From Sinyongsan to Samgakji: A Half-Day Walking Guide to Seoul’s Modern Landmarks

Start your journey across from Yongsan Station, passing through the Yongsan History Museum before heading to the Amore Pacific Museum of Art and the corporate headquarters. From there, traverse the vibrant alleys of Sinyongsan Station and local eateries to reach Samgakji and the historic The War Memorial of Korea. This isn't just a list of trending spots; it's a curated half-day stroll that reveals how museums, galleries, local commerce, and legacy restaurants coexist in one compact area.

Yongsan Station across, starting with a museum

After crossing from Yongsan Station Exit 1 and entering Hangang-daero 14-gil, you will find a red brick building. Situated 550m from the station, this former railway hospital offers much more than its historical significance.

Yongsan History Museum

The permanent exhibition covers the evolution of the area, from its roots in the Han River water transport and Gyeonggang merchants to the development of military bases and railway hubs. It further explores the pop culture surrounding U.S. military bases, the art scene of Samgakji, and the stories of migrants and Yongsan Park. It offers a comprehensive overview of how Yongsan evolved into an intersection of transportation, military history, commerce, and foreign culture.

As you walk through the gallery, you’ll see more than just old railway and military infrastructure; you’ll witness the daily lives and cultures that grew around them. It is the perfect starting point, as it presents Yongsan not as a single historical chapter, but as a neighborhood where multiple eras overlap.

Inside, remnants of the old hospital and lobby stained glass remain, and the rooftop garden offers a view of the Yongsan Station area. It serves as a background for the scenes you will encounter later during your walk through Sinyongsan and Samgakji.

From Sinyongsan Station to Amore Pacific

Moving from the museum along Hangang-daero toward Sinyongsan Station, the scale of the landscape changes dramatically. You can access the Amore Pacific headquarters directly via the underground passage from Sinyongsan Station Exit 1.

Amore Pacific Headquarters

Designed by David Chipperfield, the headquarters is a massive square structure that houses a central courtyard and open lower-level spaces. Exploring both the lobby and the lower floors provides a better sense of the building’s scale and character than viewing it from the exterior alone.

The direct connection from Sinyongsan Station enhances the visitor experience. Despite its role as a corporate office, the lower levels feel accessible, housing an art museum and public spaces that invite pedestrians to wander in naturally.

Amore Pacific Museum of Art

As of September 2026, the Amore Pacific Museum of Art is hosting “Sol LeWitt: Open Structure.” The exhibition features 45 pieces, including wall drawings, structures, paintings, and photographs, with a focus on 13 wall drawings implemented uniquely for each space based on the artist’s instructions.

It is more engaging to observe how the museum’s walls and structures integrate with the artwork rather than viewing pieces in isolation. The synergy between the building’s architecture and the current exhibition is the definitive highlight of this segment.

Yongnidan-gil (Food Street) leading to the alley beside the office

Yongnidan-gil (Food Street)

Entering the alleys beside the Amore Pacific headquarters, the grand scale of Hangang-daero quickly fades. Yongnidan-gil (Food Street), which encompasses the area of Hangang-ro 2-ga between Sinyongsan Station and Samgakji Station, is a commercial district where restaurants and cafes are scattered across a network of streets.

New cafes and eateries stand alongside renovated houses and industrial buildings, and the atmosphere shifts with every turn. Rather than checking off a few famous locations, taking your time to absorb the mix of neighborhood life and new commerce reveals the true character of the area.

Despite the proximity to main roads, the alleys feature narrower streets and lower building heights. Many spaces have been repurposed while keeping original facades or staircases, making it easy to visualize how a new business district has integrated into an existing neighborhood. The varying density of shops ensures that no single landmark can define the entirety of Yongnidan-gil (Food Street).

A meal in Sinyongsan or Samgakji

Neungdong Minari Sinyongsan

For a meal in Sinyongsan, Neungdong Minari is a strong candidate. Featured in the Michelin Guide, it is famous for its gomtang (beef bone soup) served with clear broth and plenty of hanu (Beef) and fresh water parsley. After dining, you can explore more of Yongnidan-gil (Food Street) before heading toward Samgakji.

Samgakji Station

Descending from Yongnidan-gil (Food Street) toward Samgakji, the mix of new eateries and long-standing shops becomes even denser. Rather than arriving at a single destination, the character of the alleys gradually transitions into wider roads and older commercial clusters.

Samgakji functions more as a bridge between the new Sinyongsan district and the classic restaurant scene than as a stand-alone destination. It is a place often overlooked due to its subway name, but it serves as a vital point in your walking route where the atmosphere shifts.

Won Daegutang

If you prefer to wait until Samgakji to dine, Won Daegutang is a great choice. Designated as a Seoul Future Heritage, it is known for having been part of the Samgakji daegu tang (Codfish Soup) alley for generations. They are famous for a flat pot dish of cod, water parsley, bean sprouts, and offal.

While you don’t need to visit both Neungdong Minari and Won Daegutang, both are iconic. The rhythm of your walk will vary depending on where you decide to eat, but the core route remains the same.

Finish at the The War Memorial of Korea Plaza

The War Memorial of Korea

Moving from Samgakji toward The War Memorial of Korea, the tight-knit alleys and restaurants give way to a vast plaza and massive structures. For this half-day walk, we recommend focusing on the exterior of the grounds rather than spending excessive time indoors.

As of September 2026, the special exhibition “That Day, My Daily Life Became War” is ongoing. While fully exploring The War Memorial of Korea requires significant time, a half-day stroll is best served by checking the plaza and choosing whether to enter based on current programming.

From the museum across from Yongsan Station to the gallery, the side alleys, and the Samgakji dining district, reaching this vast square creates a natural conclusion to the flow of different Yongsan encountered in just a few blocks.

Half-Day Walking Route

① Yongsan History Museum → ② Amore Pacific Headquarters & APMA → ③ Yongnidan-gil (Food Street) → ④ Neungdong Minari Sinyongsan → ⑤ Samgakji → ⑥ Won Daegutang → ⑦ The War Memorial of Korea

④ Neungdong Minari Sinyongsan and ⑥ Won Daegutang are for after the meal. Choose one as they are not meant to be visited both in one trip.

TRAVEL MEMO

Image Credits: Korea Tourism Organization, Seoul Tourism Organization (Visit Seoul), Wikimedia Commons