Namsan Seoul Tower
Tower in Seoul, South Korea
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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]
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- YTN Seoul Tower
- N Seoul Tower
- Namsan Tower
- Seoul Tower
| Namsan Seoul Tower | |
|---|---|
The tower and lattice transmission tower (left) in 2018 | |
  Location within Seoul | |
| Alternative names |
|
| General information | |
| Status | Completed |
| Type | Communication tower |
| Location | Seoul, 04340 105, Namsangongwon-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Korea (Yongsan-dong 2-ga, YTN Seoul Tower) |
| Coordinates | 37°33′04″N 126°59′18″E |
| Construction started | 1969 |
| Completed | 3 December 1971 |
| Owner | YTN |
| Height | |
| Roof | 279 m (915 ft) |
| Top floor | 239 m (784 ft) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Jang Jong-ryul |
| Website | |
www | |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 남산 서울 타워 |
| RR | Namsan Seoul tawo |
| MR | Namsan Sŏul t'awŏ |
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 | |
| T2 | Italian restaurant The Place Dining | |
| T1 | Ticket booth; 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]
Attractions
Visiting
Visitors may go up the tower for a fee that differs for the following groups: children, elderly and teenagers, and adults. Rates also differ for packages and group size.
In 2012, surveys conducted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government revealed foreign tourists ranked Namsan Seoul Tower as the number one tourist attraction.[30] 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.[31]
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.”[32]
For special occasions, 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.[33]
During Earth Hour, lights are turned off nationwide to promote energy conservation awareness, including those of the tower.[34]
Love Padlocks
In a poll of nearly 2,000 foreign visitors conducted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government in November 2011, 16 percent stated that hanging named padlocks on the tower fence as a symbol of love was their favorite activity in Seoul.[35] The "Locks of Love" is a popular location for people to hang locks that symbolize eternal love, and has been depicted in many Korean television shows, dramas, and movies for this reason.[36]
'Love padlocks' is a common couple activity that involves purchasing of a padlock and key, where initials, messages and symbols can be personally inscribed onto the surface of the lock with markers and pens. Securing the padlocks on the fences filled with locks of previous participants, the key is often thrown away as a symbol of everlasting love.[37]
In 2018, it was determined that the total weight of the love locks at the tower was 82 tons.[38]
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.[39][40]
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 |
In popular culture
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.[41]
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?” [42]
The tower appears in scenes filmed in Namsan Park in the Netflix science fiction drama Sense8. [43]
Gallery
Love padlock trees
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
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See also
- List of tallest buildings in South Korea
- Busan Tower, a similar observation tower in Busan
- YTN Group
