Haneul Park is one of the five parks located within World Cup Park, built to commemorate the 2002 Korea and Japan FIFA World Cup game.
The area over which the World Cup Parks now lies used to be a large landfill for the Seoul Metropolitan area. World Cup Park now stands as a beautiful ecological park and popular destination for those living in the Mapo-gu area to relax and enjoy nature.
What to do at Haneul Park
These days, Haneul Park is one of the most popular parks to visit of the World Cup Parks and is also the largest of the five parks. Haneul Park, literally meaning sky park, lies on the highest point of World Cup Park and offers visitors an amazing view of the Han River and surrounding cityscape. Haneul Park is enjoyable year round, but receives the most of its visitors during the fall.
The park is famous for its fields of silver grass, pink muhly, and flowers fields that bloom only in the fall, attracting visitors from all over Seoul for the perfect fall photo opportunities. In addition to the park’s beautiful nature preserves and observation decks, it is also famous for its 360° view of Seoul from the Hangang.
The park is also famous for the staircase that people must take to walk up to the top. The infamous trail leading to Haneul Park is made up of a staircase that you must climb with over 291 steps. Don’t worry, the park also has a shuttle service and electric tram for your convenience.
How to get to Haneul Park
To get to Haneul Park, you will have to take the subway line 6 (orange line) to World Cup Park Station and leave from exit 1. Once you leave the exit, you will go straight and follow the path around the sports stadium near the subway. After coming to the road on the other side of the stadium, you will turn right and go straight towards the street intersection.
At the intersection you will cross the street to your left and then cross again to continue moving straight. Once you have crossed to the other side of the street you will go left and continue until you see the wooden staircase on your right side. After taking this staircase, or the shuttle service to the top, you will have arrived at the top of the park.
