Tapgol Park

Seoul's first modern-style park — this is Tapgol Park.

Built on the site of Wongaksa Temple, originally constructed in 1467, the park began taking shape in 1897 at the suggestion of J. McLeavy Brown, a British advisor to the Korean Empire government, and formally opened in 1920.

What makes this place special isn't just that it was Korea's first modern park, but its role in history: on March 1, 1919, the Declaration of Independence was first read aloud here, marking the start of the March 1st Movement. For that reason, it remains, to this day, a symbolic site of Korea's independence movement. The park's name was changed from "Pagoda Park" to its current name, Tapgol Park, in 1992.

Within the park, centered around the octagonal pavilion that signaled the start of the independence movement, stand cultural treasures including the National Treasure ten-story stone pagoda of Wongaksa and the Treasure-designated Wongaksa stele, alongside monuments and a mural commemorating the March 1st Movement and statues honoring independence activists such as Son Byeong-hui and Han Yong-un.

It's a place where you can encounter both traditional architecture and traces of modern history right in the middle of downtown Jongno, and a pleasant spot to rest for a while.

Open at all times (09:00-18:00 summer, 09:00-17:00 winter), free admission.