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Located at the center of Seoul, Mt. Namsan Park covers an area of over 2
million square meters and stands at a height o f
265 meters. Originally named “Inkyeong Mountain,” the mountain was
renamed “Namsan” due to its location on the southern part of Seoul when
then King Taejo moved the country capital from Gaesong to Seoul
following the theory of geomancy.
The establishment of Japanese shrines, colonial government buildings and
military camps during the Japanese Imperial Occupation wrought severe
damage to the mountainside. It was in the years of 1991 and 1998 that
the mountain was slowly restored by the Korean government’s
rehabilitation efforts.
The Namsan Botanical Garden
The first botanical garden established in Korea, the Garden boasts of
over 7000 plants of 82 families, 800 different species including
foliages, fleshy plants, cacti, bo nsai
and exotic orchids.
The garden also has an adjacent water fountain and a small zoo located
nearby where children can go and visit its collection of colorful birds
like peacocks, golden pheasants, eagles, and owls. Other attractions
include pen enclosures containing monkeys and deer.
There is also the Patriot Ahn Jung-Geun Memorial Hall near the garden
where Ahn's own handwritten letters and his relics are displayed.
Namsan Exhibition Hall
Opening its doors in the year 2001, the Namsan Exhibition Hall was built
to remind the citizens of the importance of protecting the nature and
the environment. Exhibited on the hall’s walls are photos and materials
depicting the citizens’ efforts to rehabilitate the mountain’s natural
resources. Schools usually plan field trips for their students to the
Hall to support the campaign for environmental awareness and education.
On the Mountain Peak
 Fire
towers, relics of old fortresses, an octagon-shaped terrace, and the
Seoul Tower can be found situated on top of Namsan Mountain. The fire
towers were set up as signal posts in 1394 by King Taejo of the Joseon
Dynasty upon moving the capital to Seoul. They served as look-out posts
until the 1895, the year after the Gabo Political Reform whose changes
brought about modernization and great impact on the country’s culture.
Standing at approximately 483 meters high, the Seoul Tower is the first
of its kind in Korea. It served as a broadcast transmitter for
electrical signals for radios and televisions. It is also the third
tallest in the world and one of Seoul's more popular landmarks. It
houses two restaurants (one of which is revolving), an observation deck,
and a booth where you can have a photograph printed onto a T-shirt
inscribed with the words 'For the precious love'. The traditionally
designed electric tower was constructed on July 1975 and has been open
to the public since October 1980.
The tower also has a number of amusement attractions such as moving
observatory, global village museum and fantasy world. The tower also has
displays of pictures of plants and animals at the Namsan Mountain.
Visitors who would like to take in the more tourist-oriented action
could also visit the Aquarium, Ocean Life Museum, Funny World, Game Room
and Natural Stone Exhibits, all housed in the tower.
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