Olympic Park

올림픽공원

The venue complex built for the 1988 Olympics shares one perimeter with an earthen fortress from the early Baekje period. Several of the arenas have been renamed and now host concerts, so sports halls, an archaeological site and concert venues sit on the same walking route.

Language

Seoul Olympic Park seen from above: the round waterside stage and its pond at the centre, ringed by trees in fresh spring leaf, with the World Peace Gate and its painted canopy standing to the right, and the towers of Jamsil with Lotte World Tower rising behind.

Place information

Korean name: 올림픽공원
Address: 424 Olympic-ro, Songpa-gu, Seoul (Bangi-dong)
Nearest station: Olympic Park Station (올림픽공원역, Lines 5 and 9) (Exit 3), Mongchontoseong Station (몽촌토성역, Line 8) (Exit 1)
Operated by: Korea Sports Promotion Foundation

History

Olympic Park was created for the 1986 Asian Games and the 1988 Seoul Olympics and is operated and managed by the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation. Mongchontoseong (the Mongchon earthen fortress) was restored at its centre, with six sports venues arranged in a semicircle around it. At first, limited woodland and water features meant that management focused on maintaining the facilities and the constructed landscape; later ecological restoration linked Seongnaecheon, the Mongchon moat and Lake 88.

1984
Start of park construction
1986
Completion of Olympic Park

Olympic Park — how the park was built: construction 1984–1986, the restored earthen fortress and venue layout, and the turn to ecological management · Sep 25, 2026

What to see

The World Peace Gate

Designed by Kim Chung-up and erected in July 1988 to mark the Seoul Olympics, the World Peace Gate is 24 metres high and 37 metres wide, with wings measuring 62 metres across the front. Beneath the wings, Baek Geum-nam painted the Four Guardians from Goguryeo murals in dancheong, with the Black Tortoise and Vermilion Bird on the right and the Azure Dragon and White Tiger on the left; 30 of Lee Seung-taek's column masks stand on each side at the front.

Nearby

Seoul Sky Observatory

Visibility matters more than the clock: check weather and haze, reserve sunset periods early, and distinguish general observatory admission from paid add-on experiences.

Aerial view of Lotte World, showing the indoor Adventure building and the Magic Island castle on the lake

Lotte World Adventure

Its indoor areas make it useful in poor weather, but crowds still shape the visit; confirm the day's hours and suspended attractions before buying or reserving.

The riverside park seen from above: a paved plaza in front, footpaths threading between planted beds and lawns, a cyclist on the path to the right, the river and a distant cable-stayed bridge on the left and apartment blocks beyond

Jamsil Hangang Park

A 4.8 km stretch of the south bank between Jamsil Railway Bridge and Yeongdong Bridge. At the weir under the south end of Jamsil Bridge runs Jamsil Eodo, a fish ladder with a 228 m observation deck and a viewing window, so you can watch fish work their way up past the barrage. The operator describes the park's nature-study garden as a popular spot for children's field study and family picnics.

Garak Market

A public wholesale market run by the Seoul Agro-Fisheries & Food Corporation. Each division auctions on its own clock — fruit and vegetables are scattered from 02:00 to 23:00 by commodity, seafood opens at 23:00 with fresh fish. The grounds stay open around the clock, but no auction runs from Saturday evening to Sunday dawn.

Stories about this place

Eleven Seoul Parks, Compared: Seoul Forest, Namsan, the River Parks and Olympic Park
Eleven parks in Seoul compared on what each one is, how much walking it takes and how crowded it gets. Nine of the eleven keep no opening hours and charge nothing, so the choice comes down to what you want from the day.

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