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N Seoul Tower

Coordinates: 37°33′04″N 126°59′18″E / 37.551216°N 126.988276°E / 37.551216; 126.988276
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YTN Seoul Tower
The tower and lattice transmission tower (left) in 2018
N Seoul Tower is located in Seoul
N Seoul Tower
Location within Seoul
Alternative names
  • N Seoul Tower
  • Namsan Tower
  • Seoul Tower
General information
StatusCompleted
TypeCommunication tower
LocationSeoul
Address04340 105, Namsangongwon-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Korea (Yongsan-dong 2-ga, YTN Seoul Tower)
Coordinates37°33′04″N 126°59′18″E / 37.551216°N 126.988276°E / 37.551216; 126.988276 Edit this at Wikidata
Construction started1969; 55 years ago (1969)
Completed3 December 1971; 53 years ago (1971-12-03)
OwnerYTN
Height
Roof279 m (915 ft)
Top floor239 m (784 ft)
Other information
Number of stores+82-2-3455-9277
Website
www.seoultower.co.kr/en/ Edit this at Wikidata
Korean name
Hangul
엔 서울타워
Revised RomanizationEn Seoul Tawo
McCune–ReischauerEn Sŏul T'awŏ

The N Seoul Tower (Korean: N 서울타워), officially the YTN Seoul Tower[1] and a.k.a. for the Namsan Tower, is a communication and observation tower located on the summit of Namsan Mountain (262m) in central Seoul, South Korea. The 236-metre-tall (774 ft) structure marks the second highest point in Seoul and is considered a local landmark.[2]

Built in 1969, N Seoul Tower is South Korea's first general radio wave tower, providing TV and radio broadcasting in Seoul.[3] Currently, the tower broadcasts signals for Korean media outlets, such as KBS, MBC, and SBS.

History of the Seoul Tower

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N Seoul Tower at night
N Seoul Tower at sunset

Built in 1969 at a cost of approximately US$2.5 million, the tower was completed on 3 December 1971, designed by architects at Jangjongryul though at the time the facility interior was not furnished. Since opening to the public in October 1980, the tower has been a landmark of Seoul. Tower elevation ranges from 236.7 metres (777 ft) at the base to 479.7 metres (1,574 ft) above sea level. It was renamed to N Seoul Tower메롱데롱~~ in 2005, with the 'N' standing for 'new', 'Namsan Mountain', and 'nature'. Approximately ₩15 billion was spent in renovating and remodeling the tower.[when?]

When N Seoul Tower's original owner merged with CJ Corporation, it was renamed the N Seoul Tower (official name CJ Seoul Tower).[when?] YTN acquired it from CJ Corporation in 1999, and changed its name to YTN Seoul Tower. It has also been known as the Namsan Tower and Seoul Tower. It is also Korea's first general radio wave tower that holds transmissions antennas of KBS, MBC, SBS TV, FM, PBC, TBS, CBS, and BBS FM.

N Seoul Tower, along with Changdeokgung Palace, was selected as one of the world's top 500 tourist destinations in Lonely Planet's Ultimate Travel List.[4]

Floors and amenities

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N Seoul Tower is divided into three main sections called N Lobby, N Plaza and N Tower. The N Plaza section comprises two floors, while the N Tower section comprises four floors. There are three observation decks throughout the building, although the restaurant on the third floor (3F) and the revolving restaurant on the top floor (7F) offer views comparable to those of the observation decks on the fourth (4F) and fifth (5F) floors.

N Lobby

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The lobby has the entrance to the observatory, an information desk, a museum, a cafe, children's theatre, and a nursing room.

N Plaza

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N Plaza has two floors. The first floor (1F) includes the ticket booth, a souvenir shop, a cafe and a burger shop, whereas the second floor (2F) houses an Italian restaurant and a roof terrace. The "Locks of Love" are situated within the roof terrace.

N Tower

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The N Tower section has four floors: 3F, 4F, 5F, and 7F.[5] Unlike most buildings in South Korea that do not have a fourth floor due to Tetraphobia (similar to Triskaidekaphobia),[6] N Seoul Tower does but avoids Tetraphobia by including the 'F' suffix for 'floor' in the floor name. Note that there is no sixth floor.

Most of the city of Seoul can be seen from the N Tower section, although a lattice transmission tower is situated approximately 50 metres (160 ft) east of N Seoul Tower. The third floor (3F) of N Seoul Tower has a Korean restaurant called Hancook,[5] and a digital observatory with a 360° panoramic view that showcases Korea's history through 32 LCD screens.[7] Floors 4F and 5F have observation decks and gift shops. The seventh floor (7F) has a French restaurant,[5] which rotates at a rate of one revolution every 48 minutes.[8]

Attractions

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Visiting

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N Seoul Tower as seen from Namsan Mountain

Many visitors ride the Namsan cable car up Namsan Mountain to walk to the tower. The tower is renowned as a national landmark and for its cityscape views. The 236.7-metre (777 ft) tower sits on the Namsan Mountain (243 metres or 797 feet). It attracts thousands of tourists and locals every year, especially during nighttime when the tower lights up. Photographers enjoy the panoramic view the tower offers. Each year, approximately 8.4 million visit the N Seoul Tower, which is surrounded by many other attractions South Korea offers, including Namsan Park and Namsangol Hanok Village.[9] 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 Seoul City revealed foreign tourists ranked the N Seoul Tower as the number one tourist attraction.[10] The N Seoul Tower is now also a symbol of Seoul.

Lighting of the Tower

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The N Seoul Tower is illuminated in blue from sunset to 11 pm (10 pm in winter) on days that the air quality in Seoul does not exceed 45 micrograms per cubic metre (2.0×10−5 gr/cu ft) as measured by fine dust concentration.[11] During the spring of 2012, the tower was lit up for 52 days, which is four days more than in 2011.[needs update][12] The tower uses the latest LED technology to offer visitors a digital, cultural art experience through 'light art.' [13] The N Seoul Tower puts on many different shows, including the "Reeds of Light" and "Shower of Light."

An exception to this is Earth Hour. During Earth Hour, lights are turned off nationwide to promote energy conservation awareness. At N Seoul Tower, lights are turned off in support of Earth Hour[11] at 8 pm.[14]

Love Padlocks

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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.[15] This attraction is situated on the 2nd floor of the N Plaza, at the Roof Terrace. 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.[16]

'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.[17] This is similar to the love locks in Paris, France, on the Pont Neuf bridge.

Wishing Pond and Observatory

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The N Tower also holds many other attractions including the digital observatory and the Wishing Pond. The Wishing Pond can be found on the second floor of the tower, where people throw coins into the pond while making a wish. The coins are collected and donated to help develop schools in China and Southeast Asia, especially in underdeveloped areas.[18] The observatory, renovated in 2011, is on the third floor. The observatory not only offers a 360° view of the city, but also exhibits 600 years of Korean history through 36 LCD screens. The fifth floor houses a French restaurant known as N Grill.

Other events and attractions

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In 2008, the Teddy Bear Museum was opened at the tower, with a 7-metre-tall (23 ft) Christmas tree made with 300 teddy bears to celebrate its opening.[19] It showcases teddy bears in the past, present, and future of Seoul, as well as teddy bears models in Seoul attractions, such as the Cheonggyecheon Stream, Myeongdong, Insadong, and Dongdaemun.[20]

Displays of 55-inch OLED Panels

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OLED panels are displayed all around the Namsan Seoultower from level 1 to 4. On level 1, guests will be greeted by a 9-metre (30 ft) OLED tunnel with welcome messages, and a 15-by-3-metre (49.2 ft × 9.8 ft) curved panorama OLED display with a view of the Gwanghwamun Gate and Gyeongbokgung Palace through the four seasons. On level 2, we can see the OLED circle, shaped like a round belt hanging in the air. On level 4, there is a 24-metre-long (79 ft) wavy structure decorated with images of wish lanterns, flames and patterns of dancheong to represent beautiful sky across Seoul. And next, we can experience '3D video world'.[21]

Day Panorama of Seoul from N Seoul Tower
Night Panorama of Seoul from N Seoul Tower

Broadcasting use

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N Seoul Tower is used as a radio/television broadcast and communications tower.

Television broadcasters

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ATSC 1.0 stations

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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

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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

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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
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  • Teddy Bear Museum entrance
    Teddy Bear Museum entrance
  • Love padlock trees
    Love padlock trees
  • A view of Seoul from the N Seoul Tower.
    A view of Seoul from the N Seoul Tower.
  • Another view of Seoul from the N Seoul Tower
    Another view of Seoul from the N Seoul Tower
  • The Namsan cable car, which leads up to the N Seoul Tower.
    The Namsan cable car, which leads up to the N Seoul Tower.
  • The nearby lattice transmission tower at sunset (2012)
    The nearby lattice transmission tower at sunset (2012)
  • N Seoul Tower illuminated from below at night
    N Seoul Tower illuminated from below at night

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Road Name Address System - Ministry of Security and Public Administration". Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  2. ^ Ryu, Myung-Soo (3 August 2009). "A hip tourist hot spot in the thick of it all". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on 26 January 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
  3. ^ "Overview - N SEOUL TOWER". Archived from the original on 26 September 2018. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  4. ^ Kim Kyung-ah (26 September 2015). "YTN서울타워·창덕궁 '세계 500대 관광지' 선정" [YTN Seoul Tower and Changdeokgung Palace selected as one of the world's top 500 tourist destinations]. YTN (in Korean). Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  5. ^ a b c "Tower Map". N Seoul Tower. 2014. Archived from the original on 31 August 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  6. ^ "What is considered unlucky in Korea?". Namhan South Korea. 30 July 2023. Retrieved 21 October 2024. The number four is considered unlucky in Korea because it sounds like the word for death. [...] This superstition is so widespread that many buildings in Korea do not have a fourth floor [...].
  7. ^ "Visit Seoul - N Seoul Tower - Landmarks - Seoul Attractions". Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
  8. ^ "N Seoul Tower (N 서울타워)". Visit Korea. Archived from the original on 15 December 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  9. ^ "Namsan Park and N Seoul Tower". Archived from the original on 7 February 2014. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
  10. ^ "[N SEOUL TOWER][About N SEOUL TOWER] History". www.nseoultower.com. Archived from the original on 24 March 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
  11. ^ a b "Tonight at N Seoul Tower". N Seoul Tower. 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  12. ^ "Improved Air Quality Reflected in N Seoul Tower". The Chosun Ilbo. 18 May 2012. Archived from the original on 4 March 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
  13. ^ "[N SEOUL TOWER][About N SEOUL TOWER] Overview". www.nseoultower.com. Archived from the original on 21 July 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
  14. ^ 임, 현동 (22 April 2018). "Earth Day lights off Namsan N Tower for a while to save energy!". JoongAng Ilbo.
  15. ^ "Mt. Nam Tops List of Foreign Tourists' Favorites". The Chosun Ilbo. 28 November 2011. Archived from the original on 13 April 2019. Retrieved 23 April 2012.
  16. ^ "Namsan Seoul Tower (남산서울타워)". VisitKorea.or.kr. Archived from the original on 15 December 2015. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
  17. ^ "Love padlocks at N Seoul Tower". Korea.net. Archived from the original on 10 September 2014. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
  18. ^ "[N SEOUL TOWER][Observatory]". www.nseoultower.com. Archived from the original on 24 March 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
  19. ^ "Cuddles for Christmas". Korea JoongAng Daily. 24 November 2008. Archived from the original on 27 January 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
  20. ^ "Teddy Bear Museum Opens in N Seoul Tower at Mt. Namsan". Korea Tourism Organization. Archived from the original on 8 May 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
  21. ^ "Namsan Seoultower". www.seoultower.co.kr. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
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