Seoul, South Korea Culture and Transport

Culture

According to Physicscat, Seoul is home to more than 100 museums, including three national and nine official municipal museums. The National Museum of Korea is the most representative of museums, not only in Seoul, but of all those in South Korea. Since its inception in 1945, the museum has created a collection of 150,000 objects. In October 2005, the museum moved to a new building in the Yongsan Family Park. The National Folk Museum is located on the grounds of the Gyeongbokgung Palace in the Jongno-gu district and uses replicas of historical objects to illustrate the popular history of the Korean people. Bukchon Hanok and Namsangol Hanok are old residential neighborhoods consisting of traditional Korean Hanok houses, parks, and museums that allow visitors to experience traditional Korean culture. The War Memorial, one of nine municipal museums in Seoul, offers visitors an educational and emotional experience of the various wars Korea was involved in, including themes from the Korean War.

The Seoul Art Museum and the Ilmin Art Museum have preserved the look of the old building that is visually unique among the modern and tall building neighbors. The former is operated by the Seoul City Council and sits next to the Gyeonghuigung Palace, a royal palace from the Joseon dynasty. For many Korean film lovers around the world, the Korea Film Library is in charge of the Korea Film Museum and the KOFA Cinematheque at its main center which is located in Digital Media City (DMC), Sangam-dong. The Tteok and Kitchenware Museum and the Kimchi Country Museum provide information on the culinary history of Korea.

Festivals

The Hello! Seoul Festival is a seasonal cultural festival held four times a year in spring, summer, fall and winter in Seoul since 2003. It is based on “Seoul Citizens’ Day,” celebrated in October every year since 1994 to commemorate the 600-year history of Seoul, the country’s capital. The festival is organized under the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

Parks

Namsan Park offers hiking, recreational activities, and views of downtown Seoul’s skyscrapers. The N Seoul Tower is located here. Seoul Olympic Park in Songpa-gu and was built to host the Olympic Games Summer 1988. The 10-level Wongaksa Pagoda is located in Tapgol Park, a small public park with an area of 19,599 m2. The areas around the streams serve as public places for recreation and recreation. The Tancheon stream and its surroundings serve as a large park with footpaths and bike paths. Cheonggyecheon, a stream that runs about 6 kilometers through central Seoul, is popular with Seoul residents and tourists. The Seoul metropolitan area accommodates six major parks, including the Seoul Forest, which opened in mid- 2005.. The Seoul National Capital Area also contains a green belt to prevent the city from spreading into neighboring Gyeonggi Province. These areas are often sought after by people looking to escape urban life on weekends and during vacations.

Seoul is also home to the world’s largest indoor amusement park, Lotte World. Other recreation centers include the Olympic and World Cup stadiums and the City Hall public field.

Transport

Seoul offers one of the most advanced transportation infrastructure in the world that is constantly expanding. Its system dates back to the time of the Korean Empire, when the first tram lines were laid out and a railway between Seoul and Incheon was completed. Seoul’s main tram line ran along Jongno until it was replaced by Subway Line 1 in the 1970s. Other notable streets in central Seoul include Euljiro, Teheranno, Sejongno, Chungmuro, Yulgongno, and Toegyero. There are nine metro lines, stretching for more than 250 kilometers, with an additional line planned.

Bus

The Seoul bus system is operated by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, with four primary service bus configurations available in most parts of the city. Seoul has several large intercity / express bus terminals. These buses connect Seoul with cities in South Korea. Seoul Express Bus Terminal, Central City Terminal, and Seoul Nambu Terminal are located in the Seocho-gu district. In addition, the Seoul East Bus Terminal in Gwangjin-gu and the Sangbong Terminal in Jungnang-gu operate in the east of the city. To reduce air pollution in the metropolitan area, the municipal government has been trying to convert more than 7,000 of Seoul’s diesel-powered buses to run on natural gas.

Subway

Seoul has an extensive subway network that connects all the neighborhoods of the city and its surroundings. With more than 8 million passengers per day, Seoul is one of the busiest subway systems in the world. The Seoul Subway has 12 lines, serving Seoul, Incheon, Gyeonggi and northern Chungnam Province. In addition, in order to cope with various modes of transportation, the Seoul Metropolitan Government employs various mathematicians to coordinate subway, bus and transit schedules on a calendar. The different lines are run by Korail, Seoul Metro, Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation, AREX, and Metro 9.

Train

Seoul is connected to major cities in Korea by train. Seoul is also linked to major Korean cities by the KTX high-speed train, which has a normal operating speed of more than 300 km / h. The main railway stations are:

• Seoul Station, Jung-gu: Gyeongbu Line (KTX / Saemaul / Mugunghwa-ho), Gyeongui Line (Saemaul / Commuter)
• Yongsan Station, Yongsan-gu: Honam line (KTX / Saemaul / Mugunghwa), Jeolla / Janghang lines (Saemaul / Mugunghwa)
• Yeongdeungpo Station, Yeongdeungpo-gu: Gyeongbu / Honam / Janghang lines (Saemaul / Mugunghwa)
• Cheongnyangni Station, Dongdaemun-gu: Gyeongchun / Jungang / Yeongdong / Taebaek lines (Mugunghwa)

Airports

Seoul has two international airports. Gimpo International Airport, formerly in Gimpo, but annexed to Seoul in 1963, was for many years (since its original construction during the Korean War), the only international airport serving Seoul. Other national airports were also built around the time of the war, including Yeouido.

When it opened in March 2001, Incheon International Airport on Yeongjong Island in Incheon changed the role of Gimpo Airport significantly. Incheon is now responsible for almost all international flights and some domestic flights, while Gimpo only serves domestic flights, with the exception of flights to Tokyo International Airport (Haneda) in Tokyo, Osaka Kansai International Airport and Shanghai Hongqiao Airport. This has led to a significant drop in flights from Gimpo Airport.

Meanwhile, Incheon International Airport has become, along with Hong Kong, a major transportation hub for East Asia.

Incheon and Gimpo are linked to Seoul by roads, and to each other by the Incheon International Airport Railway, which is also linked to Incheon Line # 1. Gimpo is also linked to subway (Line # 5 and # 9). The Incheon International Airport Railway, which connects the airport directly to Seoul Station in downtown Seoul, was laid out. Shuttle buses also transfer passengers between Incheon and Gimpo airports.