Photo: Unsplash
Yongsan sits in the middle of the city and mixes old and new. The National Museum of Korea is free and huge, the streets around Sinyongsan and Samgakji (Yongridan-gil) fill up with diners every evening, and the shopping mall above Yongsan Station is an easy rainy-day stop.
Getting there Yongsan Station (Line 1, Gyeongui-Jungang Line) for the station mall, Sinyongsan Station (Line 4) and Samgakji Station (Lines 4 and 6) for Yongridan-gil, Ichon Station (Line 4, Gyeongui-Jungang Line) for the National Museum of Korea.
Photos: Korea Tourism Organization PhoKo · 김대형 (KOGL Type 1) / Korea Tourism Organization PhoKo · 이범수 (KOGL Type 1)
National Museum of Koreahotple.korea With 6.5 million visitors in 2025 it ranked third among the world's museums, and its MU:DS souvenirs and the dark 'Room of Quiet Contemplation' are all over Korean social feeds.
Typical: CoffeeDotori Yongsanhotple.korea Its storybook wooden cottage look, often compared to a Studio Ghibli film, and the acorn-shaped bread make it one of the most photographed cafes on Yongridan-gil, and recent posts note how many foreign travelers are inside.
IPARK Mall Yongsanhotple.korea Its 'Dopamine Station' floor of character, figure and game shops passed 10 million visitors in its first year, and the Chiikawa store and Pokémon card shop draw opening-time queues.
Around YongsanSAM SAM SAM Yongsanhotple.korea Chef Kim Hoon's run on Netflix's Culinary Class Wars season 2 and his win on the cooking show Street Restaurant Fighter in 2026 put this long-running Yongridan-gil favorite back on everyone's list.
Typical: PhoHieutu (Hyottteu)hotple.korea Often credited with starting the Yongridan-gil boom, this Hanoi-style bistro still has lines years on, and its green street-corner interior is a favorite backdrop for pho photos.
The War Memorial of Koreahotple.korea The outdoor yard of tanks and aircraft, the long colonnades and the reflecting pond make it a photo stop on Yongsan walks, and it pairs naturally with lunch in nearby Yongridan-gil.
Amorepacific Museum of Art (APMA)hotple.korea The white, lantern-like Amorepacific headquarters is one of Yongsan's best-known buildings, and its basement museum is now showing Korea's first large Sol LeWitt retrospective, whose giant wall drawings are filling art feeds.
Yongsan Park Officers' Housing Complex 5hotple.korea Rows of red-brick, American-style houses left from the US Army base make it look nothing like Seoul, so it has become a popular photo walk, especially in spring blossom and autumn color.
Typical: Soju & Korean pub foodGarusilbihotple.korea Opened in April 2025, this Korean-style drinking spot with tent seating outside and a chef-chosen seasonal spread became a go-to second stop on Yongridan-gil nights.
Yongsan Family Parkhotple.korea A wide, flat lawn right behind the National Museum of Korea, it is where Seoulites spread picnic mats on mild weekends, and the pond and sculptures make easy photos after a museum visit.
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