World Cup Haneul (Sky) Park
Parks
World Cup Haneul (Sky) Park
Parks
Have you ever wanted to enjoy an afternoon on top of an extremely oversized mound of garbage? In Seoul, hundreds of people do just that every day.
Say hello to World Cup Haneul (Sky) Park: "The Cleanest Landfill You'll Ever See".
The Scouting Report
- Description
- View Of Seoul
- A Trashy Place
- In The Area
- Nearby Parks
- Things The Park Is Good For
- Elsewhere On The Web
- Gallery
- How To Get There
"Haneul" means "sky" in Korean. This is a befitting name for the park as the entire park sits atop a small artificial hill that provides 360-degree views of Seoul and the surrounding areas.
Not only is the park lifted high into the sky, but there are very few trees in the park. As a result, as there is nothing to obstruct one's views, this park possibly offers more wide-open vistas from horizon to horizon than any other park in Seoul.
View of Seoul
When one thinks places to get a bird's eye view of Seoul, the 63 Building and N Seoul Tower are often the first places that come to mind. These are good places to see Seoul from above, but they lack one thing that Haneul (Sky) Park offers.
From Haneul (Sky) Park, you can see almost all of Seoul at the same time. This is because the park sits at the far west edge of the city. Therefore, when you look to the east and see Seoul, you are able to see all of it. You don't have to walk around to the opposite side of the park to see different parts of the city.
The 63 Building and N Seoul Tower have great observation decks, but they rise from the middle of Seoul. That means you must walk around to different parts of the observation decks to see different parts of the city. This is not a bad thing. In fact, sometimes it may be more desired than the view from Haneul (Sky) Park. But this is just one way that Haneul (Sky) Park is unique and provides a different experience than the 63 Building and N Seoul Tower on Namsan.
A Trashy Place
Seoul loves turning waste sites such as water treatment plants (see Seonyudo Park and West Seoul Lake Park) and landfills into recreation areas. Up until 1993 the site that is now World Cup Haneul (Sky) Park was used as a massive landfill for Seoul. The landfill became too much of an eyesore (and nosesore), and was thankfully turned into this unique and picturesque park.
In The Area
Haneul (Sky) Park is part of the larger World Cup Park system. If you get bored at Haneul Park, fortunately there is a wealth of other parks nearby that are quite easy to access.
Nanji Hangang Park is a great place to enjoy the Han River. Head to Pyeonghwa (Peace) Park and have your pick up superb picnicking sites. Nanjicheon Park provides serenity along the tranquil Nanji Stream, and the area surrounding World Cup Stadium is always abuzz with activity. Last, but not least, is Noeul (Sunset) Park. In many ways it is quite similar to Haneul (Sky) Park, but a little more difficult to get to.
Nearby Parks
Things The Park Is Good For
- It's a great date spot.
- Pack a meal and enjoy a picnic.
- Take a camera and get your photography on.
Elsewhere On The Web
- Haneul or Sky Park in Seoul - by Discovering Korea
- Tall Grass Blows In The Wind - by The Seoul of Seoul
- Haneul Park - by Visit Seoul
- Haneul World Cup Park - by Kids Fun in Seoul
- Seoul's Sky Park - Haneul Park - by Elley Jin
- Haneul Park: Turning trash into treasure - by Stripes Korea
Gallery
To see more photos, check out the World Cup Haneul (Sky) Park photo album.
How To Get There
Where: Seoul-si, Mapo-gu, Sangam-dong
From Line 6 - World Cup Stadium Station (월드컵경기장역):
- Exit 1. Use it.
- Walk to the south gate of World Cup Stadium.
- Go through the aforementioned south gate. It leads directly into Pyeonghwa (Peace) Park.
- Once in Pyeonghwa (Peace) Park, look for the huge hill to your right.
- Climb the stairs (all 290 of them) that zig-zag up the hill.
- Go right at the top of the stairs and follow the path to the entrance of the park.
- Holla at'cha boy!
