©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd 65 Myeong-dong & Jung-gu Neighbourhood Top Five 1 Climb or ride the cable 2 Haggle day and night 4 Go shopping crazy on car up Namsan, topped by with the vendors at the the packed, neon-festooned N Seoul Tower (p67); the mammoth Namdaemun streets of Myeong-dong 262m central city peak is a Market (p75). (p75). leafy retreat from Myeong- 3 Learn about traditional 5 Enjoy the changing of dong’s commercial throng. Korean houses and culture the guard outside Deoksu- at Namsangol Hanok gung (p69) and wander the Village (p70). pleasant palace grounds. Cheonggye Stream Deoksugung Eulji-ro Baeogae-gil 5# Samil-ro Namdaemun S u p y l o S gi Mareunnae-g o - d il g ong -d a -ro o Myeong n n r u i om g - s - Myeong-dong g eo r S i o 4# l o un-r Toegye-ro daem Nam o 2# r B - n a Euji-ro o u -r n e p m y e g o 3# a e - o r d T o m a 6666666666 N S ow ol -g l il 3 e r n d n 6666666666JUNG-GU u N T a n a m s s m a a n Namsan N T 1# u Park n 2nd n e l 0 500 m 6666666666e# 0 0.25 miles 666666For more detail of this area, see Map p202 A 66 Lonely Planet’s Top Tip Explore: Myeong-dong & Jung-gu On the roof of the original Branding itself the city’s belly button, Jung-gu (www. Shinsegae building is Trinity junggu.seoul.kr) stretches from the southern city gate of Garden, dotted with sculp- Sungnyemun (Namdaemun) and round-the-clock Nam- tures by Alexander Calder, daemun Market towards the eastern gate of Heungin- Henry Moore, Joan Miró and jimun (Dongdaemun). Dominating the district’s heart Jeff Koons among others; is the youth fashion shopping area of Myeong-dong. there’s a cafe or you could Myeong means ‘light’ – apt for an area where Seoul’s enjoy a picnic of goodies commercial razzle-dazzle reaches its apogee. bought from the depart- They may be almost traffic-free, but Myeong-dong’s Myeong ment store’s food hall� streets and alleyways are invariably teeming with shop- pers. Masses of boutiques cater to every youthful style tribe, along with plenty of cafes, restaurants, department stores and high-rise shopping malls with food courts, spas - Best Places to dong 5 Eat and cinema multiplexes. Japanese visitors in particular adore it and you’ll often hear shop and stall vendors ad- ¨ Myeong-dong Gyoja & J (p72) dress the crowd in that language. The mass of humanity, noise and visual stimulation can become overwhelming, Mokmyeoksanbang (p72) ung ¨ but don’t let that put you off spending some time soaking ¨ Chung-jeong-gak (p72) up the electric atmosphere and indulging in retail therapy. - gu For reviews, p72 A Tranquillity can be regained on nearby Namsan, downtown Seoul’s green lung, its hiking trails, parkland and old Fortress Walls newly spruced up. Also providing a change of pace is the area to the west of Seoul Plaza 7 Best Shopping and City Hall. Here you’ll find Deoksugung, a lovely pal- ace around which early missionaries built Seoul’s first ¨ Namdaemun Market Protestant churches and schools, and where foreign le- (p68) gations were based; many old buildings have been pre- ¨ Shinsegae (p75) served and it’s a fine area for leisurely exploring. ¨ Level 5 (p75) For reviews, p75 A Local Life ¨ Best Sunday Worship Attend a service at either the 3 historic Myeong-dong Catholic Cathedral or the Entertainment Romanesque style Anglican Church (Map p202). ¨ Nanta (p74) ¨ Get Fit Join locals stretching their legs and keeping ¨ Chongdong Theatre fit on the Northern Namsan Belt Way; for an extra (p74) workout drop by the large outdoor gym behind the ¨ Korea House (p73) National Theatre of Korea. For reviews, see p74 A ¨ Free Concerts From mid-May to the end of August grassy Seoul Plaza fronting the City Hall is the scene for free performances most nights. In summer there’s also a water fountain that kids love to splash in. Getting There & Away ¨ Subway Line 4 connects Seoul Station with Namdaemun Market, Myeong-dong and Chungmuro for the Namsangol Hanok Village ¨ Bus/Cable Car Taxis are banned from going to the top of Namsan, so use one of the eco-friendly buses or hop on the cable car..