Best of Seoul

Myeong-dong is defined by its intense, neon-lit density, where streets are packed with cosmetic shops and stalls selling street food well into the night. The area name translates to bright town, a fitting label for a commercial district…

Insadong-gil is distinguished by a large, upright statue of a traditional Korean brush near its northern end, marking the entrance to a street that has served as a hub for artists and scholars for centuries. Originally a residential area…

Changdeokgung is marked by its sprawling layout of wooden buildings with gracefully curved, dark-tiled roofs that follow the natural contours of the hillside rather than a rigid grid. Built in fourteen oh five as a secondary residence, the…

Gwangjang Market is a vast, covered labyrinth defined by its endless rows of fabric merchants on the upper levels and a dense, steaming alleyway of street food stalls on the ground floor. It occupies a central position in the Jongno…

The Dongdaemun Design Plaza is a vast, neofuturistic structure defined by its sweeping, silver-skinned curves and lack of sharp corners. Designed by architect Zaha Hadid and opened in twenty fourteen, the building is covered in more than…

Starfield Coex Mall is defined by a central, open-air atrium where towering bookshelves rise thirteen meters toward the ceiling. This massive underground complex stretches beneath the Samseong-dong neighborhood in Seoul and is known as the…

Lotte World Tower rises five hundred fifty-five meters above the Sincheon-dong district as a tapered, glass-clad spire inspired by the forms of traditional Korean pottery and calligraphy brushes. With one hundred twenty-three floors, it is…