South Korea. The station is served by the Korail Intercity Lines and the commuter trains of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway. Services KTX Seoul Station is the terminus of m ...

Jung District Jung District (), meaning "Central District", is the name of a ''gu'' (district) in several South Korean cities: *Jung District, Busan *Jung District, Daegu *Jung District, Daejeon *Jung District, Incheon *Jung District, Seoul *Jung District, Ulsan ...

along the

Sejong-daero 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 ...

and Jong-ro. For its time-honored and unique geographic status in Seoul, the downtown is usually just called the Central Business District (Seoul CBD), or sometimes Gwanghwamun Business District for the landmark '

' at the heart of it.

History and status

Joseon

in the age of

Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

was called '' Hanyang'' (or by official name of its administrative division and governing authority ''Hanseong-bu''). As it was a

walled city The following cities have, or historically had, defensive walls. Africa Algeria * Algiers * Ghardaïa * Timimoun Egypt See List of Egypt castles, forts, fortifications and city walls. * Al-Fustat * Cairo * Damietta Ethiopia * Harar Libya *Apo ...

, presence of the

Seoul City Wall The Seoul City Wall () or Hanyang Doseong () is a defensive wall first built by the King Taejo of Joseon dynasty to defend the downtown area of Joseon's capital city Hanseong (). It was designated as a Historic Site of South Korea in 1963, and ...

made great influence on

imagined geographies The concept of imagined geographies (or imaginative geographies) originated from Edward Said, particularly his work on critique on Orientalism. Imagined geographies refers to the perception of a space created through certain imagery, texts, and/or ...

of Seoul, like the

London Wall The London Wall is a defensive wall first built by the Ancient Rome, Romans around the strategically important port town of Londinium in AD 200, as well as the name of a #modern, modern street in the City of London, England. Roman London was ...

surrounding

Londinium Londinium, also known as Roman London, was the capital of Roman Britain during most of the period of Roman rule. Most twenty-first century historians think that it was originally a settlement established shortly after the Roman conquest of Brit ...

. By the Seoul City Wall, Hanseong-bu was divided into two regions; an urban

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...

space named as ''Seong-jung'' () or ''Doseong-an'' () area inside the city wall, and peripheral areas named

Seongjeosimni Seongjeosimni (, or sometimes romanized as Seongjeo Shibri) was the peripheral area of Joseon's capital city, (), literally meaning areas 10 Ri (Korean mile) around the Fortress Wall of Seoul. Though this area was outside of the Fortress Wall, ...

() which was a ring-shaped region 10

ris RIS may refer to: * Radio Information Service, a reading service for the blind in Pennsylvania, US * Radiological information system, for the electronic management of information related to medical imaging * Radiologically isolated syndrome, sugg ...

(Korean mile) outside of the City Wall. Seoul was a

planned capital A planned community, planned city, planned town, or planned settlement is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed on previously undeveloped land. This contrasts with settlements that evolve ...

of the Joseon, as geographic embodiment of

Confucianism Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China, and is variously described as a tradition, philosophy, Religious Confucianism, religion, theory of government, or way of li ...

. The cityscape of Hanseong-bu's downtown area was also created by adaptive

cultural diffusion In cultural anthropology and cultural geography, cultural diffusion, as conceptualized by Leo Frobenius in his 1897/98 publication ''Der westafrikanische Kulturkreis'', is the spread of cultural items—such as ideas, styles, religions, technolo ...

of Confucianism. According to Confucian classics, construction of

capital city A capital city, or just capital, is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state (polity), state, province, department (administrative division), department, or other administrative division, subnational division, usually as its ...

() should follow several Confucian principles on city planning. For example, ''

Rites of Zhou The ''Rites of Zhou'' (), originally known as "Officers of Zhou" (), is a Chinese work on bureaucracy and organizational theory. It was renamed by Liu Xin to differentiate it from a chapter in the '' Book of History'' by the same name. To rep ...

'' instructs principle of '左祖右社面朝後市' (), which means 'With the main palace at the center,

Confucian royal ancestral shrine The Confucian royal ancestral shrine () is a system of Confucian worship for royal ancestors in the East Asian region. Originating from Chinese culture, it was later redeveloped among countries in East Asian cultural sphere as cultural diffusio ...

(祖) goes to the left, Altar of Soil and grain (社) to the right, cabinet buildings (朝) to the front, and

marketplace A marketplace, market place, or just market, is a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods. In different parts of the world, a marketplace may be described as a ''souk'' (from ...

(市) to the behind'. Following this Confucian instruction,

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 ...

and

Sajikdan Sajikdan () is a Neo-Confucian altar located in Sajik-dong, Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea. It was built and used during the Joseon period to perform rituals related to soil and grain.Gyeongbokgung Gyeongbokgung () is a former royal palace in Seoul, South Korea. Established in 1395, it was the first royal palace of the Joseon dynasty, and is now one of the most significant tourist attractions in the country. The palace was among the first ...

. Also,

Six Ministries The Three Departments and Six Ministries () system was the primary administrative structure in History of China#Imperial China, imperial China from the Sui dynasty (581–618) to the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368). It was also used by Balhae (698– ...

, cabinet of the Joseon government was placed right in front of Gyeongbokgung's main gate

. Government buildings and official residences for the Six Ministries were built on both sides of the road just outside of the Gwanghwamun, and the road was called ( or ). However, Joseon could not place the official marketplace behind Gyeongbokgung, because the main palace Gyeongbokgung was built almost right in front of the mountain

Bugaksan Bugaksan () is a mountain in the north of Seoul, South Korea. It famously overlooks the former royal palace Gyeongbokgung as well as the former presidential residence, the Blue House. Bugaksan, along with Inwangsan, Naksan, and Namsan surround ...

. So Joseon had to detour instructions from ''

'', by building the only licensed-official market in Seoul, the ', along the ''Unjongga'' (now Jongno street), which was southeast side (front side) of the main palace. This adjusted city planning in early Joseon created continuous commercial area in form of east-west axis around the Jonggak belfry, starting from southern end of the ' to eastern end of the ''Unjongga'' (located near present-day

Wongaksa Pagoda Wongaksa Pagoda () is a 12 meter tall, ten story marble pagoda located in Tapgol Park, Seoul, South Korea. It was made a National Treasure of South Korea in 1962. Description It was constructed in 1467, during the early Joseon period, at t ...

). This traditional cityscape of Hanyang city's downtown area is still continued even in present-day Seoul, even through two major wars (

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

and Qing invasion) in Joseon dynasty, colonial governance of Japanese Empire, and the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

after liberation.

Government Complex Seoul The Government Complex Seoul (), formerly known as Central Government Complex () is a government office building complex in Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea. It has one main building and two annex buildings. As of 2022, the complex is used ...

along the

(former ''Yookcho Street''), and headquarters of largest companies around Jongno are clear examples of such time-honored history and tradition.

Korean Empire

In reign of the

Korean Empire The Korean Empire, officially the Empire of Korea or Imperial Korea, was a Korean monarchical state proclaimed in October 1897 by King Gojong of the Joseon dynasty. The empire lasted until the Japanese annexation of Korea in August 1910. Dur ...

, the name of Seoul was Hwangseong (, meaning 'City of the Emperor'. Structural modernization in cityscape of Hwangseong's downtown area was started during initial decade of the Korean Empire, when the empire sustained political autonomy. For example, from 1898 to 1904, when the Korean Empire maintained autonomy in state governance,

tram A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...

(1899) and

electric Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...

street light A street light, light pole, lamp pole, lamppost, streetlamp, light standard, or lamp standard is a raised source of light on the edge of a road or path. Similar lights may be found on a railway platform. When urban electric power distribution b ...

(1900) were first introduced to Downtown Seoul's cityscape. Also, the Korean Empire's first

Emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

Gojong relocated substantial parts of main palace's function from Gyeongbokgung to

Deoksugung Deoksugung (), also called Deoksu Palace or Deoksugung Palace, is a former royal palace in Seoul, South Korea. It was the first main palace of the 1897–1910 Korean Empire and is now a major tourist attraction. It has a mix of traditional Korea ...

, and introduced modern railway transportation. These reforms led to strategic expansion of roads connecting Gyeongbokgung,

and the

, creating another important cityscape in downtown Seoul as form of north-south axis. However, as the Korean Empire lost substantial autonomy after signing Treaty of 1905, Japanese colonial officials began to drive cityscape reconstruction. Spatial reorganization in this early colonial period was targeting subordination of Korean Empire's royal government and advancing authority of colonial government. Some of notable tough reforms during this period includes reconstructing royal palaces into public parks and zoo, and modernizing city roads.

Colonial Korea under Japanese rule

Although the area of Downtown Seoul inside the city wall had maintained a single integrated urban sphere for about 600 years through Joseon dynasty and Korean Empire, Japanese Government-General on

Colonial Korea From 1910 to 1945, Korea was ruled by the Empire of Japan under the name Chōsen (), the Japanese reading of "Joseon". Japan first took Korea into its sphere of influence during the late 1800s. Both Korea (Joseon) and Japan had been under polic ...

divided Keijō's downtown area into two modern administrative divisions of Keijō in 1943;

and

. This abrupt division explains why it is hard to explain pre-modern history of Jongno District and Jung District separately. Abrupt partition of Downtown Seoul's urban structure by Japanese colonial government was influenced by ethnic distribution inside the area. During the early periods of

, most of Japanese people were living in southside of the

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 ...

inside the City Wall, an area named by Koreans as ''Namchon'' (), compared to ''Bukchon'' () where most of influential Koreans were living in. Despite the actual geographic dissociation between Japanese and Korean were getting mitigated over time, this geographic stereotype later encouraged local government of Keijō-fu to divide area of Downtown Seoul into Jongno District and Jung District, according to natural boundary of the Cheonggyecheon. Most of Keijō's influential economic institutions were newly constructed in southside of the Cheonggyecheon, even famous in the current names of

Myeong-dong Myeong-dong () is a ''dong'' (neighborhood) in Jung District, Seoul, South Korea between Chungmu-ro, Eulji-ro, and Namdaemun-ro. Myeongdong is known for being one of Seoul's main shopping, parade route, and tourism districts. Jung-gu Office, ...

and

Sogong-dong Sogong-dong () is a '' dong'' (neighborhood) of Jung District, Seoul, South Korea. Economy All Nippon Airways operates the Seoul Office in Room 1501 on the 15th floor of the Center Building in Sogong-dong. Hainan Airlines operates its South Kor ...

. Key examples of these buildings include

Bank of Chōsen The Bank of Chōsen (, ''Joseon Eunhaeng''), known from 1909 to 1911 as the Bank of Korea ( ''Kankoku Ginkō'', ''Hanguk Eunhaeng'') and transcribed after 1945 as Bank of Joseon, was a colonial bank that served as bank of issue for Korea under J ...

and

Keijō Post Office was a post office building in Seoul (Keijō), Korea from 1915 to 1957. It was primarily associated with the 1910–1945 Korea under Japanese rule, Japanese colonial period in Korea, although it continued to be used by South Korea until its destr ...

. In contrast, native Korean people lived in relative squalor in Bukchon, an area to the north of Cheonggyecheon. The famous ''

hanok A (; name in South Korea) or ''chosŏnjip'' (; name in North Korea and for Koreans in Yanbian, China), is a traditional Korean house. were first designed and built in the 14th century during the Joseon dynasty. Korean architecture conside ...

'' town in

Bukchon Hanok Village Bukchon Hanok Village () is a residential neighborhood in Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea. It has many restored traditional Korean houses, called . This has made it a popular tourist destination. The area contains many ''hanok'' that date ...

, created from the 1910s to 1930s during the colonial period, is one of symbolic space showing such ethnic disparity inside modern Keijō. Yet it is remarkable that the colonial government's reconstruction of Keijō was not solely driven by interests of Japanese people living in Colonial Korea, because the colonial government sincerely wanted to assimilate entire Joseon's geographic culturescape under modern Japanese influence. While Japanese people in Keijō demanded reconstruction of the city to be centered in their main residential area alongside of the 'Honmachi' (now Chungmu-ro), colonial government intentionally pursued absorbing iconic Korean spaces outside of Honmachi into modernized Japanese architecture. Clear example of what Chōsen's colonial government intended is found in construction of

Government-General of Chōsen Building The Government-General of Chōsen Building, also known as the Japanese General Government Building and the Seoul Capitol, was a building located in Jongno District of Seoul, South Korea, from 1926 to 1996. The Government-General Building was ...

, built right in front of Gyeongbokgung, which is northern part of Cheonggyecheon. This building, constructed during 1912 to 1926, was directly targeting reorganization of traditional integrated downtown space from main palace Gyeongbokgung to government buildings of

around Yookcho Street.

South Korea

'50s and '60s: Liberation and Korean War

Even though the Japanese colonial government intentionally divided Keijō's downtown area into Jongno District and Jung District, its 600-years old spatial integration as ''Doseong-an'' still demanded a broad term encompassing two administrative divisions together. During the

, a tragic civil war initiated by

Kim Il Sung Kim Il Sung (born Kim Song Ju; 15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was a North Korean politician and the founder of North Korea, which he led as its first Supreme Leader (North Korean title), supreme leader from North Korea#Founding, its establishm ...

five years after Korea's liberation, United States army sent to Korea began to call this area as ''Downtown Seoul''. Fortunately, though some of ''dongs'' (Korean unit of neighborhood) suffered huge destruction, major areas of Downtown Seoul could evade bombardments during the Korean War. Eight neighborhoods (among approximately 400 neighborhoods) were redeveloped into modern grid patterned city blocks, due to heavy destruction during the war.

is one of such neighborhood. Former head of South Korean delegation to Japan in 1950, Kim Yong-ju (金龍周) claims that he was the one who advised General McArthur at the SCAP, Japan, not to bomb major areas in Downtown Seoul. As Downtown Seoul survived harsh bombardments during the Korean War, its valuable historic sites such as Gyeongbokgung and

could be preserved as cultural heritages. However, it also meant that even severely outdated old towns outside of Japanese modernization survived to modern day South Korea. This excessive long history of Downtown Seoul's old town area discouraged

urban regeneration Urban renewal (sometimes called urban regeneration in the United Kingdom and urban redevelopment in the United States) is a program of land redevelopment often used to address real or perceived urban decay. Urban renewal involves the clearing ...

in the 1950s as there were too many stakeholders left, creating

tragedy of the anticommons The tragedy of the anticommons is a type of coordination breakdown, in which a commons does not emerge, even when general access to resources or infrastructure would be a social good. It is a mirror-image of the older concept of tragedy of the c ...

. Turning point for urban redevelopment came when the United States president

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...

visited Seoul in the 1960s. Koreans were upset when their traditional heart of the Seoul city was projected in foreign TV screens as outdated old town, and this public discontent propelled redevelopment of Downtown Seoul as national initiative. Several laws for urban redevelopment to overcome severe

were legislated starting from the 1960s, including forceful institutions such as

eminent domain Eminent domain, also known as land acquisition, compulsory purchase, resumption, resumption/compulsory acquisition, or expropriation, is the compulsory acquisition of private property for public use. It does not include the power to take and t ...

by designated private developers. Yet since South Korea in the 1960s were still emerging and developing country, redevelopment program for Downtown Seoul could not draw enough resources.

'70s and '80s: Urban redevelopment and decentralization

Urban regeneration occurred in the 1970s and '80s, when South Korea got developed enough to attract capital investments for such a program. The excited national atmosphere of preparing for the Asian Games of 1986 and Summer Olympics of 1988 provided chances for investors. Lots of landmark office and hotel buildings in the cityscape of Downtown Seoul were built around this period, such as the Koreana Hotel (built in 1971 along Taepyeong-ro), the headquarters building for

Daewoo Group Daewoo ( ; ; ; ; literally "great universe" and a portmanteau of "''dae''" meaning great, and the given name of founder and chairman Kim Woo-choong) also known as the Daewoo Group, was a major South Korean chaebol (type of conglomerate) and aut ...

(built in 1977 along Toegye-ro), and the headquarters building for

Kyobo Life Insurance Company Kyobo Life Insurance Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean life insurance company headquartered in Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropol ...

(built in 1980 along

Sejong-ro 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 ...

). A priority target of urban regeneration during this period was turning Downtown Seoul from a disorganized mixture of residential and commercial districts into a homogenous central business district. Thus, one of its main goals was discouraging settlement populations in Downtown Seoul. Forced relocation of prestigious secondary schools (i.e. Kyunggi and

Whimoon High School Whimoon High School () is a private high school at Daechi-dong, Seoul, South Korea. It is one of the oldest and most prestigious high schools in South Korea. It is known for having extremely competitive admissions and strong college admission o ...

) from Downtown Seoul to the

Gangnam Gangnam (), sometimes referred to as the Greater Gangnam Area, is a geographic and cultural region in Seoul. While Gangnam can refer to the entire region of Seoul south of the Han River, the region is generally defined as consisting of the city ...

region was a symbolic project to achieve this goal. The national government strongly supported such a relocation project through a bundle of policies called ' Equalization policy for high schools' (). Under this policy, the entrance exam for high school was abolished, and a lottery system for entrance was introduced. Yet there were restrictions for chances to enter this lottery; middle school graduates could apply for admission to high schools only near their homes. These policies prompted enthusiastic Korean parents, who wanted their children to get admission to renowned high schools by municipal lottery, to move to the Gangnam region, thus decreasing demand for housing inside Downtown Seoul. Also, this project eventually supplied vacant space available for commercial development, which were left by relocated secondary schools. The total space created by this project was approximately 27 hectares, and most of the lots were filled by high-rise office building developments. For example, the empty site left by

was developed into the headquarters building for

Hyundai Group Hyundai Group (; ) is a South Korean conglomerate founded by Chung Ju-yung. The group was founded in 1947 Hyundai Engineering & Construction, as a construction company. With government assistance, Chung and his family members rapidly expanded ...

in 1986. It is notable that even though government-led redevelopment of all of Seoul in the 1970s and '80s was trying to decentralize Downtown Seoul's unrivaled function of central business district to Gangnam and

Yeouido Yeouido (), also Yohido, is a river island on the Han River in Seoul, South Korea. It is Seoul's main finance, media, and investment banking district. It is large and has a population of 32,674 . The island is located in the Yeongdeungpo Dis ...

, it continuously kept growing as

business district Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or buying and selling products (such as goods and services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for profit." A business entity is not necessar ...

, as it was Seoul's only and the most long-established city center. This continued economic growth of Downtown Seoul is often explained as it was the only place which could satisfy face-to-face contacts among traditional governmental and economic elites in Seoul. Core regions in Downtown Seoul, such as Myeong-dong of Jung District and Jongno-dong of Jongno District, are the uppermost central part of Seoul still today.

'90s and '00s: Renaissance of Seoul's old soul

Downtown Seoul in the late 20th century experienced apparent change in its function, as planned by urban regeneration policies in the 1970s and '80s. Decentralization policy made in those days successfully suppressed high demand for living in downtown area, thus Downtown Seoul successfully turned from mixture of pre-modern residential and commercial area into a relatively homogeneous central business district. For instance, its settlement population continued to decline dramatically. Jongno District's number of residents was 265,342 in 1985. It dropped to 154,043 in 2005, recording approximately a 42% decline. The same thing happened to Jung District, as it declined from 208,085 in 1985 to 126,679 in 2005. Policy measures kept promoting the supply of large office buildings through the '90s, when the height restriction law was not as rigorous as today. Major examples of office buildings constructed in this period include for

SK Group SK Group () is a South Korean multinational manufacturing and services conglomerate headquartered in Seoul. A chaebol (Korean family-owned conglomerate), SK Group is the second largest such conglomerate by revenue in South Korea, after Samsun ...

(built in 1999) and Jongno Tower for

Samsung Group Samsung Group (; stylised as SΛMSUNG) is a South Korean multinational manufacturing conglomerate headquartered in the Samsung Town office complex in Seoul. The group consists of numerous affiliated businesses, most of which operate unde ...

(built in 1999). However, demand for more fundamental change was standing before Downtown Seoul in the dawn of the 21st century. One of such pivotal momentum came from growing worldwide recognition of

Korean culture The traditional culture of Korea is the shared cultural and historical heritage of Korea before the division of Korea in 1945. Since the mid-20th century, Korea has been split between the North Korean and South Korean sovereign state, stat ...

in the '90s. Jongmyo and Changdeokgung, both located in Jongno District and designated as

UNESCO World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

s in the late 1990s, are clear examples of such recognitions, indicating South Korea was becoming a globally preferred tourist destination. This changing environment pushed social demand to develop tourism for Downtown Seoul by rediscovering cultural legacies. Restoration of

Namsan Namsan () is a peak in Jung District, Seoul, South Korea. It was also known as Mongmyeoksan () in the past. It offers some hiking, picnic areas and views of downtown Seoul's skyline. The N Seoul Tower is located at the summit of Namsan. The ...

mountain's scenic landscape by demolishing disorderly piles of buildings around it, and restoration of Gyeongbokgung's cultural landscape by dismantling

in front of it, are two symbolic projects implemented to rediscover Downtown Seoul's cultural sceneries in the '90s. Completed in 2005, Cheonggyecheon stream is another unique example for projects rediscovering sceneries of Downtown Seoul. The historic stream was blocked in the 1950s, and it flowed under overpass roads in the 1970s. Restoring such traditional stream inside the downtown area was the right project for

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Lee Myung-bak Lee Myung-bak (; born 19 December 1941), often referred to by his initials MB, is a South Korean businessman and politician who served as the tenth president of South Korea from 2008 to 2013. Before his presidency, he was the CEO of Hyundai Engi ...

, who sought his own mayoral legacy with eco-friendly spirit. After overpass roads were torn down and the waterway was reopened, Cheonggyecheon became a famous tourist attraction, and nearby air quality also improved.

Planning, boundary and denotation

Like American term

Lower Manhattan Lower Manhattan, also known as Downtown Manhattan or Downtown New York City, is the southernmost part of the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The neighborhood is History of New York City, the historical birthplace o ...

, as name of place, English term 'Downtown Seoul' and its matching Korean term ''Seoul Dosim'' () have no solid boundary in public usage, since they are not a fixed

administrative division Administrative divisions (also administrative units, administrative regions, subnational entities, or constituent states, as well as many similar generic terms) are geographical areas into which a particular independent sovereign state is divi ...

, but variable terms under changing urban plans mainly referring to several areas including Gwanghwamun of Jongno District and Myeong-dong of Jung District. One of reasons comes from various denotation of Korean word ''dosim'' () (or its English translation 'downtown'), because the word is sometimes regarded as having merely denotative meaning of 'inside city', compatible to another Korean word ''sinae'' (). However, despite occasional misuses, it is certain that both 'Downtown Seoul' and ''서울 도심'' have primary meaning of place name referring to areas inside the

in a broad sense, or areas around the

Seoul City Hall Seoul City Hall () is a governmental building for the Seoul Metropolitan Government in South Korea, in charge of the administrative affairs of Seoul. It is located in Taepyeongno, Jung-gu, at the heart of Seoul. It is connected to City Hall Sta ...

in limited sense, for both English speakers and Korean speakers. Another major reason of the term's variability in social usage comes from a longtime lack of an official zoning plan that defines the exact boundary of Downtown Seoul until the 2000s. Early stages of modern urban planning in Downtown Seoul came not from a zoning plan specifically targeting the downtown area but rather as a part of citywide establishment of strict

height restriction laws Height restriction laws are laws that restrict the maximum height of structures. There are a variety of reasons for these measures. Some restrictions serve aesthetic values, such as blending in with other housing and not obscuring important landmar ...

, starting in the 1960s. In this early stage, city planning in Downtown Seoul had two consistent, yet sometimes contradicting goals: regenerating low-density old towns into modernized high-density business districts, while limiting the eventual output of such redevelopment to suppress

overurbanization Overurbanization is a thesis originally developed by scholars of demography, geography, ecology, economics, political science, and sociology in thrergence of International Nongovernmental Organizations Amid Declining States.Sociological Perspectives ...

. The scope of Downtown Seoul in 2000 was established in a relatively narrow sense under these agendas, usually referring to areas surrounded by six major roads: and to the north, to the south, and to the east, and to the west. Because this administrative boundary in 2000 (See Figure 2. on the right) did not exactly match with any boundaries of existing administrative dongs, it was difficult to calculate how many people were living in Downtown Seoul. So, the Seoul Metropolitan Government used the following nine administrative dongs as a proxy to estimate the approximate number of people living in Downtown Seoul between 2000 and 2015: Gyonam, Sajik, Jongno 1.2.3.4-ga and Jongno 5.6 ga-dong of Jongno District, plus Gwanghui, Myeong, Sogong, Euljiro 3.4.5-ga, and

Hoehyeon-dong Hoehyeon-dong () is a ''Dong (administrative division), dong'' (neighborhood) of Jung District, Seoul, South Korea. Etymology The name of Hoehyeon-dong is derived from the fact that 'wise people gathered a lot in this area' (會賢), and it was ...

of Jung District. However, above scope of Downtown Seoul's boundary was a lot narrow understanding than historic and cultural root of the whole downtown area inside the City Wall, originally called as ''Doseong-an'' in Joseon dynasty. From the 1990s, the Metropolitan Government started to recognize importance of preserving

cultural landscape Cultural landscape is a term used in the fields of geography, ecology, and heritage studies, to describe a symbiosis of human activity and environment. As defined by the World Heritage Committee, it is the "cultural properties hatrepresent the c ...

in traditional Seoul. These changing trend encouraged rediscovering function of the

as cultural boundary between ''Doseong-an'' and ''

'', thus led to expanding administrative boundary under city masterplan in 2016 as following; Some part of

to the North, some part of

to the South (including the

), to the east, and to the west. This renewed boundary in year 2016 (See Figure 3. on the right) intends to include almost every areas of Jongno and Jung District inside the

City Wall A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or Earthworks (military), earthworks to extensive military fortifications such as ...

under scope of development restriction. However, as this renewed area from year 2016 still did not match with any boundaries of existing administrative dongs, the Seoul Metropolitan Government still uses some of existing administrative dongs as proxy to estimate approximate number of population living in Downtown Seoul. Additional 6 administrative dongs ( Cheongunhyoja, Ihwa, Gahoe and

Samcheong-dong Samcheong-dong () is a '' dong'' (neighbourhood) of Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea. It lies north of Jongno and east of Gyeongbokgung. This hilly neighborhood is characterized by numerous small art galleries, shops, and restaurants. Visit ...

of Jongno District, plus Jangchung and

Pil-dong Pil-dong () is a '' dong'' (neighbourhood) of Jung District, Seoul, South Korea. Overview The name is Pil-dong originated from a southern local office called 'Budong' during the Joseon period, which later changed to 'Butgol' and was written in C ...

of Jung District) are added to 9 proxy dongs in year 2000, making a total of 15 dongs as renewed proxy as following; Gyonam, Sajik, Jongno 1.2.3.4-ga, Jongno 5.6-ga, Cheongunhyoja, Ihwa, Gahoe and

of Jongno District (8 dongs), plus Gwanghui, Myeong, Sogong, Euljiro 3.4.5-ga, Hoehyeon, Jangchung and

of Jung District (7 dongs). Further notable point is usage of term 'Downtown Region' () in present day Seoul's urban planning. Like relationship between terms of

and capital region, the term 'Downtown Region' in Seoul means areas surrounding Downtown Seoul, usually referring to three autonomous districts in central part of the Seoul; Jongno District, Jung District and Yongsan District.

Politics and protests

Before relocating some of executive ministries to the

Sejong Sejong (; 15 May 1397 – 8 April 1450), commonly known as Sejong the Great (), was the fourth monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. He is regarded as the greatest ruler in Korean history, and is remembered as the inventor of Hangul, the n ...

in the 2010s, Downtown Seoul was center of the old Seoul with full of powerful government executives, such as

Board of Audit and Inspection The Board of Audit and Inspection (, BAI) is a national organization headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. Its primary function is the audit and inspection of the accounts of state and administrative bodies. Council of Commissioners of BAI The ...

, and the

Blue House Cheong Wa Dae (), also known as the Blue House in English, is a public park that was the former Office of the President of South Korea, executive office and residence of the president of South Korea. Located in Seoul's Jongno District, directl ...

. Also, other branches of the national government were all located in Downtown Seoul. For example, the

Supreme Court of Korea The Supreme Court of Korea () is the highest ordinary court in the judicial branch of South Korea, seated in Seocho, Seoul. Established under Chapter 5 of the Constitution of South Korea, the court has ultimate and comprehensive jurisdictio ...

was located in Seosomun-dong of Jung District until the 1990s, and the

Constitutional Court of Korea The Constitutional Court of Korea () is one of the apex courtsalong with the Supreme Court of Korea, Supreme Courtin Judiciary of South Korea, South Korea's judiciary that exercises constitutional review, seated in Jongno District, Jongno, ...

is still seated in

Anguk-dong Anguk-dong is a '' dong'', neighbourhood of Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea. It is a legal dong () administered under its administrative dong (), Samcheong-dong. See also *Administrative divisions of South Korea South Korea is made u ...

of Jongno District. Even the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

was seated in Seosomun-dong of Jung District before the

Korea National Assembly Proceeding Hall Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically divided at or near the 38th parallel between North Korea (Demo ...

was built in the 1970s. This concentration of political power in Downtown Seoul until 1990s led most of prominent media and law firms to settle in it. Meanwhile, Downtown Seoul's major component Jongno District has tremendous symbolic influence over entire South Korean politics as

constituency An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provi ...

for South Korean general election. Mostly well-known nickname for this little constituency is 'Number One Politics' or 'Nation's No. 1 political avenue' (), since it is a famous swing state in South Korea. By its unpredictable potential power of swing voters, Jongno as constituency raised numerous political big shots who won elections from close match. Former president

Roh Moo-hyun Roh Moo-hyun (, ; 1 September 1946 – 23 May 2009) was a South Korean politician and lawyer who served as the ninth president of South Korea from 2003 to 2008. Roh's pre-presidential political career was focused on human rights advocacy for ...

and

are renowned examples who grew their career in Jongno as magnate politician. Downtown Seoul's incomparable status as historic and political center of the Seoul, can also be found by most of symbolic protests happened in contemporary history of South Korea.

June Democratic Struggle The June Democratic Struggle (), also known as the June Democracy Movement and the June Uprising, was a nationwide pro-democracy movement in South Korea that generated mass protests from June 10 to 29, 1987. The demonstrations forced the ru ...

in 1987, protest against import of US beef in 2008, and protests around impeachment of Park Geun-hye in 2017 are some of leading example for such protests.

Seoul Plaza Seoul Plaza () is a central plaza located in front of Seoul City Hall at Taepyeongno, Jung District, Seoul, South Korea. It was reopened on 1 May 2004, by Seoul Metropolitan Government, with the purpose of providing the public an open space. It ...

and

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 ...

in Downtown Seoul are famous place where those historically important protests were held. Though the South Korean presidential palace has been moved from the

of Jongno District to Presidential Office of Yongsan District in 2023, Downtown Seoul is still an unmatched symbolic place where most of significant social protests in South Korea happens.

Economy and industry

The Downtown Seoul area (Seoul CBD) rules topmost position among Seoul's major

business districts A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "c ...

, compared to the

(GBD) and the

(YBD), and is traditional heart of the South Korean economy. Among these three major business districts in Seoul, the downtown area shows most diversified industry composition, while having relatively strong position in finance, legal, and media industry. In year 2021, the Downtown Seoul area's two major administrative component, Jung District and Jongno District's regional GDP hit 61.36 trillion won and 35.72 trillion won, respectively, ranking second and fifth among Seoul city's 25 autonomous districts. Also, these two districts have regional GDP per capita as 480 million won and 230 million won respectively, which is the first and second highest in Seoul. This high concentration of economic power is driving up average income of workers in the downtown area. According to

Statistics Korea Statistics Korea (KOSTAT; ) is a government organization responsible for managing national statistics in South Korea. KOSTAT is headquartered in Daejeon, South Korea and operates under the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Statistics Korea gene ...

, as of April 2023, average income of workers in Jongno District (4.26 million won) ranked first in all around South Korea, followed by

Yeongdeungpo Yeongdeungpo District () is one of the 25 districts of Seoul, South Korea. Although the origin of the name is uncertain, the first two syllables are thought to be from "''yeongdeung''" (靈登) or "divine ascent", a shamanic rite. The third sy ...

(4.15 million won), Jung (4.04 million won),

Seocho Seocho District () is one of the 25 districts which make up the city of Seoul, South Korea. Seocho is a part of the Gangnam region, along with the Gangnam district of Seoul. Seocho District ranks as one of the richest neighborhoods in South Kor ...

(3.92 million won) and

(3.90 million won).

Finance

In early contemporary history of South Korea, Downtown Seoul was a sole financial district in entire nation, since most of modern financial institutions introduced in late Joseon were established inside it. For example, the

Bank of Korea The Bank of Korea (BOK; ) is the central bank of South Korea and issuer of South Korean won. It was established on 12 June 1950 in Seoul, South Korea. The bank's primary purpose is price stability. For that, the bank inflation targeting, targ ...

, which is the central bank of South Korea following the

in Colonial Korea, is established at

near

and still operates in same place. Also, the Korean Stock Exchange was originally established at Myeong-dong in 1956, which was following former 'Gyeongseong Stock Market' opened at same place during Colonial Korea. For its unmatched symbolic status, Myeong-dong was still the most prominent financial district in South Korea until the early 1990s, even after the national government relocated Korean Stock Exchange to

in 1979. Although many of South Korean stock brokerage firms moved to

after the late 1990s, Downtown Seoul still operates as important financial district, as most of banking, insurance and credit card firms are left inside it. In 2022 survey of

The Seoul Institute The Seoul Institute (SI; ) is the official think tank for Seoul, the capital of South Korea. It was established in 1992 by the Seoul Metropolitan Government The Seoul Metropolitan Government () is a local government of Seoul, South Korea. Th ...

, 40 out of 55 banks, 29 out of 54 insurance companies, and 7 out of 8 credit card issuers among entire nation have its headquarters in Downtown Seoul. Also, most of foreign financial firms are located around Gwanghwamun. This continued agglomeration of financial industry inside Downtown Seoul stems from its unparalleled centrality across almost every fields. For instance, while Yeouido is a specialized business district mostly dedicated to financial industry, Downtown Seoul is concentrated with various largest companies, governmental regulators (such as the Financial Services Commission and the

Korea Deposit Insurance Corporation The Korea Deposit Insurance Corporation (KDIC) is a South Korean deposit insurance corporation, established in 1996 to protect depositors and maintain the stability of the financial system. The main functions of KDIC are insurance management, ri ...

), and foreign embassies influenced by

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...

Legal

South Korea's top 4 biggest law firms - Kim & Chang (), (), () and () - all are located in Downtown Seoul currently in the 2020s, and it is where all these big 4 started each of their history. South Korean legal industry's history of agglomeration towards Big Law started in the 1970s, with establishment of the Kim & Chang in 1973, followed by Lee & Ko (1977), Bae, Kim & Lee (1980), and Shin & Kim (1983). During these early days from the 1970s to 1980s, the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

and the Seoul's central trial court (present Seoul Central District Court, ) were both seated in Downtown Seoul. Also, the

Constitutional Court A constitutional court is a high court that deals primarily with constitutional law. Its main authority is to rule on whether laws that are challenged are in fact unconstitutional, i.e. whether they conflict with constitutionally established ru ...

is still seated in Downtown Seoul since its establishment in 1988. This concentration of highest courts and biggest law firms in Downtown Seoul stopped for a moment, when the Supreme Court and central trial court moved to Seocho District in 1995. For example, Bae, Kim & Lee moved from Seosomun-dong of Jung District to

Yeoksam-dong Yeoksam-dong () is a ward of Gangnam District, Seoul, South Korea. Teheran-ro runs through Yeoksam-dong and has some of the List of tallest buildings in Seoul, tallest buildings in Seoul, comprising a collection of corporate headquarters and high ...

in 1998. Yet as South Korean legal industry began advancing towards more lucrative business area such as government relations for chaebols and multinational companies, distance to local trial court became less important for Big Laws. Rather, proximity of large native business groups and foreign companies become much important, which was only available in Downtown Seoul. So while South Korean law firms having relative competency in ordinary day-to-day litigations are headquartered in Gangnam region near Seoul Central District Court, other firms pursuing market portion in corporate legal advice and government relations are headquartered back in Downtown Seoul. For example, one of Big 4, Bae, Kim & Lee chose turning back to

Gongpyeong-dong Gongpyeong-dong is a '' dong'' (neighborhood) of Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea. It is a legal dong (''beopjeong-dong'' ) governed under its administrative dong (''haengjeong-dong'' ), Jongno 1, 2, 3, 4 ga-dong. The area is bordered by Gye ...

of Jung District in 2020.

Media

One of the industries that characterize Downtown Seoul is mass media, symbolized by largest newspaper companies like

The Chosun Ilbo ''The Chosun Ilbo'' (, ), also known as ''The Chosun Daily,'' is a Korean-language newspaper of record for South Korea and among the oldest active newspapers in the country. With a daily circulation of more than 1,800,000, ''The'' ''Chosun Ilbo ...

and The Dong-A Ilbo standing along

, or the only national news agency,

Yonhap News Agency Yonhap News Agency (; ) is a major news agency in South Korea. It is based in Seoul, South Korea. Yonhap provides news articles, pictures, and other information to newspapers, TV networks and other media in South Korea. History Yonhap was esta ...

, standing near Gwanghwamun. In 2020 survey of Journalists Association of Korea, 18 out of 27 South Korean mass media companies having history longer than 30 years, were located in Jongno District and Jung District. Downtown Seoul naturally became national core area of newspapers and news agencies as it was sole city-centre of Seoul until the late 1970s. Its central status as capital of newspapers and news agencies, is symbolized in modern high-rise building, 'Press Center' (). This building, standing along the Sejong-daero behind the

, is constructed in 1985 and still serves as hub for journalists and reporters in South Korea, also including the Seoul Foreign Correspondents' Club. Yet it is notifiable that South Korean broadcasting companies almost never headquartered inside Downtown Seoul. While newspapers with long history beginning from Colonial era started their business from Downtown Seoul, younger media companies were not able to enter the downtown area due to high rent price. This pricey huddle led broadcasting companies later established in the 1980s to settle in

, which was business district newly developed in the 1970s. However, when national government promoted redevelopment of

Mapo District Mapo District () is one of the 25 districts of Seoul, South Korea. Mapo has a population of 381,330 (2015) and has a geographic area of 23.87 km2 (9.22 sq mi), and is divided into 24 '' dong'' (administrative neighborhoods). Mapo is located in ...

into

Digital Media City Digital Media City (DMC; ) is a high-tech complex for Digital data, digital technologies, housing Ubiquitous computing, ubiquitous Computer networking, networked offices, apartments, exhibitions, conference halls, television network headquarters ...

(DMC), many broadcasting companies moved from Yeouido to DMC. Also, one of Big 3 newspaper company

JoongAng Ilbo ''The JoongAng'', formerly known as ''JoongAng Ilbo'' (), is a South Korean daily newspaper published in Seoul, South Korea. It is one of the three biggest newspapers in South Korea, and a newspaper of record for South Korea. The paper also pu ...

, chose moving to DMC in 2020, to accelerate growth of its broadcasting company,

JTBC JTBC (shortened from Joongang Tongyang Broadcasting Company; ; stylized in all lowercase) is a South Korean nationwide pay television network. Its primary shareholder is JoongAng Holdings, with a 25% stake. It was launched on December 1, ...

Transportation

Downtown Seoul suffers most heavy traffic in Seoul. Back in 1970, when Downtown Seoul was only business district in Seoul, its measured average road speed was only 12 kilometers per hour. To mitigate this high traffic congestion in downtown area, Seoul Metropolitan Government continuously put efforts on public transportation. For example, most of Seoul's subway lines crossing downtown area are built in this time around the 1970s and 1980s, which today show dense concentration of subway stations along

, Jong-ro, and

Euljiro Euljiro () is an avenue in Seoul named after Ŭlchi Mundŏk, the general who saved Korea from the invading Sui dynasty of China. During the period of Japanese rule, the street was known as Kogane-Cho (). Euljiro starts at 97-3 Sogong-dong, Jung ...

, including famous stations such as

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

, Jongno 3-ga, and Euljiro 3-ga station. Also through the same time, Seoul Metropolitan Government eliminated out trams and expanded bus transportations. However, though those efforts have succeeded at mitigating traffic congestions in the downtown, it is still suffering the heaviest traffic congestion in Seoul. In 2023 report from Seoul Metropolitan Government, and Jong-ro, which are both located in

, ranked top 2 among the most congested major roads in Seoul, hitting average weekday speed to 17.5 and 18.0 kilometers per hour respectively. Namdaemun-ro, a road connected to south end of the , is another symbolic place for traffic congestion in Downtown Seoul. Since this road is where commuters working near

takes bus, it usually shows surge of crowds when commuters come and go.

Notable places

Government buildings

** Financial Services Commission ** Personal Information Protection Commission * Nuclear Safety and Security Commission *

National Human Rights Commission of Korea The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (abbreviated to NHRCK; ) is the independent commission for protecting, advocating and promoting human rights in South Korea. This commission, by law, is guaranteed the independent status regarding al ...

Cultural heritages and public museums

* Jongmyo Shrine *

Changdeokgung Changdeokgung () is a former royal palace in Seoul, South Korea. A UNESCO World Heritage Site and a Historic Sites (South Korea), Historic Site of South Korea, it is among the best preserved of all Korean palaces. It and its neighboring palace Cha ...

Gyeongbokgung Gyeongbokgung () is a former royal palace in Seoul, South Korea. Established in 1395, it was the first royal palace of the Joseon dynasty, and is now one of the most significant tourist attractions in the country. The palace was among the first ...

National Palace Museum of Korea National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

National Folk Museum of Korea National Folk Museum of Korea () is a national museum located on the grounds of Gyeongbokgung in Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea. It uses replicas of historical objects to illustrate the history of traditional life of the Korean people. Histo ...

Changgyeonggung Changgyeonggung () is a palace located in Seoul, South Korea. The palace was built in the mid-15th century by King Sejong for his father, Taejong. It was originally named "Suganggung", but it was renovated and enlarged in 1483 by King Seongjon ...

Gyeonghuigung Gyeonghuigung (, 'Palace of Serene Harmony') is a palace located in Seoul, South Korea. It was one of the " Five Grand Palaces" built by the Joseon Dynasty. History The land where Gyeonghuigung stood was originally the site of the house of P ...

Sajikdan Sajikdan () is a Neo-Confucian altar located in Sajik-dong, Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea. It was built and used during the Joseon period to perform rituals related to soil and grain.Fortress Wall of Seoul The Seoul City Wall () or Hanyang Doseong () is a defensive wall first built by the King Taejo of Joseon dynasty to defend the downtown area of Joseon's capital city Hanseong (). It was designated as a Historic Site of South Korea in 1963, and ...

Namdaemun Namdaemun (), the Sungnyemun (), is one of the Eight Gates in the Seoul City Wall, South Korea. The gate formed the original southern boundary of the city during the Joseon period, although the city has since significantly outgrown this bou ...

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 ...

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. ...

National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

National Museum of Korean Contemporary History The National Museum of Korean Contemporary History (), opened on December 26, 2012, is dedicated to researching, preserving, and exhibiting the modern and contemporary history of South Korea. The museum features four permanent exhibition halls whi ...

Seoul Museum of Art The Seoul Museum of Art () is an art museum operated by Seoul City Council and located in central of Seoul, South Korea. History It was opened in the Gyeonghuigung Palace area, a royal palace of Joseon dynasty, with six exhibition rooms and an ...

Seoul Museum of History The Seoul Museum of History () is a history museum located at Sinmunno 1-ga, Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea. Description The museum depicts the evolution of Seoul from the prehistoric period to the current day. It also hosts special exhi ...

* Bank of Korea Money Museum * Seoul City Wall Museum * Seoul Education Museum

Private galleries and museums

Art Sonje Center Artsonje Center is a private art museum in Seoul, Korea, located in Samcheong-dong, a neighborhood adjacent to known for its numerous art galleries, cafes, restaurants and boutiques. Founded in 1998, the museum introduces current and experimen ...

Art Center Nabi The Art Center Nabi () is an art museum in Seorin-dong, Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea. It was relocated to the 4th floor of SK building of SK Group in 2000 and reborn as digital art museum. Art Center Nabi has produced and exhibited variou ...

Bukchon Art Museum Bukchon Art Museum () is an art museum in Seoul, South Korea. It has 150 pieces of Korean modern art, 200 pieces of Chinese art, 2500 of old documents of Joseon dynasty in total of 2850. See also *Gahoe Museum *List of museums in Seoul *List of ...

Gahoe Museum Gahoe Museum () is a private museum in Gahoe-dong, Jongno District, Seoul. Established in 2002, its collection includes over 1,500 items, including 750 amulets, 250 items of folk paintings, approximately 150 classical books, and 250 other odd ite ...

* Gyeonggyojang *

Ilmin Museum of Art Ilmin Museum of Art is a private art museum of South Korea, located on Sejongno street in Jongno District, a central district of Seoul, known for exhibiting mainly Korean art. The museum was established and run by the Ilmin Cultural Foundation () ...

* Kumho Museum of Art *

Presseum The Presseum () is the only newspaper museum of South Korea, situated on Sejongno, in Jongno District, central of Seoul. The museum was established and is operated by '' The Dong-A Ilbo'', one of the four major newspaper companies of South Korea. P ...

* The Museum of Agriculture

Streets and regions

Jongno Jongno or Jong-ro () is a trunk road and one of the oldest major east–west thoroughfares in Seoul, South Korea. Jongno connects Gwanghwamun Plaza to Dongdaemun. The area surrounding Jongno is a part of Downtown Seoul and one of the most ...

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 ...

Daehangno Daehang-no () is a area in Jongno District within Downtown Seoul. Formerly known as Sunggyo-bang (), it received its current name after the 1.1 km six lane road from Hyehwa-dong rotary to Ihwa-dong crossroad was designated as a "street ...

Jeong-dong Jeong-dong () is a legal '' dong'' (neighbourhood) of Jung District, Seoul, South Korea. It is governed by its administrative dong, Sogong-dong. It is an historical area with Deoksugung from the Joseon period and some of Korea's first modern sc ...

Insa-dong 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 on ...

Other tourist attractions

Dongdaemun Design Plaza Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP; ) is a major urban development landmark in Seoul, South Korea, designed by Zaha Hadid and Samoo, with a distinctively neofuturistic design characterized by the "powerful, curving forms of elongated structures." Th ...

Dongdaemun Market Dongdaemun Market () or Dongdaemun (abbreviated DDM) is a large commercial district in Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea.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 ...

Inwangsan Inwangsan () is a mountain in central Seoul, South Korea. It is in parts of Jongno District and Seodaemun District and has a height of . The name literally means "compassionate/benevolent king" in Korean. The mountain covers an area of 1,086,69 ...

Jangchungdan Park Jangchungdan Park () is a park located in Jung District, Seoul, South Korea. It is to the northeast of the mountain Namsan. It contains the historic , which was built by Emperor Gojong in 1900 to memorialize Empress Myeongseong. The park has a ...

Jogyesa Jogyesa () is the chief temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. The building dates back to the late 14th century and became the order's chief temple in 1936. It thus plays a leading role in the current state of Seon Buddhism in South Korea. ...

* Jongno Tower *

Marronnier Park Marronnier Park () is a park in the Daehangno district of Seoul. The park was designated on April 29, 1982 and is large. Overview At the center of the park is a horse chestnut (marronnier) tree, of the genus Aesculus, for which the park takes ...

Myeongdong Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception (; ), informally known as Myeongdong Cathedral (), is the national cathedral of the Archdiocese of Seoul. Located in the Myeongdong neighbourhood of Jung District, Seoul, South Korea, ...

* Naksan *

N Seoul Tower The N Seoul Tower (), officially the YTN Seoul Tower and the Namsan Tower, is a communication and observation tower located on the summit of Namsan () in central Seoul, South Korea. The structure marks the second highest point in Seoul and i ...

National Theater of Korea The National Theater of Korea () is a national theatre located in the neighborhood of Jangchung-dong, Jung District, Seoul South Korea. It is the first nationally managed theater in Asia. Affiliation The National Theater of Korea was establis ...

Sejong Center 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 ...

Notes and references

External links

Official tourist guidebook on Seoul (in English)

Travel guide for Downtown Seoul on VisitKorea (in English)

Media briefing for new city plan for Downtown Seoul (in Korean)
{{Authority control * Geography of Seoul History of Seoul Regions of South Korea