Olympic Park is an impressive leisure facility in which historic remains from the Baekje Era share space with modern, state-of-the-art sports stadiums, an eco-friendly forest, and spacious grassy fields. The legacy of the 1988 Seoul Olympics, the park not only houses the country’s largest sports arena, but has also become a place where Seoul residents come to relax and unwind. Spread across 430,000 pyeong (approximately 1.45 million ㎡), Olympic Park encompasses the land that was once Mongchontoseong Fortress and Mongchonhaeja (manmade lake) from the early Baekje period. The park is divided into several zones, including a leisure sports park, a cultural art park, an eco-park, and the History Experience Park dedicated to the area’s rich historic heritage. Because Olympic Park is so large and takes over three hours to explore, visitors are advised to familiarize themselves with entrances and exits and travel routes before they start. To further save time, visitors can ride the Road Train (“Hodori Train”) located next to Peace Square. * Cultural Art Park The Cultural Art Park is a place where visitors can enjoy diverse cultural experiences and performances. The park also features Olympic Museum, Seoul Olympics Museum of Art (SOMA)—one of the world’s top five sculpture museums—and Music Fountain. * Leisure Sports Park This area is comprised of Sports Square (walking/jogging paths, an acupressure path, inline skating area, etc.) and Peace Square (a pleasant area with a wide variety of activities and sports lessons). * Environmental Eco-Park Persistent efforts have succeeded in restoring natural splendor to this place where a equally splendid civilization once blossomed. People and nature co-exist comfortably within Environmental Eco-Park, which has become home to families of spot-billed ducks, white herons, cuckoos, pheasants, Korean squirrels, chipmunks, and frogs. More recent efforts to rejuvenate the local ecosystem have resulted in the appearance of woodpeckers and raccoons, both of which are rarely spotted in cities. The croaking of small round frogs can now be heard within the park as well. * History Experience Park Visitors to the park can experience Korean history firsthand at Mongchontoseong Fortress and Baekje Museum, while hearkening back to the more recent, grand spirit of the Olympics in the "Holy Land of Peace."

Situated in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, Children’s Grand Park covers 530,000 square meters and is an ultimate leisure facility for families, offering a zoo, botanical garden, amusement facilities, and diverse performance events. Opened on Children’s Day in 1973, the park is full of attractions that appeal to youngsters: Marine Animal House that exhibits seals and polar bears, Small Animal Village, and even Parrot Village. The Music Fountain showcases a colorful array of water shows while the Outdoor Concert Hall offers a wide variety of performances year-round. The Water Playground is the ideal place to cool off in the summer. The wildly popular amusement park, iLand offers an entertaining assortment of thrilling rides: train rides, a viking ship, Jumper-Boat, Bumper Cars, Ghost Castle and more. Added to this are football fields, tennis courts, Dome Art Hall, and Kids Auto Park, making Children’s Grand Park an ultimate venue for family entertainment.

Seodaemun Prison History Hall is a special museum located at Seodaemun Independence Park. It was built near the end of the Joseon Dynasty (~1910), and was where Japanese soldiers tortured then later executed Korean followers of the Independence Movement. Seodaemun Prison History Hall was built in remembrance of Seodaemun Prison, and to salute the Korean patriots. There you'll find seven jail cells, a historical exhibition hall, an execution room, watchtowers and a basement jail cell where Yu Gwan-sun an historic figure during the independence movement died. The 1st floor is “A Place of Reverence,” where you can learn about Seodaemun Prison via the graphic systems. A large screen shows the background of its founding and the transition periods in its history. The Material Room has displays and information on Korea's history. The museum also holds special exhibits. The 2nd floor is “A Place of History,” where you can view the “National Resistance Room,” “Prison History Room” and the “In Prison Life Room.” This floor shows examples of how the people fought through this dark chapter in history continuing to hold on to their hope and resolve for freedom. “A Place of Experience” is the most horrifying and dreadful place in the prison. In the “Temporary Detention Room” and “Torture Room” you will see recreated torture scenes that are frighteningly realistic. At the Seodamun Independence Park nearby you can visit the Independence Hall, the Patriotic Martyr Monument, the March 1st Declaration of Independence Monument, relic no. 32 and no. 33.

Samcheongdong-gil Road stretches from Gyeongbokgung Palace to Samcheong Tunnel. Just past Samcheong Tunnel, at the end of the walkway, you’ll find Samcheong Park—a park famous for its thick forest and scenic views. Samcheongdong-gil goes through the middle of the city, but is a peaceful, quaint area. The street is lined with cafes, museums, antique shops and a number of famous art galleries. Since each art gallery building along Samcheongdong-gil has its own unique architectural design, taking a walk and appreciating the buildings is a journey in itself. Many galleries have their own cafes, restaurants, or craft shops, allowing visitors to enjoy art, shopping, and lunch all under one roof.

Seoul World Cup Stadium is shaped like a traditional Korean kite, and if seen from above, it looks as if a rectangular shield is being flown like a kite. The shape of the stadium represents flight towards victory, and it combines the hopes of the World Cup games and spirit and traditional culture of the Korean people. The very first impression the stadium gives is that it is very large. It provides over 60,000 seats, and in fact, in terms of area and facility, it is the best in Asia. There are also large screens on either side of the stadium for people wanting close-up view of the games. Near the stadium there are a variety of parks, ideal for leisurely walks. There are also five theme parks around the stadium – Peace Park, Nanjicheon Park, and Noeul Park among them. Thick groves of trees, modern street lights, and magnificent fountains make the parks ideal walking areas in the morning and evening. In the evenings, many in-line skaters come and hang out as well. The stadium is open from 9 to 5 pm, and many interpreters are always on duty. After the successful completion of the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan, the Seoul World Cup Stadium has been leading the campaign to promote soccer culture, and is also a frontrunner in hosting various cultural events. Located within the facilities are also places to shop and enjoy cultural activities- providing all visitors with much to see and do. In Seoul, it is rising as a popular tourist spot. [Nearby Attractions]CGV Sangam 10 Cineplex A 10-screen Cineplex located within the Seoul World Cup Stadium, the CGV Sangam 10 is the first movie theatre to be located inside the sports stadium. With 10 screens and over 1,800 seats, all theatres are equipped with 3-way Dolby Surround Sound. Discount Shopping Mall ‘Homever’ Of all the ‘Homever’ stores in Korea, the one inside the Seoul World Cup Stadium is the largest. The basement floor is for parking, the 1st floor is for groceries, and the 2nd floor holds a mix of necessities, electronics, and clothing as well as a food court. -Tel: +82-2-300-7000 (Korean/English) -Parking Facilities: about 900 vehicles -Hours: 10:00-24:00 -Closed: New Year, Lunar New Year, Harvest Moon Festival-Note: The information provided may differ from what's currently available. Please check the details from the official website or by calling.

Situated in Yeouido, the heart of politics, media, banking and finance, Yeouido Hangang Park is easily accessible via public transportation. As one of the most popular parks along Hangang River, the park attracts many visitors, residents, and office workers. The park offers exciting events year-round: the Yeouido Cherry Blossom Festival in the spring, the World Fireworks Festival in the fall, as well as concerts, and marathons. Well-preserved natural areas such as Bamseom and Yeouido Saetgang Tributary provide visitors with an opportunity to learn about nature and ecology. In addition, thanks to the Hangang Renaissance Project, the park is full of new attractions: the Water Light Square, Waterside Fountains, the Waterside Stage, Festival Land, the Piano Waterway, Waterfalls of Light, the Yacht Marina, and more. Facilities for the Handicapped: Free wheelchair rental services

The Grand Hyatt Hotel's beautiful ice skating rink has been featured in a number of Korean TV commercials and dramas. It’s particularly popular with couples as the rink’s gorgeous lights, night view of the city, and smooth music make it very romantic. The Grand Hyatt Hotel holds several events: * Mondays - 50% off couple admissions and skate rentals * Tuesdays - Free skate rentals from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. * Wednesdays - Free polaroid picture and a rose for couples * Thursdays - Free ice skating all day long * Fridays - Proposal event (other additional fees may apply)

Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, exhibits traditional and modern works of art by Korean and international artists. The museum itself is just as fascinating as the works of art on display, since its three buildings were designed by the internationally renowned architects, Mario Botta, Jean Nouvel, and Rem Koolhaas. MUSEUM 1 houses traditional Korean works of art, such as calligraphy, paintings, ceramic arts, and metal craftwork, while MUSEUM 2 displays modern and contemporary art by both Korean and foreign artists. On Saturday and Sunday guided tours in English are conducted at 3pm. If you plan to visit during the weekdays and wish to receive an English guided tour, you will need to call at least 2-3 days in advance to make a reservation. Audio guides in English, Japanese, and Chinese are available, which provide detailed information on the works of art. These can be rented at the museum for a small fee. This is one of the places that the "first ladies of the Seoul G20" visited during the G20 Summit in Seoul in November 2010. This attraction represents the beauty of Korea.

Founded in 1395 by the first king of the Joseon Dynasty, Gwanghwamun is the main gate of Gyeongbukgung Palace. Roughly meaning “may the light of enlightenment blanket the world,” the name symbolizes the resounding dedication that the people of the Joseon Dynasty had in creating a new dynasty. Constructed solely out of granite, its center is an entrance that resembles a rainbow, called Hongyemun. Above that is a gate tower. Gwanghwamun holds a painful memory in Korean history. During the Japanese occupation of Korea, in order to dampen the spirits of the Korean citizens, the Japanese governing general destroyed the gate and built his own government building. The present appearance of the gate is that of 1968 when it was rebuilt using concrete, and it’s location is about 10m behind the original spot. Though Gwanghwamun is the most beautiful of the five palace gates, it was not designated by the Korean government as a national treasure because it is made purely of concrete. The government is now in the process of removing the Japanese building and restoring the palace. Gwanghwamun has its name written on a sign on the gate, and it was personally written by then-president Park Jeong-Hui. On either side of the gate you can see the word “Haetae” facing south. Haetae is a mythical unicorn-lion that is said to protect palaces from fire. According to Pungsujirisang, there was a fire around Gwanaksan Mountain, so in order to protect the palace from fire from the mountain, these fire-eating Haetaes were put beside the gate.  

Sungnyemun Gate is Korea’s National Treasure No. 1, and its unofficial name is Namdaemun Gate. Sungnyemun Gate is the largest castle gate stone structure with an arched entrance in the middle. There’s a column on top of a platform, raising the roof, distinguishing the upper stories and lower stories of the building. A passageway for traffic is located at the east and west ends of the gate. Different from the other gates, Sungnyemun’s tablet has its name written vertically. When the first king of Joseon Dynasty, Lee Seong-Gye (reign 1335-1408), had constructed the capital city, he believed that fire will reach to Gyeongbokgung Palace as well as the capital city as Mt. Gwanaksan of Seoul is shaped like fire according to feng-shui principles. Sungnyemun’s name means fire, which is from the harmony of the Five Elements and if written vertically, the Chinese character ‘fire’ looks as if it is providing protection. This was Taejong’s (1367-1422) first son, Yangnyeongdaegun’s (1394-1462) famous writing. On February 10, 2008, Sungnyemun was destroyed by fire. After a 5-year reconstruction work, the gate has been re-opened to the public again as of May 4, 2013.