Bike Seoul's
South Side
Capital City, here you come! All of Korea’s bicycle paths lead to Seoul.
Sites and history fill the cities every square centimeter. So we simplified and split Seoul’s bike roads in two:
This cycling guide follows the South Side Hangang Bicycle Path through Seoul. It starts where the Ara Bicycle Path left off and continues onto the Bike Seoul to Yeoju path.
Highlights
North or South?
But which side suits you? North or South?
The bike paths slither down both sides of the Han (한강), the river which divides the city into two worlds.
The north nestles Seoul’s old world. It gives access to the Jongno and Jung Districts, which formed the old capital of the Joseon Dynasty, Seoul’s founding kingdom.
The south shows Seoul’s cash-infused, consumerist accoutrements.
Don’t fear the opportunity cost. If you reconsider, twenty-two bridges along the Han provide quick crossing points.
Certification
The South Side boasts two crucial advantages, however.
First, the Ara Bike Path, which opens the Cross-Country Route, connects with the South Side. No detour.
Second, the South Side doubles the north’s Certification Centers (red stamp booths).
South Side (2):
North Side (1):
Want to earn the Hangang Bicycle Path certification? The South Side’s two certification centers are all you need. The Gwangnaru stamp automatically counts for the Ttukseom stamp.
If you rode the North Side, you’d need to cross and grab the Yeouido stamp.
Hangang Parks
It’s easy to tumble down a sidestreet for a few hours in the world’s 8th most populated city. So simplifying, we focus on the parks in the Hangang Park System.
The Park System
The Hangang Renaissance Project (한강르네상스 사업) created the Hangang Parks to:
- Restore the Han River’s ecology, ravaged by years of uncheck industrialization.
- Construct rec facilities and landmarks to pull folks from their homes.
Eleven Hangang River Parks (한강공원) claim 99% of the Han River’s banks in Seoul.
South Hangang Parks
Listed west to east, here are the Hangang Parks on the Han River’s southern banks in Seoul.
- Gangseo Hangang Park (강서) — 0 km from start (directions)
- Yanghwa Hangang Park (양화) — 6.9 km from start (directions)
- Yeouido Hangang Park (여의도) — 13 km from start (directions)
- Banpo Hangang Park (반포) — 17.3 km from start (directions)
- Jamwon Hangang Park (잠원) — 22.3 km from start (directions)
- Jamsil Hangang Park (잠실) — 28.7 km from start (directions)
- Gwangnaru Hangang Park (광나루) — 33.5 km from start (directions)
West to east, we present the Hangang Parks on the north side of the river in Seoul.
- Nanji Hangang Park (난지) — 9.5 km from start (directions)
- Mangwon Hangang Park (망원) — 13 km from start (directions)
- Ichon Hangang Park (이촌) — 19.8 km from start (directions)
- Ttukseom Hangang Park (뚝섬) — 29.2 km from start (directions)
Han River Bridges
Have biker’s remorse? Want to hop to the other side?
There are thirty-two bridges along the Han River in Seoul and nearby satellite cities.
Not all bridges are created equal, though. Only twenty-two bridges provide pedestrian sidewalks. And a handful have protected bike lanes.
Which bridges are crossable? Check out our list below.
- Normal font listings include long detours.
- Bold listings offer quicker access, but a few obstacles.
- Highlighted listings provide the best crossing points for bikes.
- Haengju Bridge (행주대교)
- South side — ramp access from the bike path.
- North side — ramp access from the bike path.
- Gayang Bridge (가양대교)
- South side — elevator access from the bike path.
- North side — elevator and stair access from the bike path.
- Seongsan Bridge (성산대교)
- South side — long detour from the bike path.
- North side — long detour to stair access.
- Yanghwa Bridge (양화대교)
- South side — stair access from the bike path.
- North side — stair access from the bike path.
- Seogang Bridge (서강대교)
- Short south side and long north side detour.
- Crosses Bamseom Island (밤섬)
- Mapo Bridge (마포대교)
- South side — ramp access from the bike path.
- North side — ramp access from the bike path.
- Includes Bamseom Ecological Experience Center.
- Wonhyo Bridge (원효대교)
- South side — brief detour to stair access.
- North side — stair access from the bike path.
- Hangang Bridge (한강대교)
- South side — ramp access from the bike path.
- North side — elevator and stair access.
- Crosses Nodeul Island (노들섬)
- Dongjak Bridge (동작대교)
- South side — elevator and stair access from the bike path.
- North side — brief detour to stair access.
- Banpo Bridge (반포대교)
- Two story bridge.
- Lower bridge protected bike path.
- Famed fountain & rainbow bridge.
- Hannam Bridge (한남대교)
- South side — brief detour to elevator and ramp access.
- North side — long detour.
- Dongho Bridge (동호대교)
- South side — stair access from the bike path.
- North side — brief detour to stair access.
- Seongsu Bridge (성수대교)
- South side — elevator access from the bike path.
- North side — long detour.
- Yeongdong Bridge (영동대교)
- South side — ramp access from the bike path.
- North side — stair access.
- Jamsil Bridge (잠실대교)
- South side — ramp and elevator access.
- North side — ramp access.
- Jamsil Railroad Bridge (잠실철교)
- South side — stair access from the bike path.
- North side — short detour stair access.
- Bike, people, subway, and car bridge near Dong Seoul Bus Terminal.
- Olympic Bridge (올림픽대교)
- South side — long detour to stair access.
- North side — stair access from the bike path.
- Cheonho Bridge (천호대교)
- East (south) side — brief detour to stair access.
- West (north) side — brief detour to ramp access.
- Gwangjin Bridge (광진교)
- South side — ramp access.
- North side — ramp access.
- West side pedestrian lane. East side bike lane.
- Guri Amsa Bridge (구리암사대교)
- East (south) — side ramp access from the bike path.
- West (north) — side ramp access.
- Paldang Bridge (팔당대교)
- West (south) — ramp access.
- East (north) — side ramp access.
- Part of the Hangang Bicycle Path.
The First Bit
So you chose the South Side. Let’s start where the Ara Bicycle Path concluded, the Ara Hangang Lock certification center.
Where am I? Atop an embankment, watching the ancient Han’s current (road view).
Climb aboard your alloy steed and glide into the first of seven riverside parks along the South Side: Gangseo Hangang Park.
Gangseo Hangang Park
Gangseo Hangang Park (강서한강공원) is the Hangang Park System’s westernmost park. It begins on the edge of Seoul’s city limits and meanders through an ecological oasis before slimming down to a single waterside path.
Let’s check Gangseo’s backstory before continuing the ride.
Gangseo Park Profile
Gangseo Hangang Park doesn’t have the flashy landmarks of Yeouido Park or the plentiful recreation facilities of Ttukseom. But what the park lacks in glitz, it makes up for in green.
Park designers designated most of the park’s girth for the wild. Protected ecological wetlands and dirt walking paths.
Why?
Han River Re-Un-Transformation
In ye olde times, the Han River was tempestuous. Loose sediment and sandbars filled the waterway’s bed. With frequent floods, this underbelly shifted, redirecting flow. A storm on Tuesday altered Monday’s navigation routes, stranding boats on Wednesday morning.
So after the Korean War, when Korea revolutionized their economy (1960~1997), Seoul sought to stabilize life along the Han by taming the waterway.
Engineers dredged the bottom of the river and installed weirs (water gates).
This fixed the Han’s route and regulated water flow. But it destroyed much of the wetlands, habitats to local and migratory species.
Rapid industrialization and urbanization poisoned the waterway’s ecology. By the 1970s, the city banned swimming in the Han.
Before the 1988 Seoul Olympics, the Han River Restoration Project (1982-1986) banned dumping and regulated development upriver, breathing new life into the Han.
But the plan also implanted concrete embankments along the river’s banks. This made the waterside areas palatable for international TV cameras. But it further destroyed habitats for migratory birds and other river species.
Recent ecological efforts, like the Hangang Renaissance Project (2007~present), seek to reverse the damage by removing concrete and restoring riverside wetlands.
At 370,000㎡, the Gangseo Ecological Park (강서습지생태공원) counts for one piece in this restoration puzzle.
Accounting for a third of Gangseo Park, this eco-park-within-a-park is the Hangang Park system’s largest protected natural area. It drips green on the edge of Seoul and provides home to thousands of wild river flora and fauna.
Gangseo District
Gangseo Hangang Park gets its name from Gangseo District (강서구). Let’s take the name apart.
- Gang (강) — “river”
- Seo (서) — “west”
The district ranks second in population, behind Songpa (송파구), and second in size, behind Seocho (서초구).
Much of Gangseo lives in Seoul’s greenbelt, established in the 1970s to restrict development along the outer perimeter of Seoul.
The greenbelt forces Gangseo to leave oversized bits of land for parks and agriculture. It’s the last district still cultivating rice within Seoul.
Gangseo History
During the Joseon Dynasty (대조선국; 1392 ACE ~ 1897 ACE), Gangseo belonged to Yangcheon County (양천군), which sat across the river from Hanseong (한성), the kingdom’s capital.
Under occupation, Japanese administrators merged the Yangcheon with Gimpo (김포시) in 1914. In 1963, Seoul hopped the Han River and snatched parts of Gimpo, which retreated northwest.
The area became Yeongdeungpo District (영등포구). Gangseo broke away in 1977.
Gangseo Air
With all that administrative name shuffling, one peculiarity emerged.
Seoul’s first airport sat on Yeouido Island (여의도) from 1916 until 1971. However, the city outgrew the tiny airstrip and built Gimpo International Airport (김포국제공항).
When the Gimpo Airport first opened in 1958, the name made sense. It lived in Gimpo. But five years after founding, Seoul gobbled its way south and conquered Gimpo’s airstrips.
What did Seoul do? Change name. Nah. Too confusing.
Airfare
Korea coronated Incheon International Airport (인천국제공항) as the nation’s premier airport when it opened in 2001.
But Gimpo International Airport held the crown for many decades before. So Gangseo holds a cluster of air transportation institutions and headquarters, including:
- Korea Airports Corporation (한국공항공사) — a public corporation that oversees the nation’s airports.
- Korean Air’s Headquarters (대한항공) — South Korea’s largest airline
- Asiana Airlines’ Headquarters (아시아나항공) — a ubiquitous budget airline in Korea
Ride Gangseo Park
Roll down an embankment and into Gangseo Hangang Park. Keep pedaling as the bike path cuts through swaying reeds and babbling aqua murmur.
Gangseo Wetland Ecological Park
Welcome to Gangseo Ecological Park (강서습지생태공원).
One of several eco parks in the Hangang Park System, Gangseo holds the largest natural park within a park.
What is an eco park? A government protected plot of riverside land dedicated to preserving river species and habitats from development-addicted investors.
To aid nature, park goers follow unobtrusive dirt paths into verdant thickets, or float above marsh on raised boardwalks.
Amongst reeds and pillowy mire, through cutouts in camouflaged shelters, nature-curious folks spot feeding and frolicking herons and mallards.
Haengju Bridge
Glide under a Haengju Bridge (행주대교) a kilometer into Gangseo Park (directions).
Regret your choice? Does the South Side bore? Longing for the North shore? That fork ahead (road view). Now’s your chance to make a change.
- Turn right to cross the Han along the Haengju Bridge and ride the North Side.
- Keep left to continue along the South Side.
Banghwa Bridge
Sticking to the South Side? Keep pedaling through Gangseo’s eco-paradise. Arborous friends bounce viridescent light into spring and summer air.
Stop! Lean your bike against the wall of a 24/7 store (road view). Glance over the river, where the burnt orange trusses of Banghwa Bridge (방화대교; impossible to cross) bound.
According to its designers, the bridge’s 540-meter double arches (road view) resemble an airplane lifting off. An ode to the nearby Gimpo Airport.
At night, from Gangseo Park or on the North Side’s Haengjusan Fortress, gawkers marvel at the bridge’s metal lattice bathed in light.
Silver O’Green
Ride under Banghwa Bridge’s deck. The Han River and Olympic Boulevard (올림픽대로) pinch Gangseo Park’s mushy meadows into three strips: walking path, bike road, and a sliver of green between.
Olympic Boulevard
Like Gangbyeon Expressway (강변북로) on the North Side, Olympic Boulevard will accompany you throughout your journey through Seoul.
Road workers laid this 8-lane highway from 1982 until 1986 for the 1988 Summer Olympics. The road improved access to the Songpa District, where most of the games occurred.
River & Highway
A corridor of rushing river and wildflower spotted, grassy embankment flavor the next five kilometers (directions).
Along the way, find five access points that let riders slip into the Gangseo District. Many feature rest and viewing points, like:
- Tiered seating, viewing platform, and pedestrian underpass (road view).
- Awning, tiered seating, bathrooms, pedestrian overpass (road view)
- Pedestrian overpass leading to a neighborhood park (road view)
Halfway down the “sliver o’green” stretch, overpasses swirl their humming concrete underbellies above.
These flights of infrastructure converge on Gayang Bridge (가양대교; impossible to cross) and mark the end of Gangseo Hangang Park.
Say an-nyeong-ha-sā-yō (“hello;” 안녕하세요; 🔈) to Yanghwa Hangang Park.
Yanghwa Hangang Park
Yanghwa Hangang Park (양화한강공원) is the smallest park in the Hangang Park System.
Sandwiched between the natural beauty of Gangseo and the landmark bedecked island of Yeouido, Yanghwa offers a few interesting attractions of its own.
Let’s get some local context, then keep riding the South Side.
Yanghwa Park Profile
Yanghwa Park sits on the south bank of the Han River in Yeongdeungpo District. The park claims two-thirds of the district’s waterfront. Yeouido Hangang Park occupies the other third.
Near Seonyu Island on the Han River, Yanghwa Port (양화나루), an ancient Joseon Dynasty port and ferry, provided the name for Yanghwa Park.
Among a few recreational fields and courts, the park’s half-kilometer, winding paths cut through high reeds, which grow people-tall come fall. In May, red roses and yellow rudbeckia splash color on the park.
Yeongdeungpo District
Yeongdeungpo District (영등포구) holds two worlds.
- Yeouido Island, which perches on the district’s north side. It includes some of Seoul’s tallest skyscrapers and powerful institutions.
- Then there’s the mainland.
Let’s keep grounded for now and explore Yeongdeungpo’s mainland. We’ll peruse Yeouido’s opulent features down the road.
Yeongdeungpo History
During the Joseon Dynasty, Yeongdeungpo comprised a few riverside settlements in Siheung County (now Siheung City; 시흥시). Like other villages by the Han, their ports welcomed trade ships, stored goods, and docked ferries for crossing the wide river.
Yeongdeungpo also held naval assets that defended Hanseong (한성), the Joseon capital (now the Jongno and Jung Districts) on the opposite side of the river.
Railroad’s A Comin’
At the dawn of the 20th century, Korea completed its first national railroads: the Gyeongin (1899) and Gyeongbu (1905) Lines. Centered in Seoul — which still only dwelled above the Han — the rail lines hopped the river and flowed south into the Yeongdeungpo area.
Yeongdeungpo Station (영등포역) became one of the first rail stations built by the rail company. They dropped it near the top of Siheung County by the river.
One problem. Siheung’s government offices and downtown sat in the south.
No problem. Government officials just picked up their head offices and moved north, forming a new political, transportation, and commercial hub around the new train station.
Seoul Symbiosis
In the early 1900s, during their occupation, Japan lassoed a chunk of land south of the Han into Seoul’s orbit. First Yeouido Island in 1916. Then pieces of today’s Yeongdeungpo in 1936.
During Seoul’s Great Expansion of 1963, filled to the brim with people, the capital plowed south across the Han River. It grabbed a vast swath of territory from Gyeonggi Province and created a city boundary which mirror’s the Seoul of today.
Seoul divided this new tract of land of the river in two sections:
- Seongdong (성동구), a preexisting district north of the river, absorbed the eastern bloc.
- The western bloc became Yeongdeungpo.
This new territory stayed a boring, boggy backwater for millennia. However, after a decade of investment and an economic miracle (1961~1997), the population south of the Han exploded.
So Seoul sliced the two southern districts into bits. In the west, Yeongdeungpo became:
- the Gwanak District (관악구) in 1973,
- the Gangseo District (강서구) in 1977,
- and the Guro District (구로구) in 1980.
Industrial Wreckage
The only Seoul district that can’t claim a mountain, Yeongdeungpo’s flat terrain help its manufacturing aspirations.
In the 1960s, companies large to small to mom-and-pop opened factories in Yeongdeungpo. Like the North Side’s Seongsu Neighborhood, they made machinery, TVs, radios, and more.
However, the 1990s brought Korea the 5th 5-Year Plan. The nation shifted from simple goods to advanced manufacturing. Yeongdeungpo’s factories faltered.
Mullae Arts Village
A tale as old as time. A low-rent, down-on-its-luck neighborhood meets a plucky group of artists. Gentrification!
Mullae Neighborhood (문래동), just west of Yeongdeungpo Station, once housed blazing steel foundries. But when Korea off-shored factory jobs and tumbled through the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, the area’s economic fortunes nosedived.
Beginning in 2003, artists fled skyrocketing rents and followed word-of-mouth to the decommissioned neighborhood, creating the Mullae Arts Village.
Today you can find hundreds of artisans filling retrofitted factory floors. But instead of churning out alloys, they forge paintings, street performances, and inscrutable art installations.
Ancient Han River Ports
Several riverside neighborhoods and parks in Seoul earn their names from old Han River ports (나루; /narū/) which once ferried passengers and hosted vibrant markets during the Joseon Dynasty.
Why ferries? The Han River is wide, measuring one kilometer in some sections, making bridges impossible before the 1900s.
Here’s a list of the five major ancient ports that once filled Joseon’s coffers.
- Gwang Port (광나루; Gwangnaru) near Gwangnaru Hangang Park.
- Sambat Port (삼밭나루; Sambatnaru) near Jamsil Hangang Park
- Dongjak Port (동작나루; Dongjak) near Banpo Hangang Park
- Nodeul Port (노들나루; Nodeulnaru) near Yeouido Hangang Park
- Yanghwa Port (양화나루; Yanghwanaru)near Yanghwa Hangang Park
History lost each of these ports to advanced bridges and modern transportation.
Ride Yanghwa Park
Yanghwa Hangang Park begins where Gangseo Park left off: Gayang Bridge (가양대교; impossible to cross).
The Han murmurs on your left. A grassy embankment leads to Olympic Boulevard on your right. You squeeze between.
This cramped path doesn’t last long. Anyang Stream (안양천) arrives after a couple of kilometers.
Before you cross the Han River tributary along a low bridge, find a fork in the bike path (road view).
- Turn left to continue along the Hangang Bicycle Path.
- Turn right and you’ll slide south 30 kilometers down Anyang Stream, through Gwangmyeong, Anyang, and Gunpo Cities (directions).
No time for a detour? Turn left.
Eight Canopies and a Cup
Hop Anyang Stream and discover eight white canopies shading riders (road view).
Join them. Take a rest. Imbibe near the slurping currents and marvel at the World Cup Bridge (월드컵대교; difficult or impossible to cross).
Where does the bridge get its name? On the Han’s north shore, it lands in front of the nation’s premier football (soccer) stadium built for the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea and Japan. Alongside hangs World Cup Park.
The bridge’s pillar driving began in early 2010. After budget cuts and political fumbles, the bridge opened in late 2021, 11½ years later, Korea’s longest ever bridge-in-progress.
The Narrows Before
Tuck away your water bottle and jump back on your bike. Ride more of the same. Han on the left. Embankment on the right. Path squeezed in the middle.
A few hundred meters past World Cup Bridge, find Seongsan Bridge (성산대교; okay crossing point). Its rust-red arches — an aesthetic flourish — can carry you to Mangwon Hangang Park on the North Side path.
Yanghwa’s Heart
Pass under Seongsan Bridge and spill into the heart of Yanghwa Hangang Park.
Land shoves the river left and up spring a gaggle of rec fields, including an outdoor stadium for Ssireum (씨름), a 1,600-year-old form of Korean wrestling.
Seonyu Bridge
Mid-Yanghwa, Seonyu Bridge (선유교), a pedestrian overpass, approaches. Hairpin ramps lead to its upper deck, which shoots over Olympic Boulevard, Yanghwa Park, and to the Han (road view).
Make your way up to the bridge’s deck. From its height, gaze upon the riverside park’s weaving paths. In fall, high reeds fill in the gaps. Come May, red and flowers dab color.
Now glance down the bridge. Halfway, a sudden arch leaps over the water. Where does it land? Got an hour?
Seonyu Island Park
Seonyu Bridge doesn’t cross the Han. It hops onto an inlet to an island called Seonyu (선유도; Seonyu-do; aerial view).
For a small island, it holds a bit of history:
- A small peak (선유봉) once sat upon the island. During their occupation (1910~1945), Japan shaved it away to pave roads and dam up the Han.
- From 1978 to 2000, a water purification plant occupied Seonyu, supplying Seoul with scrubbed sink-juice.
Today if you cross Seonyu Bridge, you’ll discover Seonyu Island Park (선유도공원).
Open from 6 AM to midnight, covering 11,400 square meters (15 soccer fields), and free to all, the island park transformed the old water purification plant into an ecological park.
Glance at a map of the park. Nine unique spaces, each with a theme, attract courting couples and exploring families:
- The Time Garden — raised gardens made from recycled sediment.
- Four Circular Spaces — treatment towers converted into cultural spaces.
- Garden of Green Columns — support pillars wrapped with verdant ivy.
- Water Purification Garden — a hydroponic flora inhabiting old filtration basins.
Yanghwa Bridge
Enough with the eco tour. Let’s do some bike riding.
Hop on the bike path in Yanghwa. Scoot a couple hundred meters down. Find another bridge.
Yanghwa Bridge (양화대교; an okay crossing point) glances of Seonyu Island before flying commuters across the river to Mangwon Hangang Park.
Spy two elongated rectangles bolted to the bridge’s side, each with a row of porthole windows (aerial view). Welcome to:
These two (of ten) Han River Bridge observatories serve up a bite, coffee, and magnificent views of the Han.
A Decision at Yanghwa's End
Cross under Yanghwa Bridge. Roll down the bike path. Yanghwa Hangang Park squeezes closed against the Han and Olympic Boulevards.
Hop into high grass and low trees. At the top of the path rests the impressive dome of Korea’s National Assembly Building.
Yanghwa’s twilight brings a fork (road view). A choice:
- The left path curls under the right path and tracks the Saetgang Stream (샛강) around the bottom of Yeouido Island.
- The right path jumps over the left path and the Saetgang Stream, and continues into Yeouido Hangang Park.
It doesn’t matter which fork you take. Both paths converge at the end of Yeouido Island. (As of this writing, Yeouido Certification Center arrives after the convergence.)
But it matters. A wetland paradise surrounds Saetgang Stream. But Yeouido presents the crème de la crème of landmarks in the Hangang Park System.
Take the right path.
Saetgang Ecological Park
Saetgang Ecological Park (여의도샛강생태공원) follows the Saetgang Stream (샛강), a name which translates to “river that creates an island.”
Fitting. Saetgang is a stream that forms the backside of Yeouido Island, separating it from the mainland.
The tributary splashes much needed green around the bustling river island. In its surrounding park lives a parade of trees, vegetation that filters flowing water, and walking and biking paths.
The bike route shoots off from the Hangang Bicycle Path and crawls along the bottom of the island for four kilometers. It rejoins its path-daddy just beyond Yeouido Island.
The Saetgang route provides a quieter alternative to the official Hangang Bicycle Path through Yeouido Hangang Park. Fewer crowds equal a quicker ride.
Yeouido Hangang Park
Yeouido Hangang Park (여의도한강공원) occupies Yeouido Island, an oval wedge sliced off from the south bank of the Han by a narrow stream.
A wealth of attractions litter both the park and isle.
- The western edge surrounds the National Assembly Building, Korea’s congressional home.
- The mid-section features fountains, a marina, and Seoul’s take on giant photogenic letters.
- Stacked along the park’s edge rises some of the city’s most noteworthy heaven pokers.
Let’s study a bit of Yeouido before riding its paths.
Yeouido Park Profile
Yeouido Hangang Park is the second largest along the Han River. It presents some of the best views of Seoul and leisure facilities in the city, including:
- swimming pool
- water stage
- marina with river cruise
- waterfall square
Why such lavish accoutrements? Yeouido Island (여의도). The Manhattan of Seoul.
Yeouido Island
Yeouido (여의도), or Yeoui (여의) Island (도; /dō/ “small island”), is an 8.4 square kilometer (3.2 sq mi) island sitting on the southern banks of the Han River in the Yeongdeungpo District (영등포구).
Glance at Yeouido on a map. Only the couple-meter-wide Saet Stream (샛강) separates the landmass from the mainland. Not much of an island. More like a speed bump on the river bank.
But this knot on the Han contains Korea’s past and present.
History
Before the 20th century, Yeouido was a shrunken, riverside clump of sand.
Settlers avoided the area because of flooding from the big bad Han River. Instead, they tossed cattle on it to graze the grassy expanse.
Air Island
Before 1963, all land south of the Han remained under Gyeonggi Province control. There’s one exception.
In 1914, Japanese Occupied Korea reorganized Seoul’s borders and incorporated Yeouido. Two years later, Japanese engineers constructed Seoul’s first airfield, Yeouido Airport.
Its humble twin runways became the island’s primary occupant for the first half of the 20th century, serving as Seoul’s major air hub.
In December 1922, Ahn Chang-nam (안창남) became the first Korean to fly and land in Korean territory. Over 50,000 Seoulites, a fifth of the population, clustered in frigid wind to witness Ahn Chang-nam’s historic landing at Yeouido Airport.
Seoul opened the Gimpo International Airport (김포국제공항) in Gangseo District in 1958. The larger, modern facility choked much of the traffic from Yeouido’s airfield until it closed in 1971.
Bamseom Go Boom!
Just north of Yeouido, in the middle of the Han River, sits Bamseom Island.
For hundreds of years, in contrast to the dormant Yeouido, Bamseom held a lively community. Hundreds of souls, a tuft of structures, and a port.
However, in 1968, government officials faced two problems:
- Someone needed to tame the Han’s tempestuous flooding. So engineers deepened the riverbed and removed obstacles… like large islands in the middle of the river.
- On the north side of the river, Seoul had blown past capacity and needed to expand southward.
So, Seoul’s then-mayor saw an opportunity. Blow up Bamseom. Use its rocky remains to expand nearby Yeouido. This created cheap land without voters to oppose development.
What happened to Bamseom?
Under the water’s surface, its bedrock remained. Over decades, river silt rebuilt two islets.
Today Bamseom is a protected, Sapiens-less eco park with migratory birds and swaying reeds.
Institution Powerhouse
What did the government do with its pet island? Develop it.
In 1968, Seoul built apartments. Then engineers completed the Mapo (1970; 마포대교) and Wonyo (1981; 원효대교) Bridges, improving access to the once pastoral island.
Soon two elemental forces invaded Yeouido: money and politics.
Political Powerhouse
In 1975, Korea erected a domed National Assembly Building in Yeouido’s western end. This political epicenter attracted the country’s major broadcast networks, including:
- Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) — Korea’s national public TV station.
- Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS)
- Munhwa Broadcasting Company (MBC).
- SBS and MBC have since moved headquarters to other parts of Seoul.
The Golden Crown
Adding to the island’s prestige, Hanwha Life Insurance finished Building 63 (63빌딩) in 1983. If we exclude North America, its 63 floors (60 usable) were the world’s tallest.
Taking center stage during the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Building 63’s gold-clad facade represented Korea’s economic emergence.
Now representing status and progress, companies soon invaded Yeouido. Yeouido Neighborhood (여의도동; Yeouido-dong) became the wealthiest in Seoul in the late 80s.
Today Yeouido ranks second behind Gangnam District. But it still holds some of the nation’s most powerful institutions.
Money Street
Some refer to Yeouido as Korea’s Wall Street. Why?
Like the NYSE occupies a humble New York brick road, the Korea Exchange (KRX) buys and sells (and credit default swaps) on this humble River island.
At least, until 2007.
To spread the ₩2.6 quadrillion ($2.1 trillion) exchange market outside of capital rich Seoul, regulators split the KRX into two offices.
- One in Busan (한국거래소).
- The other on Yeouido.
The Busan offices keep the title of headquarters, handling Korea’s futures trading. Yeouido’s office runs day-to-day stock trading.
Tall, Tall Towers
This once humble cattle grazing field possesses some of Seoul’s tallest buildings, including:
- Building 63 (63빌딩; 60 floors; 250 m) opened in 1983. It remained Korea’s tallest for twenty years. Still Yeouido’s most recognizable building, the tower receives its glow from a thin layer of 24 carat, which covers each of its 14,000 glass panes.
- Parc1 (파크원 타워1; 69 floors; 333 m) and Parc2 (파크원 타워2; 53 floors; 256 m), opened in 2020. They’re a pair of skyscrapers in a complex that includes a hotel and department store. Parc1 is the tallest building in Yeouido and second in Seoul.
- Three IFC (3 IFC; 55 floors; 285 m) opened in 2012. It is one piece of the International Finance Center Seoul (IFC서울), which includes three towers and a hotel, and a basement level mall (IFC몰).
- FKI Center (FKI전경련 회관; 51 floors; 246 m) earned a few design awards after its completion in 2013. You can find a Sky Farm (스카이팜) on its top floor, which hosts weddings, corporate events, and a public viewing platform.
Parks Galore
Though a mix of business and politics shape Yeouido’s social scene, parks dominate most of Yeouido’s physical space. Along with Yeouido Hangang Park, citizens stroll around:
- Yeouido Saetgang Ecological Park (여의도 샛강생태공원) follows the Saetgang Stream (샛강). The Korean word “saetgang” translates to “branch stream that creates a river island.” Both the stream and its bordering park create Yeouido’s bottom boundary. The park’s bike path connects with the Hangang Bicycle Path on both ends.
- Yeouido Park (여의도공원) sits in the middle of Yeouido, between the Hangang and Saetgang Parks; betwixt skyscrapers and shopping malls. It hosts walking paths, shady trees, and pavilions.
Ride Yeouido Park
From Yanghwa Hangang, take the right fork (road view) and hop over the Saetgang Stream.
Welcome to the island of Yeouido. Korea’s Manhattan and District of Columbia rolled into one.
National Assembly Building
Dead ahead, just over a road, rises the National Assembly Building (국회의사당; road view). Under its green dome lives the nation’s law forging congress.
Completed in 1975, the National Assembly is a complex that covers an eighth of Yeouido Island. It includes legislator offices, a memorial hall, library, and more.
Korea added extra space to the assembly chambers in the six-story main building. Why? Hope. They’d need the room if or when Korea’s north and south reunite.
Completed in 1975, the National Assembly is a complex that covers an eighth of Yeouido Island. It includes legislator offices, a memorial hall, library, and more.
Korea added extra space to the assembly chambers in the six-story main building. Why? Hope. They’d need the room if or when Korea’s north and south reunite.
Notice the main hall’s design:
- Twenty-four octagonal pillars encompass the lower facade. They represent Korea’s lunisolar seasons (절기).
- The 64 meter wide dome symbolizes the convergence and compromise of democracy.
Originally a matte white, rain and nature flushed it a pastel green. Like the Statue of Liberty, the new look became an idiosyncratic feature.
Yeoui-seo Road
Continue onward into Yeouido. Over an Olympic Boulevard off ramp, buzzes one of a pair of roads that encircle the inside perimeter of Yeouido Island.
Both roads hold a transportation tryptic: lanes for vehicles, bikes, and feet (road view).
Near the ides of April, Yeoui West & East host the Yeouido Spring Flower Festival. Folks near and far walk the road’s looping path and marvel at 1,600 cherry blossom trees dripping white.
The First Third
Spin your wheels up a bunny slope. Opposite the National Assembly comes the blue and silver swoosh of the Seoul Marina Club & Yacht (마리나클럽앤요트; road view), the destination to moor your yacht or play millionaire pretend and rent one.
Keep pedaling. The road to the marina hops the path on an overpass.
The National Assembly’s nation-sized parking lot spreads on your right. Over the parked metal beasts, catch the best view of the institution’s dome.
Cycle by a floating police station and a 119 rescue center, a water taxi stop on your left. By soccer fields, swimming pools, and a flat skate park on your right.
Seogang Bridge (서강대교; difficult crossing point) caps the first third of Yeouido.
The Middle Third
Shoot out from under Seogang Bridge. Leave the National Assembly in the rear view, and squeeze by a riverfront convenience store.
Find a grassy field unfurling. It’s a campground.
In one of the world’s largest metros?
Yes. Year round, families toss up tents, lounge, munch snacks, and venture out for play.
What happens come nightfall?
Pack that tent up. It gets cold. And you got to charge your phone.
Waterlight Stage
Before families load up their SUVs, they walk to the foot of the campgrounds to goggle Waterlight Stage (물빛무대) on the placid Han waters.
A swiss army knife of performance spaces, it’s geodesic, glass front can retract into the LED bedecked back half, a world first.
When closed, Waterlight Stage holds 200 viewers inside its water drop dome. Opened, it becomes an open air concert hall to 2,200 on the riverbank.
Flanking the stage left and right hides one of the Hangang Park System’s seven fountains: the Yeouido Floating Stage Water Fountain (물빛무대).
For forty minutes throughout the year, accompanied by prerecorded music and a light show past sunset, underwater jets put on an H2O-rrific performance.
Waterlight Square Fountain
Wheel your wheels back to the bike path and inch your way just beyond the grassy campground. There rests Waterlight Square Fountain (물빛광장), Yeouido’s second water-centric attraction.
This fountain ain’t no Trevi. It’s a 40 meter by 196 meter concrete basin (road view).
In the winter, its blanched slopes and squares sit barren, open for couples to lounge and selfie.
In summer, however, the fountain fulfills its true purpose. The wide dish fills with ankle-deep water, recycled from the subway station below. Punctuated by spritzing, gentle jets, water cascades down steps, around flat and tilted islands of concrete, and towards the river.
Why ankle-high water? Well, on the kiddos, it’s knee high. Safe for them to splash, scream, and scramble about.
Opposite the fountain, find a pair of buildings (road view): Café of Light (빛의카페) and a bike rental shop. Paper cup clutching and tandem bike riding couples mingle about.
Bike Rental & Water Recreation
What does every Hangang Park in Seoul have in common?
From thirteen locations on both sides of the river, from 10 AM to 9 PM, any park goer can rent a bicycle from them. The cost?
- Basic Bike: ₩3,000 for the first hour. ₩500 every additional 15 minutes.
- Luxury or Child Bike: ₩5,000 for the first hour. ₩1,000 every additional 15 minutes.
- Helmets and knee pads come free.
- Nanji (North Side) — water skiing, wakeboarding, wakesurfing, motor boating
- Ichon (North Side) — water skiing, wakeboarding, water sliding, motor boating
- Ttukseom (North Side) — duck boating, motor boating, windsurfing
- Yanghwa (South Side) — motor boating, kayaking, canoeing, water skiing, wakeboarding, banana boating, duck boating
- Yeouido (South Side) — motor boating, water biking, water skiing, wakeboarding, banana boating, blob jumping
- Banpo (South Side) — yachting, sailing, jet surfboarding, kayaking, motor boating
- Jamwon (South Side) — motor boating, water skiing, wakeboarding, wakesurfing, banana boating, fly-fishing, jet skiing, kayaking, paddle boarding, water slide
- Jamsil (South Side) — motor boating
Mapo Bridge
Bike leftwards along the path away from the Waterlight Square Fountain towards Mapo Bridge (마포대교).
Though it holds a dark past, Mapo Bridge keeps a noteworthy treasure and bestows an excellent:
Near where Mapo Bridge touches down, ramps (road view) lead to its deck.
On the other side of the river, Mapo Bridge intersects with Mangwon Hangang Park. Switchback ramps (road view) flow onto the North Side bike path.
Bamseom Island
A couple hundred meters down Mapo Bridge’s span rests Bamseom Ecological Experience Center (밤섬생태체험관), another one of ten Han River bridge observatories in Seoul.
Through platforms and mounted binoculars, the curious can view Bamseom Island (밤섬), a pair of sandy islets in the middle of the Han River.
As we learned before, Bamseom once held a thriving village. Then the government made it go boom and used its rocky remains to expand Yeouido Island.
Over the years, river sediment built Bamseom back up. Now it’s an eco park inhabited by migratory birds, sandy beaches, and swaying reeds. No humans allowed (aerial view).
Late Yeouido
Shoot out from under Mapo Bridge to find two plazas. The first offers another expansive, grassy bed for day-tenters and kite flyers. The second?
A Concrete Center
The second plaza sports a concrete sheet. A wide, two-tiered set of stairs crowns its south end (road view).
These foot-descenders offer park goers streaming from the subterranean Yeouinaru Station (여의나루역; Subway Line 5) their first glimpse of Yeouido Hangang Park.
The Upstairs Skyscrapers
Hungry? Want to do some sightseeing. Head up those two-tiered steps. The lead to Yeouido’s inner sights, including:
- IFC Mall (IFC몰) — a mall that occupies in the basement of IFC Seoul (IFC서울).
- Sky Farm (스카이팜) — a 51st floor observatory in the FKI Center (FKI).
- SeMA Bunker (SeMA 벙커) — a forget 1970s bunker transformed into an art gallery.
The Downstairs Mega Sign
Not hungry? Dismount your bike and head down Yeouido’s central plaza towards the river. In the distance, tiny letters grow into giants and spell out “I•Seoul•U.”
Whip out your phone. Find a kind pedestrian and ask, “사진 찍어요?” (/sa-jēn jjēk-eo-yō/; 🔈). “Can you take my photo?”
Stand in front. Get into your best biker pose. 1 (하나; /hana/), 2 (둘; /dūl/), 3 (셋; /sāet/). Click! Frame the results.
I•Seoul•U Signs
Dropped throughout Seoul rest seventeen Hollywood-esque signs. Each spell “I•Seoul•U.”
What does? It means Seoul. It means love. It means jelly juice for your social media.
You’ll encounter two “I•Seoul•U” signs on the Hangang Bicycle Paths. However, if you want to catch them all, check out the list below.
Two (2) signs on Hangang Bicycle Path:
- Yeouido Hangang Park (여의도한강공원) — South Side
- Ttukseom Hangang Park (뚝섬한강공원) — North Side
Six (6) just off the path:
- Seoul Forest (서울숲) — 1 km from path — North Side
- Haneul Park (하늘공원) — 1 km from path — North Side
- Oil Tank Culture Park (문화비축기지) — 2 km from path — North Side
- Yongsan Family Park (용산가족공원) — 2 km from path — North Side
- Songpa Tourist Information Center (송파관광안내소) — 1.5 km from path — South Side
- Seoul Startup Hub (서울창업허브) — 2 km from path — North Side
Ten (10) far off the path:
- Seoul Sewage Science Museum (서울하수도과학관) — 5 km from path — North Side
- Children’s Grand Park (서울어린이대공원) — 3 km from path — North Side
- Dongdaemun Design Plaza (동대문디자인플라자) — 3.5 km from path — North Side
- Seoul Citizens Hall (시민청) — 5.5 km from path — North Side
- Seoul Science Museum (서울시립과학관) — 15 km from path — North Side
- Seoul Grand Park (서울대공원) — 11 km from path — South Side
- Seoul Plaza (서울광장) — 5.5 km from path — North Side
- Donuimun Museum Village (돈의문박물관) — 5 km from path — North Side
- Sewoon Shopping Center (다시세운상가) — 5.5 km from path — North Side
- Seoul Dream Forest (북서울꿈의숲) — 15 km from path — North Side
Hangang Art Park
Continue along the bike path in Yeouido. To your left, walkways carve through green lawns.
This expanse holds Part II of Hangang Art Park (한강예술공원). (Part I lives in Ichon Hangang Park on the North Side.)
Thirty-seven outdoor art installations spread throughout these fields (map). Artists from Asia, the Americas, and Europe add their fascinating & puzzling representation flair to the collection.
- Untitled (2 People) (무제 [두 사람]) — wire outline of two folks lounging on a hill.
- Hangang Poem Pavilion (한강 포엠 파빌리온) — half-dome pavilion with holes. Sunlight passing through shines a poem on the concrete floor.
- Dazzling Camouflage (눈부신 위장술) — old fishing vessel covered with colored and mirrored mosaic tiles moored in the Han River. (One of two boat pieces.)
- Nest (둥지) — a giant, tilted dish made from bent wooden planks. Climb inside this human nest and view Mapo Bridge and Bamseom Island.
- Circles (써클) — three fish-shaped, concrete cups embedded into a grassy mound.
The Dock of Docks
Just beyond the art adorned lawns, at the bottom of the next square over, bob a pair of docks on the banks of the Han River (road view).
Both sport cafés, restaurants, and E-Land Cruise Ships (이랜드크루즈).
While Jamsil Hangang Park and the Ara Gimpo Passenger Terminal offer tours of the Han River, Yeouido’s docks send out the most boats and offer the widest selection of experiences. From ₩15,900, thirty-minute daytime cruises to a ₩199,000 Christmas Dinner Cruise.
63 Building
No time for nautical adventures. Keep riding through Yeouido’s landmark swamp.
Keep riding the bike path and spy a towering wall of gold up approach. That’s 63 Building (63빌딩), part of 63 Square (63스퀘어).
Built by Hanwha Life Insurance, 63 Building’s gilded façade represented progress and prosperity when completed in 1983. It dominated B-roll packages for the 1986 Asian Games and 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics.
What are some of its design elements? Great question.
- Thin sheets of actual gold in 13,516 panes windows create its color.
- Other than North America, it stood as the world’s tallest building when completed.
- 63 Building is only 60 stories tall. However, some argue the structure’s three basement floors and its rooftop huts count towards the total. So… “63½ Building.”
- Notable facilities include 58th & 59th floor restaurants, an aquarium, glass elevators. 63 Art on the top floor claims the title “World’s Highest Art Gallery.”
The 69-story Parc1 (파크원 타워1) snatched Yeouido’s tallest building crown in 2020. But 63 Building remains the island’s jewel.
Yeouido’s End
Stop gawking at towers and ride under Wonhyo Bridge (원효대교; an okay crossing point).
Wind around the bottom of Yeouido Island, circling 63 Building’s tapered form. A ssireum pit and gateball course — a mashup of croquet and golf — fill the riverside green.
A vehicle/pedestrian/bike bridge (road view) over Saetgang Stream marks Yeouido Island’s end. But not Yeouido Hangang Park.
Dip down an embankment. From your left, the Saetgang Park bicycle road merges back onto the Hangang Bike Path.
Just in time, too. As of this writing, up ahead, tucked in a horseshoe walking path, find one of our little red friends. A certification center (road view; red booth not present).
- Bike Passport Page 14
- Certification Center: ❌
- Passport store: ❌
Hangang Railroad Bridge
Dry the ink in your bike passport, climb aboard, and ride around a river bend to the Hangang Railway Bridges (한강철교), a tangle of green, gray, and white steel beams (aerial view).
Bridge A (road view), the first of these four bridges, became the first modern bridge to cross the infamously wide Han River in 1900.
At the start of the Korean War (1950~1953), the fleeing South Korean army demolished it. This killed hundreds of citizens still crossing, escaping the northern army’s unimpeded advance.
During Seoul’s post-war Miracle Years, a booming economy rebuilt and surrounded the bridge with three neighbors. Today they carry subway, mugunghwa, and KTX trains to and from Seoul.
As you ride under the quartet of Korean history, you exit Yeouido Hangang Park and start anew in Banpo Hangang Park.
Banpo Hangang Park
Banpo Hangang Park (반포한강공원), like Ichon Hangang Park on the north side, crosses Han’s bottom bend in the middle of Seoul.
The western and eastern portions of the park offer prime views of Namsan Mountain (남산), Seoul N Tower (남산서울타워), and Itaewon (이태원) in the north
Banpo also hosts some of the Seoul’s most remarkable people-produced attractions, including Banpo Grand Bridge Fountain (반포대교) and Some Sevit (세빛섬).
Let’s get some cliff notes on the region, then hop on the double-wheeled stallion.
Banpo Park Profile
Banpo Hangang Park crosses Dongjak and Seocho District on the Han. The border between these districts divides Seoul into eastern and western halves below the river.
The park receives its name from the Seocho District’s Banpo Neighborhood (반포동), a riverside enclave that houses some of the city’s most expensive apartments.
Let’s inspect the pair of districts Banpo Park crosses.
Dongjak District
Dongjak District (동작구) formed when it broke away from the Gwanak District (관악구) in 1980, which was once a part of the Yeongdeungpo, Seoul’s first district south of the Han.
The district doesn’t claim the same riches as its eastern neighbors, Seocho and Gangnam. But it holds its own unique history.
Dongjak History
Dongjak sits across the Han River from Hanseong (한성), the old capital of the Joseon Dynasty (대조선국; 1392 ACE ~ 1897 ACE).
Its proximity to the nation’s political and spiritual heart birthed two major ports in Dongjak:
- Dongjak Port (동작나루; Dongjak)
- Nodeul Port (노들나루; Nodeulnaru)
Because of the Han River’s width, engineers couldn’t construct permanent bridges until the 20th century. This made Dongjak’s ports and ferries the primary gateways to the old capital.
Besides bountiful chestnut trees, Dongjak in the 1700s grew prosperous merchants.
Loyalty Bridge
What’s the first bridge to cross the Han River’s famous expanse? Everyone knows the Hangang Railroad Bridge performed that feat in 1899.
Not so fast!
During his reign, Joseon King Jeongjo (1752~1800) often brought offerings to his late parents at a royal tomb in Suwon (수원시). The regular pilgrimage required him to travel south across the Han into Dongjak.
Weary of ferries, the king ordered a boat bridge.
River and seafaring vessels from around Korea sailed to the Han River. They linked up and created the first physical connection, joining the northern Yongsan District to Dongjak’s Bon Neighborhood (본동).
Builders erected Yongyangbong Pavilion (용양봉저정) on Dongjak’s riverside for King Jeongjo to take a break before continuing southward on his familial duties.
Loyalty Land
Dongjak grows its loyalty brand by hosting two important cemeteries:
- Seoul National Cemetery (국립서울현충원) is Korea’s first national cemetery. Created in 1955, it’s one-and-a-half square kilometers include 165,000 Korean soldiers that died during independence movements, the Korean and Vietnam Wars, and more.
- Sayuksin Park (사육신공원) holds the Sayuksinmyo Tombs, where the remains of loyal Joseon ministers rest. King Sejo martyred them after they backed King Danjong, whom Sejo muscled from the throne.
Dongjak Development
Land below the Han remained undeveloped Gyeonggi Province counties until the 1960s. Then Seoul, overpopulated and cramped, hopped the Han and annexed territory.
Dongjak was one of the first areas to receive the hordes flocking south for cheap land. However, these early developments blanketed the area with substandard apartments and buildings.
By the 1970s, Gangnam in the east grew gleaming skyscrapers that made Dongjak look rickety. Until recently, Dongjak’s aged edifices added extra hurdles to redevelopment.
Education Haven
Education courses through Dongjak. Its Noryangjin Neighborhood (노량진동) contains hundreds of hagwons, or private institutes, that prepare high schoolers for the Korea’s college entrance exam (대학수학능력시험; CSAT), a test determines 18-year-olds’ career paths.
In addition, Dongjak claims a couple of celebrated colleges, like Chongshin (총신대학교), Chung-Ang (중앙대학교), Soongsil (숭실대학교), one of Korea’s first modern universities.
Seocho District
The Seocho District (서초구) sits just between the Dongjak and Gangnam Districts on the Han River.
Seocho, Gangnam, and Songpa form a trifecta of wealth and prestige known as the Greater Gangnam Area.
Seocho History
Like Dongjak, Seocho’s meek ports, riverside villages, and paddy fields bounced around Gyeonggi District counties until 1963, when Seoul underwent its “Great Expansion.”
These Three Kings
Why the Great Expansion? Seoul’s rapid postwar growth created severe overcrowding.
During the Korean War (1950~1953), Seoul’s souls dwindled to 200,000. But after an influx of expats, refugees, and rural folks heading to the big city, the capital’s population exploded to 2.5 million by the 1960s.
So Seoul needed more land. Loosen their belt. Let it breathe. So they turned their gaze south, to the pastoral paddies of Gyeonggi Province across the river, and gobbled.
The city divided their new dominion into halves. The brand new Yeongdeungpo District took the west. Seongdong (성동구), a preexisting northern district, stretched south and took the east.
To spur residents to hop the waterway, the city formed a comprehensive development plan for the eastern expanse; today’s Gangnam, Seocho, and Songpa Districts.
- They built bridges and roads to improve access.
- They moved key government offices.
- And they built modern apartment buildings.
A decade later, people followed.
Together Seocho, Gangnam, and Songpa form the richest trio of regions in Korea. Some speculate they account for a tenth of South Korea’s total land value.
Prince Seocho
While Gangnam is King, in terms of wealth and zip code prestige, Seocho follows not far behind.
Seocho and Gangnam’s borders blur, bisecting Gangnam Subway Station (강남역), a central point from which shopping, office towers, and nightlife haunts radiate.
Adding to the district’s status, you’ll find:
- Seocho Samsung Town (삼성타운) — the headquarters of Samsung, Korea’s top chaebol and international conglomerate.
- Korea’s Supreme Court (대한민국 대법원) and Prosecutors’ Office (검찰청).
- Seoul Art Center (예술의 전당) — a prestigious performance space and museum; home to Korea’s national ballet, opera, symphony, and dance groups.
- Seorae Village (서래마을) — a wealthy neighborhood filled with French expats, cafes, restaurants, and bakeries.
North vs. South
Seocho is a district of extremes. It’s Seoul’s largest, stretching from the banks of the Han River to the southern city limits. And of the three Great Gangnam districts, Seocho holds the least amount of people and greatest wealth disparity.
Why?
In the 1970s, when the southeastern region received the development green-light, many urban planners focused on the areas closest to the river.
Overtime, Han adjacent neighborhoods in the north — Banpo (반포동), Jamwon (잠원동), and Seocho (서초동) — swelled with prospering citizens and high rising apartments.
Seocho’s bottom neighborhoods?
Wander south and you’ll slam into two massive mountains: Umyeon (우면산; 293 m) and Cheonggye (청계산; 616 m). These peaks halt development two-fold:
- The rough terrain chokes transportation routes.
- Seoul’s greenbelt, a 1970s policy enacted to combat an ever hungry urban sprawl, covers the mountains’ green space.
While you might not find modernity in Seocho’s hinterlands, you’ll spot a rarity in Seoul: quaint lowrise houses covering mountainside vistas.
Ride Banpo Park
Banpo’s bike road starts where Yeouido stopped: Hangang Railway Bridges. Pass under the four amigos and continue along the banks of the Han.
Do the Olympic Split
Sail a couple hundred meters down the Han. Just before Hangang Bridge (한강대교) spot a split in the path (road view).
- The left lane flows under Olympic Boulevard
- The right lane cruises just beside the boulevard.
Warming! This isn’t a fork. It’s a split. The left path holds oncoming traffic.
Hangang Bridge
Follow the right lane just beside Olympic Boulevard, crawl up a bunny slope, and spot Hangang Bridge’s leaping arches ahead.
Like the railway bridges you just passed, Hangang Bridge was another groundbreaker: the first pedestrian bridge to cross the Han in 1917. And, like its siblings, it died young during the Korean War. In the 50s, engineers reincarnated it as a vehicle bridge.
Today, it’s also an excellent:
Hangang Bridge (한강대교) offers a quick way across the river for bikers and walkers.
Find an offramp onto the bridge from the eastbound bike path lane only (road view). (You can’t access the ramp from the westbound lane, under Olympic Boulevard.)
On the North Side of the river, elevators and stairs (road view) lead to the bike paths between Mangwon and Ichon Hangang Parks.
Nodeul Island
Hangang Bridge touches down on Nodeul Island (노들섬) halfway across the Han River.
Nodeul once formed the tip of a sandy beach emanating from the river’s northern banks. After river renovations, the beach washed away. Only an island remained.
Today the island’s western half hosts a complex of ultra-chic buildings and courtyards. They formed the backdrop of the Silicon Valley-esque K-Drama Start-Up and K-Pop features.
The Subterranean Stretch
Pedal further along the bike path beside Olympic Boulevard. The next two kilometers navigate under overpasses and partial overhangs (directions).
Just after Hangang Bridge, two halves of the path zip back together (road view).
Bounds through trees and leafy embankment walls.
Benches, public exercise equipment, and basketball hoops live under the boulevard’s belly (road view). Bathrooms and shady awnings (road view) provide some path side relief.
Atop a boulder faced embankments perches Hyosa Pavilion (효사정), whose name translates to “filial piety.” A grieving premier to King Sejong built the isolated memorial for his departed mom.
Near the end, the path splits (road view), dives under the boulevard, then reconvenes in a teardrop knob of green (aerial view) surrounded by river.
Banpo’s Meaty Center
In this green grove beyond gray pillars, blow by trees and awning topped benches.
Cross a low bridge over Banpo Stream (반포천; road view). Leave Dongjak and enter the money-soaked Seocho District.
The far (east) side of the stream presents a T-intersection (road view).
- Turn right (south) and Banpo Stream will carry you two kilometers inland (directions).
- Keep straight and continue on the Hangang Bike Path.
Keep straight.
Dongjak’s Clouds and Sunset
Up comes another river spanner: Dongjak Bridge (동작대교; an okay crossing point). Fixed to its side, find a tower with zig-zag stairs leading to a transparent tulip head (road view). That’s Sunset Café (동작 노을카페), another Han River Bridge Observatory.
Slip under Dongjak Bridge and peep Cloud Café (동작 구름카페) on the east side.
The towers mirror each other. Same design. Both open from 12 PM to 12 AM. And each offers a 24/7 store, café & lounge, and rooftop deck.
Seoul National Cemetery
These observatories are also the start of another detour.
Climb Sunset Café to Dongjak Bridge’s deck.
- Head north (left) to cross the Han and land in Ichon Hangang Park.
- Head south (right) and you’re on your way to Korea’s largest cemetery (directions).
Seoul National Cemetery (국립서울현충원) was the country’s first for patriots who died for the South Korean flag.
Created in 1955, its 1½ square kilometers hold 165,000 Korean military and resistance fighters that perished during the Korean and Vietnam Wars, and independence movements.
Seorae Island
From Dongjak Bridge, cycle along a green stretch.
Just off shore, three walking bridges (road view) span a carp-dwelling mote. They connect to the key-shaped Seorae Island (서래섬; aerial view), which rests in a groove on the south bank of the Han.
Construction workers created this artificial island when they built the Olympic Bridge (올림픽대교) in the 1980s.
This unfurnished isle presents willow trees, geese, and a springtime canola festival filled with yellow flowers and fluttering butterflies.
Warning! Leave your bike ashore. It’s not allowed.
Seorae Village
Smell that? Steaming baguettes. Here that? The sounds of an accordion drifting from inside the city.
Have time to spare? Take a ten minute, 1½ kilometer trip off path (directions) into the Seocho District. Discover a true oddity in Korea’s homogeneous broth: streets filled with expats, cafes, restaurants, and bakeries, all with French roots.
Seorae Village (서래마을) occupies a small hill in the Banpo Neighbrohood (반포동; Banpo-dong). It gained its character after the French School of Seoul (서울프랑스학교; Lycée français de Séoul) opened in 1985, which taught the children of French workers in Seoul.
Today almost half of Korea’s French live on Seorae’s streets. Local businesses cater to the discerning palates of these homesick souls, including:
- Baguette baking bakeries.
- Comfort cuisine from home.
- And Montmartre Park (몽마르트 공원). Yes, named after that famed Parisian spot.
Banpo’s Big Finale
Beyond Seorae Island, wind through Banpo Park’s waving bike road and arrive at two grassy slopes with stone-backs (road view).
Drop your bike in a nearby cradle and climb a meter tall mound. From here, view two of the Hangang Park System’s premier attractions.
Let’s start on the left and explore those three metal & glass behemoths floating on the Han River.
Visit Some Sevit during the day. You’ll discover three artificial islands with buildings molded like cubist, steel and glass flowers, tied to the river bed with metal cables. No “light.”
Come at night, however, and watch them bloom. Stroll the concrete walkways from shore and between islands. The buildings’ lights radiate rainbows of color into the Han River.
Opened in 2014, Some Sevit actually includes four structures.
- Gavit (가빛섬) is the largest island. (Outward tapered walls. On your left.) Four stories tall, it holds a convention center, restaurants, rooftop observatory, and more.
- Chavit (채빛섬) is the medium sized island. (Rounded top. On your right). A culture complex, buffet, and lounge occupy its three stories.
- Solvit (솔빛섬) is the smallest and farthest island. Its two stories offer a multi-purpose space for exhibitions. Its dock gives yacht tours and rents smaller crafts.
- Yevit (예빛섬) is a floating stage (far left) separate from the island group. Fixed to Banpo’s shore, its five LED screens display art when not hosting performances.
Some Sevit’s unique design and position on the Han made it a popular filming location, appearing in Korean dramas and Avengers: Age of Ultron.
Banpo Grand Bridge Fountain
Just right of Some Sevit, Banpo Grand Bridge Fountain (반포대교) traverses the Han.
Grand Fountain Bridge? Sounds like an official royal title. It deserves the prestige. Let’s glance at its resumé of superlatives:
- It’s the world’s longest fountain bridge.
- It’s the only double decker bridge along the Han.
Fountain Bridge
What is a fountain bridge?
Intakes suck 190 tons of river water a minute and spew a hundred distinct shapes through 308 jets mounted to the bridge’s top deck in choreographed, music-enhanced, twenty-minute water dance (video).
At night, like Some Sevit, the bridge tosses a colored light show into the package, making this corner of Banpo Hangang Park the most polychromatic spot on the Han.
Here’s the schedule:
- Weekdays: 12 PM, 2 PM, 4 PM, (6 PM Jul & Aug), 8 PM, 9 PM
- Weekends: 12 PM, 2 PM, 4 PM, 6 PM, (7 PM Jul & Aug), 8 PM, 9 PM, (10 PM Jul & Aug)
On the south side, sight seekers gather in Banpo’s courtyard. On the North Side, they crowd terraces under Gangbyeon Expressway (강변북로) in Ichon Hangang Park.
Double-Decker Bridge
Did you say double-decker bridge?
Yes. Opened in 2008, Banpo Grand Fountain Bridge sports an upper and lower deck.
- The top deck carries cars between the river’s upper banks.
- The bottom platform provides five traffic lanes: one for pedestrians, two for bikes, and two for vehicles (road view).
Bike lanes? Yes, Banpo Bridge’s bike lanes connect Seoul’s North and South Side bike paths, making it the pinnacle:
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Some bridges have ramps and elevators to help riders cross the Han River. But none have Banpo Bridge‘s (반포대교) unobstructed, direct access.
Want to change sides? Take a left onto Banpo Bridge (road view). Seven-hundred meters later, land in Ichon Hangang Park. A straight shot.
Hangang Park Fountains
The Hangang Park System holds seven fountains. Depending on the weather, most run every two hours, starting at noon. At night, light shows and music add spice to the fountains’ flare.
- Yeouido Floating Stage Water Fountain (물빛무대)
- Yeouido Park (South Side)
- 40 minutes
- 12 PM, 2 PM, [WKND: 4 PM, 6 PM], 7 PM, 8 PM, [Summer WKND: 9 PM]
- LED fountains and a multimedia show accompany the Yeouido Water Stage.
- Yeouido Waterlight Square Fountain (여의도물빛광장)
- Yeouido Park (South Side)
- 50 minutes
- 10 AM – 8 PM; Summer: 10 AM – 9 PM
- Splash fountain for kids. LEDs at night. Shaped like a star.
- Banpo Grand Bridge Fountain (반포대교)
- Banpo Park (South Side)
- 20 minutes
- 12 PM, 2 PM, 4 PM [WKND: 6 PM], [Aug & Jul WKND: 7 PM], 8 PM, 9 PM, [Aug & Jul WKND: 10 PM]
- 380 water jets spraying from the top deck, with music and LED accompaniment
- Nanji Mirror Fountain (거울분수)
- Nanji Park (North Side)
- 40 minutes
- 12 PM, 2 PM, [WKND: 4 PM, 6 PM], 7 PM, 8 PM, [Summer: 9 PM]
- 30-meter high fountain and reflecting pool. LEDs at night.
- Nanji Riverside Swimming Pool Fountain (물놀이장분수)
- Nanji Park (North Side)
- 40 minutes
- 12 PM, 2 PM, 4 PM, 6 PM, 7 PM, 8 PM
- Fountain installed on the edge of the riverside swimming pool.
- Ttukseom Music Fountain (뚝섬 음악분수)
- Ttukseom Park (North Side)
- 40 minutes
- 12 PM, 2 PM, [WKND: 4 PM, 6 PM], 7 PM, 8 PM, [Summer WKND: 9 PM]
- 30 by 15 meter fountain with movie scores and classical music accompaniment
- Ttukseom Water Screen (뚝섬 워터스크린)
- Ttukseom Park (North Side)
- 12 PM, 2 PM, [WKND: 4 PM, 6 PM], 7 PM, 8 PM, [Summer WKND: 9 PM]
- After sunset on holidays from 8 PM to 10 PM [Summer: 8:30 PM to 10:30 PM]
- A movie projected on a sprayed sheet of water
Seoul Express Bus Terminal
Banpo Bridge holds one more feature. Quick access to the Seoul Express Bus Terminal (서울고속버스터미널), which streams intercity buses out of Seoul.
Why is a bus terminal a feature attraction? If you need to get your bike from A to Z, with stops at M, E, and Q along the way, intercity buses are quick and ubiquitous everywhere.
To visit the terminal, ride up the south (bottom) mouth (road view) of Banpo Bridge. A little over a kilometer and you’re there (directions).
The End
Not crossing the Han or taking a bus? Sticking to the South Side? Pedal on.
Wait! We forgot to mention. Banpo Grand Fountain Bridge ends Banpo Hangang Park. Jamwon Hangang Park lies on the other side.
Jamwon Hangang Park
Jamwon Hangang Park (잠원한강공원) is the riverside park closest to Korea’s most famed and affluent district: Gangnam.
The park features fields and courts for sports, and lives near Seoul’s most walkable (not affordable) streets.
Let’s check out Gangnam’s style, then keep those legs churning.
Jamwon Park Profile
Jamwon Hangang Park (잠원한강공원) doesn’t boast home run landmarks like Yeouido or Banpo. Instead, you’ll find… a park. Ideally suited for the permanent class.
Open, grassy lawns for summer picnics. Purple-pink muhly grass in the fall. Soccer fields, swimming pools, and an inline skating rink for recreationists.
Jamwon Park does, however, earns its reputation for its access to a few affluent neighborhoods, including:
- Garosu Street (가로수길; Garosu-gil) — stretch of ginkgo-tree-lined road humming with vibrant cafes, designer stores, and art studios.
- Apgujeong Rodeo Street (압구정 로데오거리) — a net of money-paved, boutique loaded side streets named after the famed Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.
- Cheongdam Fashion Street (청담패션거리) — a major road featuring department stores and designer brands.
- K-Star Road (K스타로드) — oversized doll statues branded with famous K-Pop idols and bands.
Namesake
Jamwon claims its name from the Jamwon Neighborhood (잠원동), which rests on the eastern edge of the Seocho District, bordering Gangnam.
Filled with mulberry tree plantations, during the Joseon Dynasty, picky, fickle worms would dine on leaves then poop out the region’s riches: silk.
Today, from May to October, you can experience these critters and their cocoons in Jamwon Hangang Park.
Gangnam District
Oppan Gangnam Style!
Jamwon Hangang Park crosses the Gangnam District (강남구; Gangnam-gu), which translates to “South” (남; nam) “River” (강; gang).
While the district once claimed the whole eastern side of Seoul below the Han, Gangnam’s current slimmed down borders represent the height of money and status in Korea. You’ll find Lambo dealerships, upmarket brands, and gazillion won apartments.
Gangnam History
With every district south of the Han in Seoul, Gangnam plodded through much of Korea’s history as paddy fields, waterside villages, and ports.
But Gangnam holds a thimble full of historical landmarks.
- Monks founded Bongeunsa Temple (봉은사) in 794 during the Kingdom of Silla. Across from COEX Exhibition Center, the temple is an oasis of calm in the bustling district. Find a 23 meter (75 ft) tall Buddha and a lantern covered courtyard. Read more here.
- Joseon Dynasty rulers built Seonjeongneung Royal Tombs (서울선릉과정릉) in 1495 to keep the remains past kings and a queen. Inside the UNESCO World Heritage Site, rest perfected lawns and all the classic features of Joseon royal tombs. Read more here.
Transformation
60s Seoul had a people problem. Too many. Not enough room. So the government stretched its city limits south.
The southwestern became the new Yeongdeungpo District. And preexisting Seongdong District (성동구) ballooned across the Han and took the southeastern bit, where with Gangnam, Seocho, Songpa, and Gangdong Districts sit today.
Few Seoulites wanted to settle in the sinky, stinky marsh south of the river.
So beginning in 1966, to entice citizens south, Seoul built bridges (Hannam Bridge) and thoroughfares (Gyeongbu Expressway), connecting the old north to the new south.
Then the city threw up new apartments and moved the ministries of commerce and industry within Gangnam’s borders.
After ten years of hesitation, Seoulites spotted the advantages of a blank slate in which to build modern Korea. By the 1970s, Tehran Boulevard (테헤란로) exploded as one of Seoul’s most bustling business areas.
Sliced Gangnam
In 1975, Gangnam District’s population became too much. So Seoul chopped up the southeastern area into bits:
- 1975: Gangnam District separated from the northern Seongdong District (성동구). It claimed the entire eastern area of Seoul south of the Han.
- 1979: Gangdong District split from Gangnam to occupy the furthest eastern district.
- 1988: Seocho District left Gangnam to become its western neighbor.
- 1988: Songpa District split from Gangdong to become Gangnam’s eastern neighbor.
From west to east, Seocho, Gangnam, and Songpa create the Greater Gangnam Area, the three wealthiest districts in the nation.
The Wealth of the Nation
So Gangnam is rich. How rich?
In 2021:
- One square meter of apartment nationwide cost ₩4.1 million ($3,600)
- One square meter of apartment in Seoul cost ₩8.5 million ($7,500)
- One square meter of apartment in Gangnam cost ₩23 million ($20,300)
Let’s put it another way. Gangnam apartment costs:
- Four times Seoul’s average; already the most expensive Korean city.
- Five-and-a-half times the national average.
- More than a New York apartment ($15,900 per square meter).
Speculation Nation
How did South Korea’s real estate, the eleventh wealthiest nation, eclipse that of the wealthiest nation (U.S.A.)?
Many middle class Americans drop their extra dimes into the stock market. But in Korea — along with Japan and China — citizens view the markets with suspicion. Instead, family members pool their money to buy property.
They snatch up triple-valued, decades-old apartments, take out a loan against its value, and put a down payment on an unbuilt property. Bubblicious!
Upscale Digs
Gangnam District presents the nation’s flagship department stores, haute couture hoods, and boulevards.
Let’s glance at some highlights:
- Tehran Boulevard (테헤란로) forms the district’s business heart. Running through the middle of the Gangnam and Seocho, the road holds a hefty chunk of Korea’s venture capital and the headquarters for Samsung, Naver, Kakao, SK Hynix. Read more here.
- Starfield COEX Mall (코엑스) is a large underground mall. Its name comes from the COnvention & EXhibition Hall that sits atop it. A major shopping and social hub on Tehran Boulevard, the mall features the Starfield Library (별마당 도서관), COEX Aquarium (코엑스아쿠아리움), and Gangnam Style Statue. Read more here.
Apgujeong (압구정동) & Cheongdam (청담동) are adjacent neighborhoods on the northern edge of Gangnam. The Beverly Hills, the 5th Avenue, the Ginza of Seoul, they boast the city’s priciest real estate and ultra-rich focused shopping meccas.
Ride Jamwon Park
Ride under the Grand Fountain Bridge from Banpo Hangang Park. Welcome to Jamwon.
First thing to notice: Banpo’s trimmings. The bridge’s east side presents a courtyard and more twin brick-backed mounds (road view). Park patrons stand atop them and view the bridge’s water and light show.
A hundred meters down the bike road, an underpass near a bike rental station leads to Seoul Express Bus Terminal (road view).
Continue down Jamwon. Pass a playground, 24/7 store, and walking paths with wisp-topped, waving grass fields.
An intersection arrives 1½ kilometers down the path (road view).
- Turn right and meet an underpass leading to the Seocho District.
- Turn left to continue along the Hangang Bike Path in Jamwon.
Veer left and roll into Jamwon’s meaty middle.
A Jam-won Filled Center
Here come Jamwon Park’s recreational offerings.
Beyond a 24/7 store and floating coffee shop, a 3,000 capacity swimming pools (잠원수영장) shoves the bike path to the river bank’s edge.
Fiber Friends
A square of green pops into view after the chlorine wafts away. Among dirt roads, hedges, and trees, hangs a hut with a white worm on top (road view).
Some history.
Before becoming Gangnam’s river park, Jamwon Neighborhood planted clusters of mulberry trees which fed hordes of these little white worms. What did these critters give? Endless spindles of precious silk.
May through October, this nature center (자연학습장) lets young and old observe silkworms spin their silky threads and cocoons up close.
Hannam Bridge
Hop down the bike path to Hannam Bridge (한남대교; okay crossing point).
Cross under, leave the Seocho District, and enter Gangnam. As is tradition, hop off your bike and do a horsey dance.
The K-Pop Experience
K-Pop percolates through Gangnam. But not everyone possesses the time or K-addition to venture inland.
No worries. If you’re mildly curious, hop up the K-POP Experience Center (K-POP 체험관), perched on Hanam Bridge’s east (Gangnam) side (road view).
One of ten Han River Bridge observatories, this glass faced turret hosts a museum with the genre’s history and timeline, album covered walls, and a VR experience.
Not interested? From 3 PM to 9 PM, the tower also offers a café and observatory.
Garosu Street
More sports fields and courts occupy the Jamwon just beyond Hannam Bridge.
Up ahead, a T-intersection squeezed between a 24/7 store and basketball courts (road view) can carry to a famed artist enclave (directions).
In the early 2000s, Garosu Street (가로수길; Garosu-gil) filled with artists and small business fleeing rising rents in pricier parts of Gangnam and Seoul. They settled and opened shops along this 700 meter stretch of ginkgo tree-lined street, which flushes rustic vibrance come fall.
Today, shoppers stroll the Euro-tinged cafés, designer stores, and art studios, shoppers stroll Garosu’s major thoroughfare and eight side streets.
The Narrow Horn of Jamwon
While Banpo Hangang Park blossoms near its end, Jamwon’s flashes then fades.
From near Hannam Bridge, bike east by soccer fields. Glide by a pair of restaurant and café piers tied to the river banks (road view).
Jamwon Park wedges shut just before Dongho Bridge (동호대교; good crossing point).
Follow the bike road for four kilometers as it bends around a horn in the river (directions). Olympic Boulevard’s embankment presses the path against the water’s edge.
Apgujeong Graffiti Tunnel
A few hundred meters after the darkened underbelly of Seongsu Bridge (성수대교; okay crossing point), find and a nondescript underpass (road view)… at least from the outside.
While much of Seoul’s city walls remain untainted by art heathens, the Apgujeong Graffiti Tunnel (압구정나들목) proudly displays its hip tats. Depending on who tagged last, you might spot cubist forms, zig-zag titles, and portraits of De Niro.
Oh, and the tunnel is a tunnel. Ride it and discover the priciest shopping neighborhoods in Korea.
Two Fancy Hoods
Apgujeong (압구정동) and Cheongdam (청담동) Neighborhoods rest side-by-side on Gangnam’s northern horn, poking the banks of the Han River.
This prosperous pair create Korea’s Beverly Hills, 5th Avenue, Champs-Élysées. Money flows in. Money flows out. And gentrifies middle-class and below.
Between Apgujeong and Cheongdam rest a trio of shopping and gawking spots that embody their monied lifestyles.
Apgujeong Rodeo
A cross stitch of intersecting roads shape Apgujeong Rodeo Street (압구정 로데오거리) on the border of Apgujeong and Cheongdam (directions; 1.1 km).
Rodeo? Like Beverly Hills? Yes. It borrows Rodeo Drive’s name and attitude from California’s black platinum prestige credit card shopping district. However, Korea’s Rodeo hosts small shops that cater to customers with big accounts.
Cheongdam Fashion Street
Like Apgujeong Rodeo, Cheongdam Fashion Street (청담패션거리) runs along Apgujeong Road (압구정로) between Apgujeong and Cheongdam (directions; 600 meters).
What’s it known for? Cartier. Prada. Gucci. [Insert name of European luxury brand.]
Twin Galleria Department Stores (EAST & WEST) mark the thoroughfare’s center. Beauty shops, plastic surgery clinics, and more celebrities serving boutiques radiate outwards.
K-Star Road
K-Star Road (K스타로드) occupies the same territory as Cheongdam Fashion Street, on Apgujeong Road (directions; 700 m).
Like the Walk of Fame in Hollywood, K-Star Road presents celebrity paraphernalia placed in public places.
But K-Star doesn’t do gold stars. Instead, discover three-meter tall GangnamDol statues branded with the names of famous K-Pop personas: BTS, AOA, Girl’s Generation.
Yeongdong Bridge
Jamwon’s final bit mirrors previous kilometers: a bike path clinging to ground between a grassy embankment and the Han River.
Just up ahead, Yeongdong Bridge (영동대교) marks the end of Jamwon.
The Ttukseom Stamp
To receive credit for completing the Hangang Bicycle Path, you just need to snag the Yeouido and Gwangnaru Bicycle Park Certification Center stamps on the South Side.
But, are you a completionist? Want to collect every bike passport stamp? You’re going to need to cross the river and grab the Ttukseom Observatory Complex Certification Center stamp.
And Yeongdong Bridge provides a terrific:
Yeongdong Bridge connects Jamwon with Ttukseom Hangang Park on the North Side.
To cross, follow a ramp on the bridge’s east side to its main deck (road view). On the North Side, stairs land on the bike path (road view).
To get Ttukseom’s inky delight, slide east from Yeongdong Bridge on the North Side until you reach a fork (directions; 1.2 km). Find that glorious red booth at the top of the split (road view).
North Side
North Side
- Bike Passport Page 14
- Certification Center: ❌
- Passport store: ❌
After you slap the stamp in your bike passport, you’ve got two options.
- Cross back over Yeongdong Bridge and keep riding the South Side.
- Or cycle a bit of the North Side, see J-Bug Culture Complex, then cross south at Jamsil Railroad Bridge (directions).
What do you recommend? This is the South Side guide. Retrace your wheel divot back over Yeongdong Bridge and continue into Jamsil Hangang Park.
Jamsil Hangang Park
Jamsil Hangang Park (잠실한강공원) wedges between Jamwon and Gwangnaru Hangang Parks along the near the Songpa District in southeastern Seoul.
The riverside park sits near several of the mega-city’s major recreational landmarks:
Let’s peep the region. Then head out on a ride.
Jamsil Park Profile
Jamsil Hangang Park is one of the riverside park system’s smaller offerings.
You can find typical park fare, like swimming pools, basketball, volleyball, and badminton courts; and some more interesting notables, like a fish bridge that bypasses a river weir.
Let’s take a peak at the park’s namesake, then explore the district that holds the park.
Namesake
Jamsil Park gets its name from Jamsil Neighborhood (잠실동).
Like Jamwon a few kilometers to the west, silk-producing worms earned the neighborhood its reputation. In fact, its name translates to silkworm (잠; /jam/) room (실; /shēl/).
Today Jamsil comprises six neighborhoods that rival any bustling enclave in Seoul.
Songpa District
Jamsil Hangang Park plods through both Gangnam and Songpa Districts. We covered the almighty Gangnam above. Let’s look closer at the latter.
Songpa District (송파구) is the third and latest in the trio of districts — Seocho, Gangnam, Songpa — dubbed “Greater Gangnam.”
Like the others, money and status rule Songpa. Unlike the others, Songpa’s past runs deep.
The First of Three Kingdoms
Until the dawn of the Common Era (CE), tribes divided the Korean peninsula into territorial plots.
Legend has it, the northern Kingdom of Goguryeo (고구려; 37 BCE ~ 668 ACE) had three princes: Yuri (유리왕), Biryu (비류), and Onjo (온조왕). Yuri, the oldest, was heir to the throne.
Desiring a kingdom of their own, Biryu and Onjo traveled south and established their domains along the Han River’s path.
Biryu set roots in present-day Incheon, naming his settlement Michuhol (미추홀). Onjo plopped down in the southeastern part of today’s Seoul. He called his capital Wiryeseong (위례성).
Wiryeseong’s soil, enriched by the Han’s frequent flooding, provided bountiful harvests. Near Incheon, the Yellow Sea, which often back washed upriver, poisoned Michuhol’s fields.
Biryu traveled to Wiryeseong and, tears in his eyes, humble words trembling from his lips, asked for his brother’s help.
Kidding! Biryu demanded his younger brother’s throne. Onjo declined. Biryu declared war.
The battle didn’t last long. Wiryeseong’s food surplus filled Onjo’s troop’s bellies and strengthened their arms. Michuhol empty bowls bred weak morale and “Low-T” energy.
After his army’s defeat, Biryu committed face-saving suicide.
Onju cemented his new kingdoms and dubbed it Baekje (백제) after the one hundred (백;/l /ba̅ek/) royal vassals that followed him to south to Wiryeseong.
Baekje held power over the southwestern third of the Korean peninsula for hundreds of years (18 BCE ~ 660 ACE) and was the first kingdom to control the Han River.
Capital Claims
Few documents remain from this two-thousand year old civilization.
During Korea’s Three Kingdoms period (37 BCE~935 ACE), the Han River changed hands four times. Each war and regime change obscured our lens into the past.
So archaeologists aren’t sure where Wiryeseong sat. Scientists found artifacts on both sides of the Han River, fueling theories that the capital moved locations several times.
Therefore, many districts along bottom half of the Han claim Baekje as a part of their lineage, including:
To win the passive fame claim, Songpa may have the ace-in-the-hole. A pair of aces, actually. Two of the most prominent Baekje ruins:
Archaeologists view them as key military installations for the defense of Wiryeseong. Each contained scores of Baekje artifacts and pottery. Both sit in Songpa.
River Redux
Travel back a hundred years. Songpa would be unrecognizable. Why? The area where Jamsil Neighborhood loiters today used to be an island.
At the neighborhood’s eastern tip, the Han River split in two.
- Folks called the north path Sincheon River (신천강). It flowed west, matching the Han’s path today.
- The southern branch, known as the Songpa River (송파강), turned south, flowed deep into Songpa, then veered right and rejoined the Sincheon River.
This southern river formed the main course of the old Han. But today Seokchon Lake (석촌호수), where Lotte World’s Magic Island bobs, is all that remains.
What happened?
A Great Flood & Intervention
In 1925, a typhoon and heavy downpour beset Korea. Like a bee chugging a gallon of milk, the sudden influx of H2O:
- Killed 647 people.
- Eradicated thousands of houses and farm fields.
- And altered the course of the river.
Yes, while past Han floods shifted a couple silty sand bars, this Great Flood (을축년 대홍수) redirected the waterway’s main primary path. Like a railroad switch, it weakened the south Songpa River and strengthened the northern Sincheon River.
In the 1970s, the Han River and Greater Gangnam Area underwent a major facelift. To make the riverside safe for permanent development, engineers:
- Dredged the Han’s riverbed to fix its path.
- Built weirs or water gates to regulate flow.
- Reclaimed land from the river.
Reclaimed? Like filled it in with dirt? Yes.
Look at a map of Songpa. You’ll find the pinned in Tan Stream (탄천) and Seokchon Lakes (석촌호수). No Songpa River. No Jamsil Island.
Dance for Your Riches
Before evaporating into history, Songpa River hosted Songpa Port (송파나루). It was a strategic node along the Great Yeongnam Road (영남대로), the ancient highway that connected Hanseong (한성; Seoul) to Dongae (동래; Busan).
The port pumped out Mario-loads of gold coins by storing and distributing the kingdom’s goods.
To celebrate its wealth, the nearby town birthed the Songpa Sandaenori (송파산대놀이), a type of talchum (탈춤) or traditional Korean mask dance.
Before the performance, actors slipped on costumes and paraded around the village playing instruments. This cleansed the town of evil spirits and advertised the upcoming show. Then they marched back to the performance area, danced and held communal rituals.
Going for the Gold
Seoul had plans for Songpa long before it became a district in 1988.
In the early 1980s, Korea won bidding wars to hold the 1986 Asian Games and 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics. Seoul designated Songpa the central location for both international events.
This exploded development in the soon-to-be district.
Besides improving transportation to the region by constructing Olympic Bridge (올림픽대교) and Olympic Boulevard (올림픽대로), the capital created two pride-of-a-nation facilities:
- Jamsil Sports Complex (잠실종합운동장; a.k.a. Seoul Sports Complex) rests along the Han River in the northwestern tip of Songpa. Still used by Korea’s national baseball, basketball, and football (soccer) leagues, the complex’s nine facilities hosted the 1986 Asian and 1988 Summer Olympic Games. Read more here.
- Olympic Park (올림픽공원) was created for the 1988 Games. Covering over a million square meters, the park housed six Olympic venues and dozens of sports, from track cycling to gymnastics. Now open to the public, visitors stroll around the Baekje’s Mongchon Fortress (몽촌토성), visit museums, and grab glorious sculptures pics. Read more here.
Lotte Domination
The Lotte Corporation ranks 5th among Korea’s largest chaebols (재벌), family owned conglomerates that include Samsung and Hyundai.
Visit their headquarters in the Songpa district, however, and you’ll assume they run this town.
While Samsung and Hyundai make their fortunes in hidden factories and faceless office towers, Lotte Corporation generates cash from retail and entertainment.
So Lotte needs visibility. Lotte needs prestige. Visit two oversized square blocks in the heart of Songpa and you’ll find:
- Lotte Tower (롯데월드타워) opened in 2017. Measuring 555 meter tall (1,821 ft) with 123 floors, the building is Korea’s tallest (fifth highest globally). Inside its bulging facade inspired by Korean ceramics, discover 120+ story observation decks, apartments, a hotel, and businesses.
- Lotte World (롯데월드) is the world’s largest indoor theme park. Over a skating rink and under a giant dome, kiddie rides buzz. The park extends onto Magic Island (매직아일랜드), an artificial, open-air island on Seokchon Lake.
- Lotte World Mall (롯데월드몰) is a 244,000 square meter retail space opened in 2014. It’s 11-story main building holds a mall, movie theater, concert hall, and more. A separate 8-story structure hosts designer brands for shoppers unfamiliar with the word “budget.”
Ride Jamsil Park
Jamsil Hangang Park starts where Jamon ended: Yeongdong Bridge (영동대교; excellent crossing point).
Cycle the narrow bike path between embankment and river. Under Cheongdam Bridge (청담대교; impossible to cross), spot two Seoul skyline fixtures (road view):
- Jamsil Olympic Stadium — the flagship stadium for the ‘88 Summer Olympics
- Lotte World Tower — Korea’s tallest building, rising 123-stories
Fork at the Tan Stream
Ride into a patch of green. Above, the on and off ramps of Olympic Boulevard and Dongbu Expressway (동부간선도로) perform the overpass merging ritual.
Hold your wheels!
A fork in the road (road view) comes just before the Tan Stream (탄천).
- Turn right and you’ll follow the Tan Stream Bike Road (탄천자전거길), a 34 kilometer long path (directions) that weaves into Gyeonggi Province’s Seongnam City.
- Turn left and continue on the Hangang Bike Path into Jamsil Park.
Last Call, Gangnam
Have time for a detour? Turn right at the fork (road view). It’s your last chance to thump Gangnam’s bustling heart.
Follow the Tan Stream for 700 meters and ascend stairs to Tehran Boulevard (테헤란로), the neural center of Korea’s business life (directions; 1.3 km).
On this major thoroughfare stands Korea’s major tech headquarters — Samsung, Naver, Kakao SK Hynix. The boulevard’s sightseeing highlights include:
- Starfield COEX Mall (코엑스) — famous underground mall with insta-worthy library, aquarium, and Gangnam Style Statue.
- Bongeunsa Temple (봉은사) — ancient Buddhist temple across from COEX with a 23 meter (75 ft) tall Buddha and a lantern covered courtyard.
- Seonjeongneung Royal Tombs (서울선릉과정릉) — a 1495 UNESCO World Heritage Site holding the remains of Joseon-era kings and a queen.
Over the Tan
No time for a detour? Turn right at the fork (road view). Cross the Tan Stream on a low bridge between Olympic Boulevard overpasses. Land in the Songpa District.
Turn left and bend around a bend until you rejoin the Han. Cycle past a helipad, sports fields.
Come upon a floating restaurant and stop! Glance right, down a courtyard.
Jamsil Sports Complex
Over an underpass, rises the lumbering frame of Korea’s largest sports venue: Seoul Olympic Stadium. Peep the torch-topped spire beside (road view).
The stadium crowns the Jamsil Sports Complex (잠실종합운동장), which includes eight other buildings clustered near the intersection of the Han River and Tan Stream (aerial view)
Built for the ‘86 Asian and ‘88 Summer Olympics, each venue remains active today. Four host professional sports teams.
- Seoul Olympic Stadium (올림픽주경기장; 69,950 seats), the main Olympic stadium, is home pitch for the Seoul E-Land Football Club of the Korean Football (Soccer) League.
- Jamsil Baseball Stadium (잠실야구장; 25,000 seats) houses the Korean Baseball Organization’s LG Twins.
- Jamsil Arena (잠실실내체육관; 11,069 seats) is home court for Seoul Samsung Thunders of the Korean Basketball League.
- Jamsil Gymnasium (잠실학생체육관; 6,229 seats) hosts Esports championships and the Seoul SK Knights of the Korean Basketball League.
That underpass at the bottom of the courtyard dives under Olympic Boulevard and leads to the Olympic Stadium’s toes (road view).
Middle Jamsil
Hop back on the bike path and pedal to Jamsil Hangang Park’s center.
Beyond parking lots, arrive at a second dock. These double piers host the Jamsil E-Land Cruise (잠실 이랜드크루즈), a smaller operation compared to Yeouido Hangang Park. (Maybe defunct.)
The next five park blocks present an assemblage of Hangang Park staples: dirt field, swimming pools, garden with dirt walkways, and children’s playground.
Beside campgrounds for day-tenters (캠핑장), a concrete slipway curves into the Han River under Jamsil Bridge.
Jamsil Bridge
Pause a bit to scan Jamsil Bridge (잠실대교; a good crossing point).
When the water runs low, near its pillar supports, an embankment rises from the river’s surface (road view). Curving sheets of water cascade over top.
Glance to the far (north) end of Jamsil Bridge. Spot six concrete towers topped with windowed shacks (road view). Five gates dip in the water below.
If you haven’t noticed, this ain’t your typical “Point A to Point B” bridge. In order to calm the Han River’s floods and dry lulls, Seoul City dredged the riverbed and installed weirs (water gates) below two bridges.
- Gimpo Bridge (김포대교) — built in 1997
- Jamsil Bridge (잠실대교) — bridge built in 1972; weir built in 1986
Those six towers on Jamsil’s north end raise and lower their water gates, regulating the amount of wet stuff up and downstream.
Jamsil Fish Way
Wait. Wouldn’t a giant water gate block migrating little fishies?
Ah. That’s why engineers installed the Jamsil Fish Way (잠실 물고기길).
Also known as a fish ladder, this series of low steps stretches 228 meters at the bridge’s south end to help 31 native fish species hop upstream, avoiding the weir’s strong currents and bulky barriers.
Beside Jamsil Fish Way, the city dropped a viewing deck and educational signage (road view). A great learning spot for elementary kiddos.
Songpa Art Floor
Jamsil Bridge holds yet another trick amongst its roadway. The Songpa Art Floor Observatory (송파예술마루) clings to the bridge’s southeast run (road view).
A Han River Bridge Observatory, this glass faced tower presents an art museum, convenience store, and observatory from 9 AM to 5 PM.
The World of Lotte
By now, it’s difficult to ignore that 555.7 meter (1,823 ft) sky poker on the horizon.
Got spare time? Another detour, here we come.
Climb a ramp on the southwest edge of Jamsil Bridge (road view) and ride 1.2 kilometers into the city (directions).
Arrive at two blocks and a pair of lakes dominated by one of Korea’s most successful family owned conglomerates, or chaebols (재벌): the Lotte Corporation.
In the west block, find Lotte World (롯데월드), the world’s largest indoor theme park. It buzzes over a skating rink, under a giant dome. Outside, a walking bridge extends to Magic Island (매직아일랜드) on Seokchon Lake (석촌호수).
The ceramic inspired, 123-story façade of Lotte World Tower‘s (롯데월드타워) rises in the eastern Lotte block. Check the building’s registry and you’ll find apartments, businesses, and an observation deck occupying the top six floors.
Lotte World Mall (롯데월드몰) squats below Lotte World Tower. Find many branded Korean and international merch in its 11-story retail space.
Before you pedal out, drop by Lotte Department Store or Lotte Mart. Pick up some Lotte chocolate. Scarf a burger at Lotteria. Catch a flick at Lotte Cinema. Or go apartment hunting at Lotte Castle.
Jamsil Railroad Bridge
Get back on the bike path. From Jamsil Bridge, roll past Fish Way and up a gentle embankment. Ride along strolling paths spotted with flowers.
Down the embankment, once more we arrive at a fork in the bike path (road view).
- Turn left to continue on the South Side bike path.
- Turn right and ascend to Jamsil Railroad Bridge. A perfect:
Besides Banpo Grand Fountain Bridge, Jamsil Railroad Bridge (잠실철교) offers the quickest path across the Han River.
Fly up the ramp, cycle the designated bike lane, and roll into Ttukseom Hangang Park on the North Side.
Jamsil Railroad Bridge transits three and a half vehicle types:
- A one-way, northbound lane for cars.
- Seoul Subway Line 2 tracks.
- Bike and foot paths.
Jamsil Railroad Bridge also leads to Dong Seoul (East Seoul) Bus Terminal (동서울종합터미널) on the North Side. Along with the express terminal near Banpo Park, this terminal is one Korea’s busiest intercity bus hubs, offering cross-nation travel for cyclists.
Jamsil Park’s End
Not switching to the North Side. Take a right at the fork (road view) and dip under Jamsil Railroad Bridge, Jamsil Hangang Park’s end.
Welcome to Gwangnaru Hangang Park, the Hangang Park System’s closing credits.
Gwangnaru Hangang Park
Gwangnaru Hangang Park (광나루한강공원) is Seoul’s largest, longest, and easternmost riverside park.
Known for natural beauty and bicycle park, the law protects Gwangnaru’s waters and marshy underbelly from dumping and development, making it a haven for riverside reeds and migratory birds.
Gwangnaru Park Profile
The largest and longest in Seoul’s riverside park system, Gwangnaru Hangang Park spans two districts: Songpa and Gangdong. It features three unique attractions:
- A pair of eco parks
- A bicycle park with eccentric rentals
- It sits near Seoul’s oldest archaeological treasure.
Let’s learn about the park’s namesake, then a bit about the area.
Namesake
Gwangnaru Hangang Park gets its name from Gwang Port (광나루) or Gwang (광) Naru (나루; port), one of Joseon Dynasty era’s five major ports.
Some historians posit that the Kingdom of Baekje used the port to connect its riverside fortresses during the heated Three Kingdom’s period. During the Joseon period, the king appointed a naval officer to protect Gwangnaru’s important ferry crossing.
In 1936, Gwangjin Bridge (광진교) rose and shoved Gwangnaru Port into history’s oblivion.
Gangdong District
Most of Gwangnaru Hangang Park falls inside the Gangdong District (강동구).
Gangdong first came into Seoul’s possession when the northern Seongdong District (성동구) swept across the Han in 1963. Gangnam broke away from Seongdong in 1975. And Gangdong split from Gangnam in 1979.
Gangdong’s name can translate to River (강) East (동). Fitting. The district is Seoul’s easternmost. And it rests on the river.
Let’s have a quick history lesson.
Gangdong History
Yeah, yeah. Other districts have DeEp HiStOrY.
- Songpa District held the Kingdom of Baekje (백제; 18 BCE ~ 660 ACE).
- Jongno and Jung Districts formed the two halves of Hanseong (한성), the capital of the Joseon Dynasty (조선; 1392 ACE ~ 1897 ACE).
Gangdong does one better: the Amsa Prehistoric Site (암사선사주거지), the most significant prehistoric settlement discovered on the Korean peninsula.
So how did archeologists discover the site?
A River Wild
As discussed before, the Han was wild. Seasonal changes, rain and snowfall generated extreme changes in the river’s flow. Sudden influxes of water shifted the waterway’s silty underbelly, flooding some areas, drying out others.
In the past, Gangdong lay tied on the river’s railroad tracks. Fast floods often breach its flat riverside regions. Towns washed away. Only farmland suited its soil.
Until the 1980s, water’s edge neighborhoods like Pungnap (풍납동), some citizens made their commutes on DIY rafts during monsoon season.
The Great Flood
Like living Pompeii, in time this rascally waterway would pull the trigger.
As we learned above, in 1925 a convergence of a typhoon and downpours filled the Han River to capacity. This led two to massive floods that swiped almost every riverside structure in Seoul.
The flood killed hundreds and reshaped the river’s path. But it also revealed bits of ancient pottery in Gangdong’s Amsa Neighborhood.
Fays after, a few scientists poked around the site in Amsa. They guesstimated the pottery held untold history in its clay engravings.
However, Korea lacked the resources to perform a proper excavation. It still had to pass through Japanese Occupation, WWII, and the Korean War’s total devastation.
Amsa Prehistoric Site
Archaeologists finally got their chisels and brushes on the Amsa site in 1957. Subsequent excavations in the decades after yielded extraordinary findings.
The site contained three layers of history:
- On top sat jars, tombs, and axes from the Kingdom of Baekje (백제; 18 BCE ~ 660 ACE), one of the first kingdoms that settled the Han River basin.
- One layer below, scientists found earthenware, arrowheads, and weaving tools (가락바퀴) from the Bronze Age (3300 BCE ~ 1200 BCE).
- The bottom layer held 6,000 year-old comb pattern pottery.
Six thousand years old? Yep. The Neolithic Period (Stone Age). Older than the Pyramids of Giza (2600 BCE).
Further excavations found the outlines of one of the first permanent human settlements along the Han River. The complex included:
- A network of thirty pits dug into the soil where thatch huts once stood.
- A rock furnace in the middle of the settlement with traces of burnt charcoal.
- Earthenware pottery, grinding stones, spears, stone axes, and arrowheads.
Today, these pit houses and artifacts sit inside the Amsa Prehistoric Site’s first exhibition hall. The second hall holds multimedia exhibits. And outside you’ll find a recreated Neolithic village, thatch huts and all.
Eco City
Gangdong doesn’t hold the abundant affluence of the western Great Gangnam Districts. However, it plays its hand well.
Over the past couple decades, Gangdong rebranded itself as an eco-city. It created a portfolio of projects and edicts that increased green space and decreased sprawl.
- Most apartments in the province feature an adjacent garden and park.
- The government cleared paths for greenways along major roads, adding natural choruses of frogs and other wild creatures.
- The district removed concrete embankments from Godeok Stream (고덕천) and allowed wetland habitats to retake the space.
In 2012, Seoul passed an ordinance that promoted urban agriculture. Gangdong took the resources and seeded seven city-bound gardens that produce fresh produce for its citizens.
Check out this English-language map of Gangdong for the district’s highlights.
Ride Gwangnaru Park
Welcome to the final Hangang Park in Seoul. Starting from Jamsil Railroad Bridge, cross over the Seongnae Stream (성내천) and roll a hundred yards down path.
Here lies another fork (road view).
- Steer left (or straight) to continue on the Hangang Path in Gwangnaru.
- Hang a right to jump on the Seongnae Stream Bike Path (성내천자전거길), which winds six kilometers into the Songpa District (directions).
Olympic Park
Sun still in the sky? Time for another itinerary-shredding detour!
Steer right and rumble down Seongnae Stream for two kilometers (directions). Find at a footbridge (road view) that leads to Olympic Park (올림픽공원).
This 1.4 square kilometer park — Korea’s second largest in a city — contains more than a few walking paths and benches. Like the Jamsil Sports Complex down the way, it held venues for the ’88 Summer Olympics in Seoul.
Because Olympic Park covers such a massive plot, designers clustered its key features into west, middle, and east regions (map).
East Olympic Park
In the park’s east, Seoul built six buildings to host various Olympic events, including:
- KSPO DOME (체조경기장) — main gymnastics facility.
- Swimming Pool (수영장)
- Velodrome (올팍축구장) — hosted cycling events.
- Tennis Courts (테니스경기장)
- Handball Gymnasium (핸드볼경기장)
- Woori Financial Art Hall (우리금융아트홀) — weightlifting arena.
Today, sports events take place in half of these buildings. The city converted the others into venues for E-sports championships, concerts, and operas.
West Olympic Park
Arts and culture facilities fill the western regions of Olympic Park. Find history and art museums, and an outdoor sculpture park.
- World Peace Gate (세계평화의문) is Olympic Park’s most photographed landmark. Designed by a Korean artist, four pillars ascend 24-meter and prop up two soaring wings. Murals depict phoenix, turtle, tiger, and dragon.
- SOMA Museum of Art (소마미술관) features an indoor exhibition hall and the world’s most extensive outdoor sculpture park. Half of the 200 sculptures stand near SOMA. The remaining scatter around Olympic Park.
- Seoul Olympic Museum (서울올림픽기념관) preserves artifacts and teaches visitors about the ‘88 Olympics.
Central Olympic Park
The middle part of the park cuddles next to Mongchon Lake (몽촌호). Known for expansive lawns and flower gardens, the region’s highlight, Mongchon Fortress (몽촌토성), hides under walking paths and Sunday strollers.
The fortress’s 2.7 kilometer earthen remains defended Wiryeseong (위례성), the ancient Baekje (백제) capital, one of Korea’s foundation kingdoms, a millennium and a half ago.
Before the Olympics, archeologists excavated artifacts from Mongchon and preserved them in a pair of nearby museums:
- Seoul Baekje Museum (한성백제박물관) shows historical Baekje pieces found in the park. Other exhibits present Seoul’s prehistory.
- Mongchon Museum of History (몽촌역사관) displays models of the Mongchon and nearby Pungnapto Fortresses.
Olympic Bridge
Back to the fork in Gwangnaru (road view). Take a left.
Ride by wetlands with a tree and hanging branch detour. Seven hundred meters further, Olympic Bridge (올림픽대교) approaches.
Pause. Admire the bridge’s 24 cables radiating from fou pyramid aligned pillars (road view).
Civil engineers planned for the bridge to connect north Seoul to Olympic Park and Jamsil Sports Complex for the ’88 Summer Olympics. It would have sped spectators to and from competition venues.
However, Olympic Bridge was Korea’s first attempt at a cable-stayed bridge.
Cable-stay bridges require less time and money. But, they’re complex. In Korea and the wide world, the cable-stay design became popular only with advanced computer modeling and construction techniques.
And though the 80s had some pretty sweet synth pop, the device in your hand possesses more 1101011 crunch power than any mega-machine back then.
A series of setbacks and a partial bridge collapse delayed the Olympic Bridge’s opening until November… 1989.
Today, come nightfall, golden lights flare silvery flames in the bridge’s crowning caldron, reminding Seoulites of their rise from post-war destitution to Olympic host nation in a few remarkable decades.
Gwangjin Bridge
Let’s continue our ride upriver, deeper into Gwangnaru Park.
On your left, walking paths and trees accompany the Han River. A gentle green slope pushes noisy Olympic Boulevard away from the cycle and walking roads.
A kilometer later, find an underpass hiding between two embankments (road view). It leads (directions) to another historic Baekje site: Pungnapto Fortress (풍납토성).
Bridge Buddies
In Gwangnaru, spin under trees dripping with stringy green and pass sports fields. Arrive at a pair of bridges lying 200 meters apart (aerial view).
Cheonho, the first bridge, boasts a wide deck and provides a good crossing point. But the older Gwangjin Bridge offers an awesome:
Riverview 8th Avenue
Hop down the Gwangjin Bridge’s west side. Midway, spot a wide arch topped with solar panels (road view). Step under it, walk down a flight of stairs, and discover the last Han River Bridge Observatory.
The three leveled Riverview 8th Avenue (광진교 8번가) clings to the Gwangjin Bridge’s underbelly (road view), suspended over the rushing Han River.
Inside lives a small concert space, mandatory café, and viewing platform
Gwangnaru Bike Park
In the eastern shadow of Gangjin Bridge swarms Gwangnaru Bicycle Park and it’s Mos Eisley cantina of bikes.
What’s a “bicycle park?”
While every other Hangang Park loans out your boring old two-wheels-and-a-seat, Gwanganru’s rental center (자전거대여소) loans 36 different pedal powered contraptions:
- sideways moving
- wind powered
- couple facing tandems
- toilet attached
- tired, old normies
Where can you ride these beautiful monstrosities? A few unique riding areas:
- BMX arena (BMX경기장) with 370 meters of concrete waves and sweet jumps.
- Scaled down training course for kids and tots.
- Twin courtyards for riders to spin about.
The fun doesn’t stop there, however. Folded into this bikers paradise, find:
- An inline skate rink (인스케이트장) for foot-wheeled folks.
- Skateboard park with quarter pipes for cube gleamers.
- Hangang Drone Park (한강드론공원) for remote flyers.
- And your park-typical playground, rec fields, and swimming pools.
What’s the most important part of Gwangnaru Bike Park? A little red phone booth that sits path side beneath a shady tree (road view).
Want to cross to the north side? Take the off ramp on the east side of Gwangjin Bridge (road view). Climb a ramp to the east, bike-only lane.
(The western ramp (road view) leads to a pedestrian only path.
On the north side, spiral down another ramp into the end of Ttukseom Hangang Park (road view).
Gwangnaru Bike Park
In the eastern shadow of Gangjin Bridge swarms Gwangnaru Bicycle Park and it’s Mos Eisley cantina of bikes.
What’s a “bicycle park?”
While every other Hangang Park loans out your boring old two-wheels-and-a-seat, Gwanganru’s rental center (자전거대여소) loans 36 different pedal powered contraptions:
- sideways moving
- wind powered
- couple facing tandems
- toilet attached
- tired, old normies
Where can you ride these beautiful monstrosities? A few unique riding areas:
- BMX arena (BMX경기장) with 370 meters of concrete waves and sweet jumps.
- Scaled down training course for kids and tots.
- Twin courtyards for riders to spin about.
The fun doesn’t stop there, however. Folded into this bikers paradise, find:
- An inline skate rink (인스케이트장) for foot-wheeled folks.
- Skateboard park with quarter pipes for cube gleamers.
- Hangang Drone Park (한강드론공원) for remote flyers.
- And your park-typical playground, rec fields, and swimming pools.
What’s the most important part of Gwangnaru Bike Park? A little red phone booth that sits path side beneath a shady tree (road view).
- Bike Passport Page 14
- Certification Center: ❌
- Passport store: ❌
Lady of Domi of the Han
Amongst the riverside, hanging green rests a boat with a copper-colored wire frame. It depicts “The Story of the Lady of Domi” (도미 부인 설화).
According to legend, during the Three Kingdoms, to his palace a Baekje king invited Lady Domi, the wife of Dommi, a commoner. He heard stories of her beauty and loyalty. He wanted to abuse his power test her fidelity.
Lady Domi escaped the king’s coercions and fled to the Han River. A boat appeared and carried her back to her husband.
Where did this tale happen? On the banks of Gwangnaru Hangang Park.
Amsa Prehistoric Site
A parking lot marks the end of Gwangnaru Bike Path. Along its far border, a T-intersection (road view) leads into the city.
Got time? Must detour!
Mozy a kilometer into the Gangdong District (directions). You’ll unearth the Amsa Prehistoric Site (암사선사주거지) on the other side of Olympic Boulevard.
In 1925, a great flood hit the Han River and washed away thousands of years of topsoil, revealing an ancient village.
After the Korean War (1950~1953) and an economic recovery, archeologists took to the site with chisels and brushes. They discovered three eras of Korean civilization:
- On top, jars, tombs, and axes from the Kingdom of Baekje (백제; 18 BCE ~ 660 ACE).
- One layer below, earthenware and tools from the Bronze Age (3300 BCE ~ 1200 BCE).
- On bottom, a 6,000-year-old village from the Neolithic Period or Stone Age.
A full-scale model of this Neolithic village occupies the park’s outdoors. It recreates the circular design of the settlement, with thatched huts radiating from a central, communal furnace.
Curators built a museum around the shallow pits where the real huts once stood. Exhibits preserve and present pottery, tools, and arrowheads found alongside.
Double the Eco Parks, Double the Fun
Back in Gwangnaru Hangang Park, past all the recreational trimmings lay a pair of ecological parks.
These twin sets of protected wetlands gain their names from the neighborhoods in which they reside: Amsa (암사동) and Godeok (고덕동).
They also hold the final six kilometers of Hangang Bicycle Path in Seoul (directions), ending at Hanam City’s border.
Amsa Eco Park
Past the parking lot, north of the certification center, Amsa Eco Park begins.
An access road spits you onto Seoul’s most rural stretch. On your left flash the uncontrolled reeds and wild flowers. Olympic Boulevard rides an embankment on your right.
As the river bends to the right, the minimal, middle arch of Guri Amsa Bridge (구리암사대교; good crossing point) leaps over the tall grass and into view.
Dip below its swirling on and off ramps (road view).
Amsa Pass
Under the Guri Amsa Bridge’s curling overpass, your pedals morph into lead. It’s not your imagination.
The last forty kilometers of bike path maintained a comfortable 0° incline… Until now.
Welcome to the Amsa Pass (암사고개; aerial view), the steepest incline on Seoul’s South Side bike path.
The next 1.3 kilometers (directions) cross an unavoidable hill along the Han River, taking the riders from 11 to 51 meters above water level.
Amsa Pass mirrors the North Side’s Mieumnaru Pass in almost every category. Same height. Same section of the river. And the same reputation.
Experienced riders approach the Amsa stretch with caution. Why? The riders. Not the hill.
Seoul’s biking roads teem with cyclists of all ages and skills. Carbon grinders. Jacket flapping commuters. Two-lane hogging daters.
Combine pedal-cranking up-hillers weavers with brake-hating down-hillers. They’re gonna have a bad time.
Stay vigilant. Keep your lane uphill. Feather your brakes downhill. And keep a suspicious eye on oncoming riders. They just fleeced your grandma with a triple reverse mortgage and MLM swag.
Godeok Eco Park
Descend from the Amsa Pass into Godeok Restored Eco Park (고덕수변생태공원).
On your left, this stretch of riverside once held detritus and debris from unchecked industrialization.
Since the Hangang Renaissance Project cleaned and revitalized the park, locals visit its reeds, rare species, and sandy shorelines. In May, a festival celebrates native blooming white flowers.
Ride onwards through this riverside grove and flanking green mountains.
After a leftward bend (road view), hop a stream and shoot onto a raised embankment. View the Han on your left, greenhouse sprawl on your right.
A couple hundred meters past Gangdong Bridge (강동대교; impossible to cross), standing in a tunnel of tree branches, stands a simple log gateway (road view).
Painted atop in bold white letters: “Welcome to Hanam City.” And “살고 싶은 도시 하남.” (“Hanam, the city I want to live in.”)
Indeed. Welcome to Hanam City. Bye, bye Seoul.