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Jamsil
Hangang Park

Tour Jamsil Hangang Park on the Han River Bike Path in Seoul.
28.7 km (Seoul (South Side))
53.5%

Jamsil Hangang Park (잠실한강공원; map) lives on top of the Songpa District in southeastern Seoul. It lies near a handful of the mega-city’s major recreational landmarks:

This is the sixth of eight Hangang Park guides that profile the cycling paths on the south banks of the Han River in Seoul.

  1. Gangseo Hangang Park
  2. Yanghwa Hangang Park
  3. Yeouido Hangang Park
  4. Banpo Hangang Park
  5. Jamwon Hangang Park
  6. Jamsil Hangang Park
  7. Gwangnaru Hangang Park
  8. Hanam City

Let’s explore the region. Then head out on a ride.

Jamsil Hangang Park Profile

  • A picture of the Jamsil Sports Complex (잠실종합운동장) near Jamsil Hangang Park (잠실한강공원) in Seoul, South Korea.
    Jamsil Sports Complex’s six sports facilities were built for the ‘88 Summer Olympics and ‘86 Asian Games.
    Length: 4.8 km (10th of 11)
  • Area: 539,071 m² (8th of 11)
  • Start (West): Yeongdong Bridge (영동대교; map)
  • End (East): Jamsil Railroad Bridge (잠실철교; map)

Jamsil Hangang Park is the second smallest park in the Hangang Park system. It presents typical park accouterments: swimming pools and rec courts. And it offers a few notable highlights, like a fish bridge that bypasses a river weir.

But Jamsil’s true jewels — an Olympic complex and mighty skyscraper — live just next door.

Let’s explore more!

Namesake

Jamsil Hangang Park gets its name from Jamsil Neighborhood (잠실동; map).

Like Jamwon Park just west, Jamsil gained fame for its money-printing silkworms. In fact, the neighborhood’s name translates to silkworm (잠; /jam/) room (실; /shēl/).

Today, Jamsil comprises six separate neighborhoods, numbers 1~6 (잠실1동, 잠실2동, 잠실3동 etc.) They contain wealthy areas punctuated by the Lotte World Tower, the tallest in the nation.

Songpa District

Songpa District (송파구; map) is the easternmost of a trio of districts — Seocho, Gangnam, Songpa — known as the Greater Gangnam Area.

Like the others, money and status rule Songpa. Unlike the others, Songpa’s past runs deep.

A picture of Lotte World Tower (롯데월드타워) in the Jamsil Neighborhood of Seoul.
Lotte World Tower in Seoul’s Songpa District measures 555 meters tall. It's Korea's tallest and sixth globally.

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; map; 37 BCE ~ 668 ACE) had three princes: Yuri (유리왕), Biryu (비류), and Onjo (온조왕). Yuri, the oldest, was heir to the throne.

Cycle Jamsil Hangang Park

A bridge crosses the Tan Stream near the Jamsil Hangang Park (잠실한강공원; map) near Jamsil Sports Complex in Seoul.
Cross the Tan Stream near Jamsil Sports Complex in Seoul.

Jamsil Hangang Park starts where Jamon Hangang Park ended: Yeongdong Bridge (영동대교; map; excellent crossing point). Cycle along the bike lanes between Olympic Boulevard and the Han River.

Near Cheongdam Bridge (청담대교; map; impossible to cross), spot a few Seoul skyline fixtures:

Fork at the Tan Stream

Beyond Cheongdam Bridge, ride into a patch of green below swirling on- and off-ramps merging Olympic Boulevard and Dongbu Expressway (동부간선도로; map).

Up ahead, spot Tan Stream (탄천; map). Stop! Just before this tributary, find a fork in the bike path (road view).

Last Call, Gangnam

Have time for a detour? Turn right at the fork before the Tan Stream (road view). It’s your last chance to view Gangnam’s bustling heart.

Follow the Tan Stream Bike Path for 700 meters. Then ascend stairs up an embankment to Tehran Boulevard (테헤란로; map; directions; 1.3 km).

Tehran Boulevard keeps many major tech company headquarters — Samsung, Naver, Kakao SK Hynix. And it includes some Seoul Highlights:

Over the Tan

No time for a detour? Turn left at the fork (road view). Cross the Tan Stream on a low bridge under Olympic Boulevard.

Land in the Songpa District and rejoin the Han River. Roll past a helipad and sports fields. Come upon a restaurant floating on the Han River.

Stop! Look inland, down a courtyard. Rising above Olympic Boulevard, spot the ribs of Jamsil Olympic Stadium, another Hangang Bike Path highlight.

31 km (Seoul (South Side))
57.8%

Jamsil Sports Complex (잠실종합운동장; map), or “Seoul Sports Complex,” towers over the intersection of the Han River and Tan Stream (탄천; map) in Seoul.

The site includes six sports facilities. They were completed in 1984 as part of a massive infrastructure project that transformed the undeveloped Songpa District before the 1986 Asian and 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.

The centerpiece of Jamsil Sports Complex is Jamsil Olympic Stadium (잠실종합운동장올림픽; map) or “Seoul Olympic Stadium.” Seating 100,000 (69,950 today), it held both the opening and closing ceremonies for the 1988 Olympics. 

All of Jamsil Sports Complex’s facilities remain active, hosting several of Korea’s professional sports teams or admitting the public for exercise and pickup games.

Want to explore the Jamsil Sports Complex? Scoot through the underpass at the back of the courtyard in Jamsil Hangang Park (road view). It leads to the Olympic Stadium’s toes.

Middle Jamsil

From Jamsil Sports Complex, pedal into the meat of Jamsil Hangang Park.

Pass by lawns filled with trees, families, and, if come at the right time, art from the Han River “Heung” Project (한강 “흥” 프로젝트). Its sculptures and installations cycle through every Han River Parks at different times throughout the year.

Jamsil E-Land Cruise

Midway down Jamsil Hangang Park, arrive at a pair of docks on the riverbanks (road view). On top of the eastern dock sits a sign that reads Jamsil E-Land Cruise (잠실 이랜드크루즈; map).

You won’t find daily Han River cruises here, though. Only chartered ships depart from this berth. But anyone can enter the restaurants and shops on the eastern pier.

(Visit Yeouido Hangang Park to get the Han River cruise experience.)

Square Square Place

Glance inland from the E-Land Cruise docks. There stands a canopied rest stop, a sign for the defunct Han River Land, and, beside a bike rental stall, an assemblage of retired freight containers known as the Square Square Place (사각사각플레이스; map).

These furnished steel containers house work and performance spaces for five artists-in-residence on a yearly tenure. Here they create all modes of art, from visual to literary. 

Square Square Space’s main stage hosts music, dance, or theater performances. And summer, fall, and spring festivals bring crowds to view the artist’s seasonal harvests.

Jamsil Bridge

Keep riding. Pass an assemblage of park staples: swimming pools, playground, and a maze of gardens called the Nature Learning Center (자연학습장; map).

Come to Jamsil Bridge (잠실대교; map; a good crossing point). Pause. Sit on a bench. View the infrastructure.

  • Sheets of water cascade over a curved embankment below the Jamsil Bridge’s pillars (road view), connecting high and low water levels.
  • Six concrete towers on the bridge’s north end hold watergates that raise and lower to regulate the river’s flow (road view).

If you haven’t noticed yet, this ain’t your typical “Point-A-to-B” bridge.

In the late 20th century, engineers set out to tame the tempestuous Han River. So they dredged the riverbed and installed weirs (water gates) below two bridges.

Jamsil Fish Way

Wait! Wouldn’t Jamsil Bridge’s weir block migrating fish?

Ah! That’s why engineers installed the Jamsil Fish Way (잠실물고기길; map). This fish ladder comprises 228-meters of tiered steps that allow 31 native fish species to hop upstream, avoiding the weir’s strong currents and bulky barriers.

View Jamsil Fish Way from an observation deck just east of the bridge (road view).

Songpa Art Floor

One of five Han River Bridge observatories, this glass-faced tower keeps an art museum, convenience store, and observatory (9 AM ~ 5 PM).

One of ten Han River Bridge Observatory, this glass-faced tower keeps an art museum, convenience store, and observatory (9 AM ~ 5 PM).

A picture of the Lotte World Tower in the Songpa District in Seoul.
Lotte World Tower in Seoul is the tallest building in Korea, and fifth in the world.

By now, it’s difficult to ignore that 123-story sky poker rising from inside the Songpa District.

Got spare time? Let’s take another detour!

Climb a ramp on the southwest edge of Jamsil Bridge (road view). Ride 1.2 kilometers into the Jamsil Neighborhood (directions).

Come to a pair of city blocks dominated by one of Korea’s most successful family-owned conglomerates, or chaebols (재벌): the Lotte Corporation.

On the western city block, find Lotte World (롯데월드; map), the world’s third largest indoor theme park. It buzzes under a giant dome and over an ice skating rink. Outside, a bridge extends to Magic Island (매직아일랜드; map) on Seokchon Lake (석촌호수; map).

On the eastern city block soars the ceramic-inspired, 556-meter Lotte World Tower (롯데월드타워; map), Korea’s tallest skyscraper (6th in the world). Check the building’s registry and discover apartments, businesses, and an observation deck occupying the top six floors.

Lotte World Mall (롯데월드몰; map) squats below the mega-tower. It offers branded Korean and international merch in its 11-story retail space.

Before you pedal back to the river, drop by Lotte Department Store or Lotte Mart. Pick up some Lotte chocolate. Scarf down a Lotteria burger. Catch a flick at Lotte Cinema. Or go apartment hunting at Lotte Castle. Pay with everything with your Lotte Card.

Jamsil Railroad Bridge

Let’s continue cycling through Jamsil Hangang Park. 

From Jamsil Bridge, climb a short embankment and travel half a kilometer by strolling paths spotted with flowers.

Arrive at a small roundabout with two high paths and two low paths.

  1. The westward, low path leads to Jamsil Park’s footpaths. No bikes allowed.
  2. The westward, high path is the cycling path you’re traveling on.
  3. The eastward, high path shoots up a ramp onto Jamsil Railway Bridge.
  4. The eastward, low path crosses under Jamsil Railway Bridge and into Gwangnaru Hangang Park.

Speaking of Jamsil Railroad Bridge (잠실철교; map). Its an excellent:

Jamsil Railroad Bridge is the second best Han River crossing point in Seoul, behind only Banpo Grand Fountain Bridge.

It sits between Jamsil and Gwangnaru Hangang Parks on the South Side and Ttukseom Hangang Park. Ramps on either end merge onto the North Side and South Side bike paths.

Jamsil Railroad Bridge accommodates four different modes of transportation:

  • A one-way, northbound lane for cars on one side of the bridge.
  • A cycling and walking path on the opposite side.
  • And Seoul Subway Line 2 railway tracks in the middle.

Dong Seoul (East Seoul) Bus Terminal

A picture Dong Seoul Bus Terminal (동서울종합터미널) in Seoul.
Dong (East) Seoul Bus Terminal sits near Ttukseom Hangang Park in Seoul.

The north end of Jamsil Railroad Bridge leads directly to two transportation hubs:

Dong Seoul (East Seoul) Bus Terminal is one of Korea’s busiest intercity bus hubs, along with the express terminal near Banpo Park.

Trying to get out of Seoul with your bike? Head here. Buy a ticket. Stuff your wheels in an intercity bus’s undercarriage, climb aboard, and relax.

Jamsil Park’s End

A picture of Olympic Bridge (올림픽대교) crossing the Han River between the Gwangjin and Songpa Districts in Seoul, South Korea.
Olympic Bridge was one of many infrastructure projects built to prepare for the '88 Summer Olympics.

Let’s continue on the South Side!

Circle round the roundabout below Jamsil Railroad Bridge and take the eastward, low path. Continue into Gwangnaru Hangang Park, the Hangang Park system’s closing credits.