One of Seoul's leading arts complexes, with several performance and exhibition spaces, puts on major drama, music and art shows – everything from large-scale musicals to fusion gugak (traditional Korean music) and chamber orchestras.
Sejong Center for the Performing Arts
Gwanghwamun & Jongno-gu
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
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This huge museum documents the history of the Korean War (1950–53) using multimedia exhibits and black-and-white documentary footage, along with artefacts…
Nearby Gwanghwamun & Jongno-gu attractions
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The regularly changing exhibitions at the gallery in the Sejong Center, the largest cultural complex in Seoul, are generally worth a look for an insight…
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A statue of the revered scholar king (1397–1450) sits regally on a throne in the middle of Gwanghwamun. An entrance at the statue's base leads down to an…
3. Gwanghwamun Square Underground Exhibition
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Exhibition on the life and achievements of King Sejon and his Korean language reform. You can write your own name with brushstroke and ink in hangeul for…
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This broad, elongated square provides a grand approach to Gyeongbokgung and is used for various events (as well as protests). Giant statues celebrate two…
5. National Museum of Korean Contemporary History
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The last century has been a tumultuous time for Korea, the key moments of which are memorialised and celebrated in this museum charting the highs and lows…
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This statue is a downtown landmark. Seoul-born Yi Sun-sin (1545–98) designed new types of metal-clad warships called geobukseon (turtle boats), and used…
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The impressive main gate to Seoul's premier palace is flanked by stone carvings of haechi, mythical lion-like creatures traditionally set to protect the…
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Houses the towering pink-and-blue shell artwork and landmark entitled Spring. Part of the Cheong-gye-cheon pathway, there is always movement day and night…