Known as the “Brooklyn of Seoul,” Seongsu-dong is a lively district in eastern Seoul where a certain kind of cool, industrial chic meets South Korean artistic expression, especially regarding the arts, food, and shopping.
Stroll along streets where repurposed factories now host modish cafes and art galleries alongside independent boutiques. Imagination thrives in this neighborhood, which draws in young artists, hip designers, and entrepreneurs to create a vibrant atmosphere.
Another thing that makes the Seongsu-dong neighborhood so appealing is the way it preserves its industrial past, meshing it with contemporary styles that stand out against different historical elements, showcasing Seoul’s dynamic urban growth.
Attractions
Seongsu Handmade Shoe Street
Leather shoes
If you have a love of leather and canvas footwear, Seongsu Handmade Shoe Street should be right up your alley. Here, you can experience the traditional shoe-making skills of professional Korean cobblers and perhaps take a few pairs of shoes home.
This spot, where most of Korea’s handmade shoemakers have set up shop, serves as a living record of the nation’s shoe-producing acumen. Traditional shoe-making techniques are on display at multiple workshops and boutiques, which you can visit in person.
With more handcrafted leather shoes—in classic and contemporary designs—than you can likely handle, you’ll be in awe at the mastery of these street artisans as they craft tailor-made footwear.
Ttukseom Hangang Park
Ttukseom Hangang Park
Ttukseom Hangang Park, right next to Seongsu-dong, is a lovely riverside locale along the Han River with an expansive green area that serves as a tranquil getaway from the urban bustle.
Rent a bike and experience this park’s scenic cycling paths, with stunning views of the river and the towering cityscape of Seoul. You also find soothing walks along the riverbank, a pretty rose garden, and colorful animal paintings on different bridge pillars.
The park is also home to the striking Ttukseom Outlook Cultural Complex, designed in the shape of a bending hornworm caterpillar. The complex provides space for cultural activities, exhibitions, and general relaxation for park visitors, teaching them more about the history of the Han River.
Daelim Changgo
Daelim Changgo
Daelim Changgo serves up a one-of-a-kind atmosphere for coffee lovers. This chic, industrial-looking café took over the working space of a former rice mill and has now been revamped into a fashionable cultural hub.
The converted building has kept a lot of its rugged industrial character with its open brick walls and elevated ceilings. Aside from great coffee and tasty snacks, the interior also features a cool art gallery, enhancing the overall creative vibe.
Common Ground Shipping Containers Complex
Common Ground Shipping Containers Complex
Take in the cutting-edge, repurposed architecture at Seongsu-dong’s Common Ground Shipping Containers Complex and prepare to be amazed. This shopping complex stands out as it was built from recycled shipping containers, resulting in an eye-catching space that also respects the environment.
A handpicked assortment of fashion boutiques and lifestyle shops shares container spaces with well-known eateries here. Young people and fashion and food lovers visit Common Ground for its lively shopping atmosphere as well as the different cultural events held here throughout the year.
Tulip Garden at Seoul Forest
Tulip Garden
Enjoy a kaleidoscope of colors at the Tulip Garden in Seoul Forest, one of the best places to visit in Seoul. This majestic garden produces a brilliant display of tulips that bloom in a variety of colors during the spring.
Take a walk along flower-lined pathways and snap pictures of the scene as you breathe in the sweet scents from these vibrant blooms. If you adore nature, this Seongsu-dong flower garden is a delightfully serene place to visit and take in the scene.
Ttukseom Museum
The Ttukseom Museum will offer an interactive, art-filled outing with unusual and inventive exhibitions designed to stimulate the mind.
This Seongsu-dong locale is known for its sleek art installations, which will ignite your different senses. Up-and-coming Korean artists gain exposure here by displaying their innovative works, from the tactile to the visual and digital.
The Ttukseom Museum will provide fun yet thought-provoking experiences, treating you to some of the best of Korea’s homegrown artistic talent as they seek to highlight different sociocultural themes through their artwork.
Things to Do in Seongsu-dong
Explore Seoul Forest’s Different Offerings
Seoul Forest
Seoul Forest is a vast urban retreat that features themed gardens, including the Tulip Garden, walking paths, and a deer enclosure, making it an ideal spot for relaxation.
The forest stretches across the city center like a green lung, carefully designed to provide visitors with a variety of nature-themed experiences.
Formosan sika deer
Take advantage of the meandering pathways to breathe in the fresh air while soaking in the surrounding landscapes populated with cherry blossom trees and Ginkgo trees, and then stop to watch and feed Formosan sika deer and water deer at Seoul Forest’s Deer Corral.
You’ll find plenty more to see within this urban forest, including a glass-covered insect garden, a colorful butterfly garden, bike rentals for rides on forest trails, and plenty of other ways to connect with nature while enjoying your time outdoors.
Stop for Coffee at Café Onion
Café Onion
Keeping with Seongsu-dong’s industrial chic theme, why not stop for coffee at Café Onion to learn more about the special atmosphere that makes this coffee spot stand out?
Café Onion’s industrial silhouette stems from its past life as a printing factory, which still features exposed brick and cement walls to help it maintain an atmospherically raw, unfinished look.
Revel in the café’s cool, laid-back atmosphere while sampling tasty pastries and other goods to go with your coffee. Cafe Onion is the perfect pit stop in which to recharge while exploring Seongsu-dong.
Learn About Butterflies at the Butterfly Garden
Butterfly Garden
Enter a delicate world of sublime beauty at the Butterfly Garden, inside Seoul Forest. Secluded within this garden’s boundaries, you’ll find a dreamy space that serves as a haven for different butterfly species.
The chance to observe these captivating insects up close, marked by their vivid hues and graceful movements, is a real joy. The Butterfly Garden is home to thousands of butterflies and 50 different species, showing off all of the regal splendor of these winged treasures.
This covered space will treat you to these beautiful creatures as they flutter gracefully among the vibrant flowers inside. Walk along stone paths among the greenery to experience this magical realm while learning more about the life cycles of butterflies.
Shopping Galore
Clothing shop in Seoul
Seongsu-dong is a dream for shopping fans, so get ready to open up your wallet—and make sure you have space in your luggage for your haul.
Distinctive boutiques and independent shops join flagship stores to create a trove of shopping destinations. OIMU, for example, offers colorful and premium goods in the stationery niche, while OSOI sells stylish handbags and expertly crafted leather goods.
If you visit “Happier Mart by oh, lolly day!” – that’s the actual name – you’ll be treated to quirky stationery and a bevy of adorable gifts with playful designs that are bound to put a smile on your face.
Stationery shop in Seoul
For even more sleek, stationery-themed shopping, swing by the Monami Seongsu flagship store in Seongsu-dong, which has a large array of Monami stationery products and pens, including limited editions and customizable options.
For cosmetics, check out Amore Seongsu, with a wide selection of high-quality products, and for ultra-chic leather bags, wallets, and hats, you can’t go wrong with Stand Oil.
Visit Seongsu Yeonbang
If you want to dive deep into Seongsu-dong’s creative essence, Seongsu Yeonbang is the place to go, providing plenty of action in a single locale.
Cafe in Seoul
This complex, full of artistic energy, has repurposed a former factory, which has now been renovated into a cluster of fashionable art galleries set alongside independent lifestyle brands, clothing shops, and cafés.
With trendy fashion producers and plenty of handmade merchandise available, Seongsu Yeonbang offers you three levels of art, design, and great food – Korean, Japanese, and Italian – helping you better appreciate Seongsu-dong’s effortless cool.
Restaurants
Kkubdang
Samgyeopsal pork belly
Kkubdang is one of the most popular Korean barbeque restaurants in Seongsu-dong, known for its high-quality pork cuts, especially samgyeopsal pork belly and hangjungsal or pork jowl.
The staff working here grill cured meat over hot charcoal right in front of your eyes, elevating the natural flavors of the pork to achieve a crispy, caramelized crust with juicy insides.
In addition to expert tableside grilling, this immersive dining experience also comes with a spread of banchan side dishes, such as kimchi, soybean paste stew, and pickled vegetables, which complement the rich, smoky pork, adding to the mouthwatering barbecue.
Saladaeng Temple
Saladaeng Temple is one of the best places in Seoul for Thai fusion, with authentic flavors served in a beautiful, Thai-inspired setting featuring lush greenery, golden Buddha statues, warm lighting, and an illuminated pond.
The menu features Thai classics like tom yum kung, or spicy shrimp soup, pad thai, and green curry, along with crab, deep-fried oysters, and other dishes featuring traditional Asian flavors and French cuisine, for a unique Thai- and French-themed culinary outing.
Nanpo
Nanpo is a fun spot that adds modernity to traditional Korean cooking without sacrificing taste. As one of the trendiest restaurants in Seongsu-dong, its modern design incorporates a bit of retro vibe, creating a cozy yet sophisticated atmosphere.
Kimchi rolls
Inside this popular eatery, the warm lighting, low open-beam ceilings, and communal tables add to the ambiance. The dishes are innovative and include delectable foods such as kimchi rolls, shrimp-based potato pancakes, noodle dishes, fish, and more. While you might have to wait a while to secure a seat here, the stellar food is worth the wait.
Somunnan Seongsu Gamjatang
Since 1983, Somunnan Seongsu Gamjatang has been a staple in Seongsu-dong, a 24-hour haven for anyone looking for hearty Korean comfort food. This no-frills restaurant, with its simple décor and bustling atmosphere, exudes an authentic vibe.
Gamjatang
The signature dish is gamjatang, a rich pork backbone stew that is slowly cooked to perfection with potatoes, perilla seeds, gochujang hot pepper paste, and vegetables. The umami-rich stew broth goes perfectly with a bowl of steaming rice.
Beyond gamjatang, the menu features a variety of other dishes, although almost everyone comes here for the super satisfying Korean pork stew.
Travel Tips
Seongsu-dong
One of the first travel tips to consider when visiting Seongsu-dong is to allow plenty of time to explore.
Time to wander will let you discover Seongsu-dong’s more concealed spots, with raw industrial elements combined with greenery, art, hip cafés, restaurants, art galleries, and stylish boutiques.
Another must-do is café-hopping. From trendy specialty coffee shop chains to hole-in-the-wall independent cafés buried in quiet alleys, Seongsu-dong has everything the coffee aficionado could ask for.
Also, don’t be shy. Head into some of the more hidden areas away from the main streets so you can “stumble across” art galleries and funky shops selling locally designed goods.
Good walking shoes are important, too, as you’ll likely be covering a lot of ground. There are plenty of places to stop for a snack and something to drink, so don’t worry about packing water or snacks.
Seoul Subway
Seongsu-dong is well connected by metro, Seoul Subway Line 2, and bus, and you can always opt for an Uber or another rideshare service. You can also rent bikes to explore Seoul Forest Park and paths next to the Han River.
Make sure you come with an appetite for art and design, and also food, as the creative culinary scene offers everything from classic Korean cuisine and fusion fare to international flavors in myriad settings.
Read: Best Things to Do in Seoul
Seoul
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