The main hall on the ground floor will be used as a multipurpose space such as cafe, event/performance hall. The former waiting room, ladies' waiting room, stationmaster's office, VIP lounge will become exhibition halls. The main dorm has been decorated with stained-glass windows. Other rooms like the wiring room will be also used as exhibition spaces or offices. The grill on the second floor which was the most famous Western restaurant during the Japanese colonial era, has become a multipurpose hall for performance/seminar/conference. The restroom and barbershop have been restored to its original form, so I advise you to visit.
The renovation of the former Seoul Station has been finished finally. And with a brand new name. 284 comes from its number as a historical site. It was built in 1925 and now it has totally changed into a cultural space. The main hall on the ground floor will be used as a multipurpose space such as cafe, event/performance hall. The former waiting room, ladies' waiting room, stationmaster's office, VIP lounge will become exhibition halls. The main dorm has been decorated with stained-glass windows. Other rooms like the wiring room will be also used as exhibition spaces or offices. The grill on the second floor which was the most famous Western restaurant during the Japanese colonial era, has become a multipurpose hall for performance/seminar/conference. The restroom and barbershop have been restored to its original form, so I advise you to visit. To celebrate its opening, an art project "Countdown" will be exhibited until February 11, 2012. Thirty-five nationally known artists will fill the space with their masterpieces gradually. The exhibition will be free until September 30.
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Insadong & Chungdamdong are the two main axes of the Korean art culture, but like trees, these art neighborhoods are expanding to the surrounding areas and it is obvious that the art map of Seoul is transforming. Not just Bukchon near Gyeongbok Palace, but Daehakro, Yongsan, Hannam, Sinsa, Samseong, Yeoksam and Seocho are becoming parts of the new art belt. In 2010, 73 exhibition spaces newly opened and many are in these areas. Still, Bukchon area is transforming most dramatically. I can say that the change has become more dramatical since the previous ROK Defense Security Command is changing into The National Museum of Contemporary Art Seoul. There are exhibition spaces like The Kumho Museum of Art, Kukje Gallery and art shops and about 200 art & culture facilities. In the past couple of years, 20 art galleries and museums opened. Also, many exhibition spaces are opening near Gwanghwamun and in Yongsan area. Last Year, four galleries - Artside, Palais de Seoul, Hanbbyom, Ewoo - opened and several galleries run by major companies like OCI, Hanjin has opened in the neighborhood. The Yongsan Art Map centers its axis in Hannamdong. Of course, Leeum is there, and five new galleries opened in 2010. In Hannamdong and Itaewon, rents are cheaper than Insadong or Chungdamdong and wealth neighborhoods are close, so many exhibition spaces of various style.
Samseongdong and Yeomsamdong were less famous than Chungdamdong for a long time, but it has been changing slightly. In the basement of InterContinental Seoul COEX, five galleries including Gallery Focus are thriving and there are about 25 galleries, art museums and other exhibition halls near COEX. There are many corporate offices in the neighborhoods and they run their own galleries too. You may have heard about POSCO Art Museum, Kumho Kring. Of course there is some more. Many more galleries and art spaces are expected to open in 2011 and upcoming years, and in a couple of years, Seoul travel guidebooks may need to revise their art contents. We are just happy about the transformation. The reality is a concrete jungle but there's no closer way to feel the nature than Namsan. Seoul is a humongous city, but only when I am able to see this mountain and Seoul Tower, I can finally feel that I am in Seoul. Until very recently, I thought the cable car was the only decent way to climb the mountain (except bus and walking), but it seems that we have more options. Namsan Orumi You still need to get on a cable car, but you have one more option to the cable car station besides walking. Namsan Orumi, inclined elevator has become quite famous since it opened in 2009. The lower platform is near Namsan Tunnel 3 and you will get off at the cable car station. The distance between two platform is 70m and it takes about two minutes. The view from inside is also astonishing. Epic Namsan and the central Seoul. It opens at 9am (cable car runs from 10am) to 11pm. It is really close from Hoehyeon Station, Line 4, you will feel that Namsan is a lot closer than you think. The castle path can be also enjoyable if you feel like following the trails of the history. There are many ways to try this one but you can start from Sungnyemun (South Gate) and the actual expedition is until you climb up to the Namsan beacons. Then, you can have a little break at Jamdubong, where you can see the entire CBD area of Jongro. If you start from Sungnyemun, stairs may exhaust you, and if you do not care for that, you can start from Jangchung Gym. You can choose between inner track and outer track. The outer castle track has wooden decks, so it is more convenient. Nansam E-bus (Photo Courtesy) If you must choose bus, try this eco-friendly electronic bus. The peanut-shaped bus are on Nansam circulation routes - 02, 03, 05 and soon there will be no yellow bus for Namsan. At the bus stop underneath Seoul Tower, you can see them recharging the bus. FYI, there are many cultural places in Namsan too. A shrine for the best-known Chinese strategiest Zhuge Liang is here, so maybe you can have a visit. If you missed the chance to see the whole city from the airplane, or if you don't have enough money to hire a helicopter, there's a next best thing you can try. You can find it at the Seoul Museum of History. On level 3, there's an exhibition called "Seoul, Now and in the Making". The admission is free and it is open until 9 pm (7 pm on Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays). You can see the city as you're seeing from the sky. Along the Han river, you can see the buildings, houses and parks which you couldn't visit or see at the same time. In this exhibition hall, there are some touch panels which will tell you about the names of famous neighborhoods. Not just current cityscapes, but you can also find some big future projects of the city like Yongsan Dream Hub, Yongsan Park, and the Seoulite. It is as romantic as enjoying the city from Seoul Tower, so maybe you should try this sometime. Also a great chance to grasp the overall geography of Seoul. Seoul Square Media Facade is very catchy and if your express train from Incheon International Airport arrives in Seoul in the evening, this will be probably the first thing you will see. It starts on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday (7 pm-10 pm).
During February and March, "Seoul Square K-J Project" by Korean & Japanese media art artists will be displayed. You can meet some refreshing media art works and understand the cultures of both countries. Seolleung Park - Gangnam District is one of the business & culture & shopping center of Seoul. (Photo Courtesy) Special exhibition at the Seoul Museum of History in commemoration of the development of Gangnam District. Gangnam used to be just farms and wasn't important at all. That's why it used to be called as "Youngdong (it means East side of Youngdeungpo)". You can find out what Gangnam used to look like in 70s and 80s, how Hannam Bridge and Gyeongbu Express way were built and boosted the growth of Gangnam..and a lot more! Skyrocketing of land price known as "Maljuk Street Myth", appearance of Gangnam Education District 8, which has made Gangnam the center of Korean education..Those will reveal the new phases of life which started in 70s. I think this will be a great chance to see the symbol of the chronicles of moden Korean development, and another aspect of Gangnam District. The exhibition ends on the 27th of February and the opening hours are from 11 am to 7 pm. Myungdong is one of the busiest shopping area in Seoul. Today was a little bit cold so the streets were not busy as usual but still there were still thousands of shoppers. There are department stores, luxury halls, H&M stores with 4 levels, many fashion & cosmetics shops and countless street vendors! There's something about Seoul that makes you unable to stop trying them.
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