Namsan Seoul Tower

Namsan Seoul Tower
The tower and lattice transmission tower (left) in 2018
Location within Seoul
Alternative names
  • YTN Seoul Tower
  • N Seoul Tower
  • Namsan Tower
  • Seoul Tower
General information
StatusCompleted
TypeCommunication tower
LocationSeoul, 04340 105, Namsangongwon-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Korea (Yongsan-dong 2-ga, YTN Seoul Tower)
Coordinates37°33′04″N 126°59′18″E / 37.551216°N 126.988276°E / 37.551216; 126.988276
Construction started1969 (1969)
Completed3 December 1971 (1971-12-03)
OwnerYTN
Height
Roof279 m (915 ft)
Top floor239 m (784 ft)
Design and construction
ArchitectJang Jong-ryul
Website
www.seoultower.co.kr/en/
Korean name
Hangul
남산 서울 타워
RRNamsan Seoul tawo
MRNamsan Sŏul t'awŏ

Namsan Seoul Tower (Korean: 남산 서울 타워), also known as the YTN Seoul Tower, Namsan Tower, Seoul Tower or N Seoul Tower, is a communication and observation tower located on the summit of Namsan in central Seoul, South Korea. The 236-metre-tall (774 ft) structure was the nation’s first tower servicing multiple TV and radio broadcasters, and is considered a landmark and symbol of the city.[1]

The tower has gone by different names over time, and continues to have several used by various entities. “Namsan Seoul Tower” is used by the national and city government[2] — and “YTN Seoul Tower” by its owner, YTN[3] — to refer to the entire structure, from its base to the top of its antenna. CJ Foodville, the concessionaire operating the observation levels of the tower and the shops and restaurants located on them, markets those under the name “N Seoul Tower”.[4] Local residents and Korean popular culture tend to use “Namsan Tower” or “Seoul Tower”.[5][6]

History

The tower was proposed by a consortium of broadcasters and the South Korean government to house commercial broadcasting facilities and communications facilities for national law enforcement and security agencies, as well as areas for the public including observation decks, a museum and a coffee shop. Ground broke in December 1969. The tower reached its full height when the concrete shaft and mast were topped out in 1971, and the project was completed when the observation decks were finished in 1975.[7][8]

A safety inspection upon completion raised concerns with allowing access by the general public; photos taken from the observation deck, it was felt, might compromise security of the Blue House and other government properties. President Park Chung-hee ordered that the tower was therefore “to be used only as a transmission tower, strictly prohibited for any other purposes, and that special measures be taken regarding security issues."[9]

The observation decks remained disused until the tower was opened to the public in October 1980, a year after Park’s assassination. The Postal Mutual Aid Association bought the tower that same year and owned it until 1999, when it was forced to sell to shore up its pension fund, which had become insolvent.[10]

The tower was put up for bids from private companies,[11] and YTN — its current owner — was selected.[12]

In April 2005, YTN contracted with a division of the chaebol CJ Group to lease, renovate and operate the observation levels of the complex. That section of the tower reopened under the name N Seoul Tower in December 2005.[13] In December 2015, YTN opened the renovated lower levels of the base building as Seoul Tower Plaza.[14]

Public access has been an ongoing national security issue, with restrictions on photography imposed to inhibit surveillance of the presidential residence. From 2022 to 2025 during the administration of Yoon Suk Yeol, the official residence was relocated from the Blue House to what had been the residence of the Foreign Minister in Hannam-dong. A designated photo zone with views of Yoon's home was closed during his time in office.[15]

A less-publicized historical function of the tower has been to house equipment which jams broadcast signals coming from North Korea, to prevent their reception within South Korea.[16]

Floors and amenities

Section Floor Amenities
N Seoul Tower
T7 Rotating French restaurant n•Grill
T6 Open-air observation deck (closed to public since 2005)[17]
T5 Enclosed observation deck; coffee and snack shop N Sweet Bar; gift shop N Gift
T4 Enclosed observation deck; dessert café A Twosome Place
T3 Korean restaurant Hancook
(tower shaft)
T2 Italian restaurant The Place Dining; Roof Terrace
T1 Ticket booth; restaurant/bar N Terrace; traditional Korean snack bar Durimi Bunsik; burger restaurant N Burger; 7-Eleven
5F Observation deck; information center; restrooms
Seoul Tower Plaza
4F Gaming arcade; massage chair lounge; OLED wave
3F Broadcast equipment and security area (not open to public)[18]
2F Four restaurants including Cinnabon; OLED circle
1F Restaurants and cafés including Starbucks, Gong Cha and Mom's Touch; convenience store GS25; OLED panorama and OLED tunnel
L/B1 Lobby

Access

The 12 million annual visitors[19] to Namsan Seoul Tower reach it in a number of ways. Until 2005, it was possible for personal vehicles and taxis to be driven to the base of the tower, but the street leading to it is now restricted to bus and bicycle traffic only.[20] The nearest parking lots are a 30-to-40-minute uphill walk to the tower entrance.[21]

Cable Car

The Namsan Cable Car predates the tower itself, having opened in 1962 as South Korea’s first aerial tramway. It provides a three-minute ride from its base at the northern edge of Namsan Park to the tower.[22] An inclined elevator, the Namsan Oreumi, was opened in 2009 to connect Sogong-ro to the cable car station;[23] a free shuttle bus also has frequent service from Exit 1 of Myeongdong Station.[24]

The Seoul Metropolitan Government — which built the Namsan Oreumi — announced in 2023 plans to build its own aerial gondola, designed to take passengers directly from Myeongdong Station to the tower in a 5-minute ride. Ground was broken the following year, but construction halted soon after when the longtime operator of the Namsan Cable Car successfully fought the project in court on environmental grounds. The city vowed to appeal the ruling, but as of the end of 2025 the project remained stalled at 15% complete.[25][26]

Bus

Direct bus service to the tower is provided by city-operated shuttle buses and commercial tourist buses.

Seoul public transit bus lines 01A and 01B operate in clockwise loop routes around Namsan. They serve the tower and other stops including Metro stations and car parks, as well as the parking facility for chartered tour motor coaches (which are not permitted to drop off groups directly at the tower).[27][28]

Hop-on-hop-off sightseeing buses also stop at the tower entrance at half-hour intervals during morning and afternoon, and twice evenings.[29][30]

Bicycle

The only route to the tower for bicyclists is via Namsangongwon-gil. The winding, one-way street — also known as Namsan Park Road — is open only to bicycles and CNG-powered shuttle and sightseeing buses,[31] sparing cyclists exposure to exhaust fumes from vehicles they share the route with. Access is from the northeast edge of Namsan Park, next to the National Theater of Korea. After visiting the tower, cyclists continue on Namsangongwon-gil and exit the park on the northwest end near the Namsan Public Library.[32]

Dedicated bicycle parking at the tower is limited, and some riders resort to locking their bikes to nearby railings in front of the entrance to Seoul Tower Plaza.[33]

There is no Seoul Bike dock onsite, meaning users of that municipal bikeshare service are unable to end their rides at the tower or start new bike rentals upon leaving, and must pay for rental time during their visits.[34][35]

Attractions

Visiting

Entrance to the lower levels (B1-T2) of the tower complex is free. For levels T3-T7, tickets can be bought onsite or in advance online through third-party platforms. Discounts of 30% are given to children ages 3-12, adults over 65, Korean citizens with disabilities, and those with national merits. Children under age 3 are admitted free of charge.[36] Special rates and packages are available to groups of 20 visitors under the age of 18.[37]

Patrons of the restaurants on levels T3 and T7 have free admission to the upper levels of the tower when advance reservations are made.[38]

In 2012, surveys conducted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government revealed foreign tourists ranked Namsan Seoul Tower as the number one tourist attraction.[39] The tower, along with Changdeokgung, was in 2015 selected as one of the world's top 500 tourist destinations in Lonely Planet's Ultimate Travel List.[40]

Lighting of the tower

The tower is illuminated from sunset to 11 pm (10 pm in winter) in one of four colors which signal the air quality in Seoul as measured by fine dust concentration. Blue lighting indicates “good” air quality; green, “average”; yellow, “bad”, and red, “very bad.”[41]

For special occasions or to mark significant events, sections of the shaft can each be illuminated in different colors. The tower was lighted red, white and blue after the November 2015 Paris attacks, and blue and yellow in 2022 to show solidarity with Ukraine after its invasion by Russia.[42]

During Earth Hour, lights are turned off nationwide to promote energy conservation awareness, including those of the tower.[43]

Love locks

The first love locks appeared at the tower in 2006, and the following year were officially promoted as an attraction. Inscribing a padlock and fastening it to a fixed spot is a way to demonstrate and celebrate the love between romantic partners; at Namsan Seoul Tower, it is also done by Hallyu stans to show their devotion to a particular musical artist or actor. The latter practice reflects the great number of K-dramas which have used the tower as a location.[44]

Love locks are affixed at designated areas in the tower complex, including official Photo Zones such as the Proposal Staircase (level 1F); Bridge of Love (3F); Tunnel of Love / Graffiti Wall of Love (4F-5F), as well as the Roof Terrace (T2).[45][46][47]

A 2011 poll found that hanging love locks at the tower was the favorite activity of 16% of foreign visitors to Seoul.[48]

In 2018, it was determined that the total weight of the love locks at the tower was 82 tons.[49]

Video displays

The public floors of Seoul Tower Plaza feature arrays of OLED panels in varying configurations. Level F1 has a 9-metre (30 ft) tunnel and a 15-by-3-metre (49.2 ft × 9.8 ft) curved panorama. Level F2 features an overhead ring of panels. Suspended from the ceiling of level 4F is a 24-metre-long (79 ft) array arranged to undulate like ocean waves.[50][51]

Day Panorama of Seoul from Namsan Seoul Tower
Night Panorama of Seoul from Namsan Seoul Tower

Broadcasting use

Namsan Seoul Tower is used as a radio/television broadcast and communications tower.

Television broadcasters

ATSC 1.0 stations

Channel Channel name Callsign Station Power Broadcast Area
6
 SBS TV Seoul (HD) HLSQ-DTV Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS) 5 kW Seoul Capital Area
7
 KBS2 Seoul (HD) HLSA-DTV Korean Broadcasting System (KBS)
9
 KBS1 Seoul (HD) HLKA-DTV
10.1
 EBS TV Seoul (HD) HLQL-DTV Educational Broadcasting System (EBS)
10.2
 EBS 2 Seoul (HD) HLQL-TV-2
11
 MBC TV Seoul (HD) HLKV-DTV Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC)

ATSC 3.0 stations

Channel Channel name Callsign Station Power Broadcast Area
7
 KBS2 (UHD) HLSA-UHDTV Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) 5 kW Seoul Capital Area
9.1
 KBS1 (UHD) HLKA-UHDTV
9.2
 KBS News D (HD) HLKA-UHDTV-2

Radio broadcasters

Frequency Station name Callsign Power Broadcast Area
96.7 MHz KFN FM HLSF-FM 2 kW Seoul Capital Area
99.1 MHz Gugak FM HLQA-FM 5 kW
101.3 MHz tbs eFM HLSW-FM 1 kW

The climax of the 2025 animated film KPop Demon Hunters takes place in a fictional stadium at the base of the tower, which the film refers to as Namsan Tower.[52]

The 2011 K-pop song “Itaewon Freedom” by the hip-hop duo UV feat. J.Y. Park begins with the artists asking, “Where is Namsan Tower?” [53]

The tower appears in scenes filmed in Namsan Park in the Netflix science fiction drama Sense8. [54]

  • A view of Seoul from Namsan Seoul Tower
  • Another view of Seoul from Namsan Seoul Tower
  • The Namsan Cable Car, which leads up to Namsan Seoul Tower
  • The nearby lattice transmission tower at sunset (2012)
  • Namsan Seoul Tower illuminated from below at night

See also

References

  1. ^ Kim, Cheong-hwan (27 December 2018). "남산타워ㆍ나폴레옹과자점... 서울 문화정체성 보여주다" [Namsan Tower, Napoleon Bakery... Showcasing Seoul's Cultural Identity]. Hankook Ilbo (in Korean). Seoul, South Korea. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  2. ^ "남산서울타워" [Namsan Seoul Tower]. Seoul Future Heritage (in Korean). Seoul Metropolitan Government, Cultural Heritage Preservation Division. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  3. ^ "YTN Seoul Tower". www.seoultower.co.kr. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  4. ^ "N Seoul Tower, Overview". www.nseoultower.com. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  5. ^ Lee, Ching. "남산서울타워" [Namsan Seoul Tower]. Encyclopedia of Korean Culture (in Korean). The Academy of Korean Studies. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  6. ^ {Lee, Suh-yoon (2 January 2019). "Seoul 'future heritage' list adds 14 new sites, books". The Korea Times. Seoul, South Korea: Oh Young-jin. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
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  8. ^ "산서울타워" [Namsan Seoul Tower]. Seoul Future Heritage (in Korean). Seoul Metropolitan Government Cultural Heritage Preservation Division. 27 December 2018. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  9. ^ "서울 타워" [Seoul Tower]. Presidential Archives Newsletter (in Korean). Sejong, South Korea: Presidential Archives, Ministry of Public Administration and Security. 26 November 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2026.
  10. ^ Kim, Hye-young (August 1999). "취재 청산 절차를 밟고 있는 체신공체조합" [The Postal Service Union undergoing the process of liquidating its reporting operations]. Korea Post Magazine (in Korean). Sejong, South Korea: Korea Post. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
  11. ^ Moon, Hee-so (11 November 1999). "남산 서울타워 민간기업에 팔린다" [Namsan Seoul Tower to be sold to a private company]. Korea Economic Daily (in Korean). Seoul, South Korea. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
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  47. ^ "Tower Map". N Seoul Tower. CJ Foodville. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
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  54. ^ "4 Locations in Seoul that Wowed the Wachowskis". Seoul Film Commission. July 2015. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
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