Lock your love at Seoul Tower

     Couples from all over Korea visit Seoul Tower not only for the great views, but to lock their love!

    The Seoul Tower which is also known as Namsan Tower, is one of the most famous tourist attractions in central Seoul.  Located on Namsan Mountain, this 777 foot observatory and communication tower overlooks all of downtown Seoul. The views from the top of the mountain are a favorite among those visiting Seoul. However, the observation tower is an even bigger hit with the locals.
    Ever since the tower opened to the public in 1980 couples have been traveling to the towers grounds to "lock their love." Throughout the railings of the observatory you will see millions of colorful locks. Most of the locks have names and wishes written on them from a couple who recently started dating. Locking your love at Seoul Tower is said to be good luck for your relationship. Thus, a majority of men take their girlfriends on a date to the tower when they think their relationship is getting serious.
    My Korean friends have given me mixed reviews on the magical powers of The Seoul Tower. Some say that the date really helps solidify and further their relationships. Others say, that locking your love is a childish thing to do.

    Regardless of the outcomes, the millions of locks create a living modern art. The locks are constantly changing colors and designs. Some of the railings even get so weighed down that special Christmas tree like structures were built to allow more locks to be attached.
   Once at the observation you may pay 7,000 won to go to the top of the tower where you can get a 360 degree view of the city. You can also eat at the N-Grill which is a revolving restaurant inside of the observatory. There is also an Italian restaurant which turns into a bar at night, and a basic food court to satisfy everyone's wallet.
    Seoul Tower is always hosting different events and workshops which can be found on their website at http://www.nseoultower.co.kr/. The walk up the hill to Seoul Tower takes about ten minutes. The path is very steep so be sure to wear proper shoes. There is also a cable car at the bottom that will take you to the observatory. To get to the Seoul Tower cable car, get off at Myungdong subway station from exit #3 using line 4. It is a ten-minute walk from gate #3 to the Namsan cable car station.

Directions to Seoul tower: Get off at Chungmuro subway station from exit #2 using line 3 and 4, and transfer to Namsan Circular Line. Or, get off at Dongguk Univ. subway station from exit #6 using line 3, and transfer
to Namsan Circular Line.

    If you have any questions or comments about The Seoul Tower please leave them in the comment box below or send an email to goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.

  Gone Seoul Searching by Marie Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.

                                  A view of Seoul Tower from Jongno.