Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Seoul proper sprawls over 600 square kilometers (230 square miles) and is mostly a dense
conglomeration of high-rises and smaller apartment blocks interspersed with the odd hill
or patch of greenery. The city contains 25 (
gu
) or districts, which are subdivided into over
500 (
dong
) or neighborhoods. It is neatly divided by the Han River and ringed by mountain
ranges, which form a lovely backdrop when skyscrapers aren't crowding them out.
The Han River is not only a physical boundary but a psychological one; Gangbuk,
the area north of the waterway, is the “old” Seoul and contains most of the city's ancient
palaces, gates, and other historic assets. The granite slopes of the Bukhan mountain range
mark the old city's northern boundary and loom over the current presidential office or
Blue House and, just below it, the pavilions of Gyeongbokgung, the largest of Seoul's
palaces. Seoul's vaguely Gothic-looking City Hall and bustling Namdaemun Market are
not far to the south; many embassies and corporations are based near here, along with
Cheonggyecheon, a pleasant restored waterway that eventually empties into the Yellow Sea.
Just south of City Hall are the fashionable Myeong-dong shopping district and Namsan
(South Mountain), a hill that once served as Seoul's southern boundary but is now better
known for the needlelike Seoul Tower and one of the city's most frequently trammeled
parks.
