Seoul Cheonggyecheon Attractions Recommendation: Seoul Electronic Street, 2022 Brand New Opening HiKR Ground, Cheonggyecheon Walk
charlesku
2 years ago
Recommended Attraction One: 'SEWOON' Electronic Shopping Street
If you have watched the Korean drama 'Lawyer Vincent' before, you must be familiar with 'SEWOON' (세운상가). This is where the vault in the drama is located. It was my first visit (of course, I only knew about this new attraction because of Lawyer Vincent), and I feel that describing this place as a 'vault' is very appropriate. It is filled with treasures from various eras! For example, game consoles, vinyl records, karaoke machines, and various electronic devices. Seun Sangga was the most representative electronic commercial street in Korea during the 1970s and 1980s (a bit like Taipei's Guanghua Market?). However, it faced stagnation and decline in the 1990s. Seun Sangga is also located in the prime commercial area of Seoul (adjacent to Jongno 3-ga and Cheonggyecheon), so some of the buildings here faced demolition (this is somewhat similar to the plot of the JinKa Building in Lawyer Vincent). But later, the Seoul Metropolitan Government decided to revitalize Seun Sangga, and with the uplifting effect of the filming location of the Korean drama, it has become a popular tourist attraction today. Inside this Seun Sangga, where the old and new eras blend, there is a sense of adventure, like scenes you would see in a movie. It is a rare opportunity to experience the special charm of Seoul!
World Electronic Shopping Street Recommended Snack - 'BBAWOO(빠우)'
Coming to the World Sports Street, we went to eat at the donut shop located in the 'DALIM' Shopping Street (대림상가), which is connected to the World Sports Street. Although it is translated from Korean to Chinese as 'sweet donut,' I feel that it looks more like a twisted doughnut (꽈배기)... The sugar glaze on the outside and the soft texture (must be eaten while hot) deserve a 9 out of 10 rating. The remaining 1 point is because I wish it were bigger, otherwise I would finish it in a few bites. 😂
World Electronic Shopping Street Recommended Cafe - '호랑이' Cafe
Currently, there are many trendy and artistic small shops in the 'SEWOON' Shopping Street and 'DALIM' Shopping Street. Of course, there is no shortage of coffee shops in Korea! That day, I tried the famous Tiger Cafe (호랑이카페) known for its coffee and sandwiches. You could smell the strong aroma of coffee from outside the shop. The interior design of the shop gives a feeling of being in the old Seoul era (Friendly suggestion: Bring your own container for ordering to get a discount!)
☞ Recommended Item: Tiger Latte ₩5000 (for dine-in or takeaway cup) ₩3500 (with your own container)
I highly recommend these two stores to all of you who are planning to visit the World Games Qingxi Commercial Street area! Of course, there are many many unique small stores waiting for you to explore and discover in the World Games Commercial Street!
Recommended Attraction 2: 'Cheonggyecheon (청계천)'
After leaving the 'SEWOON' Shopping Street, our next destination was HiKR ground located in the Seoul Center of the Korea Tourism Organization. Since it is also around the Cheonggyecheon Stream, we walked along the stream to get there. I have to say, it was really hot that day! But walking along the stream seemed to convince ourselves that it would be a little cooler (?). The Cheonggyecheon Stream in summer is incredibly lush and green, making me envy Korea's distinct four seasons! The water in the stream is also quite clear, and you can see fish swimming clearly 🐟🐟🐟.
Recommended attraction three: HiKR Ground
HiKR ground, which opened on July 22, 2022, is the highlight of our half-day trip! Originally, this was only the headquarters of the Korean Tourism Organization and a tourist information center. However, during the pandemic, it underwent a major transformation and now has five floors dedicated to providing a realistic experience of tourism in Korea. I will now share in detail the theme of each floor:
First Floor | 'Hiker Month' HiKR World｜Upon entering the entrance, you will see HiKR's visual image. You can also find the counter for introducing brochures here! The large multimedia wall displays Korean pop culture and Korean tourism-related images, which looks really impressive. In addition, the tourist souvenir shop is also on the first floor! What I highly recommend here is the Korean travel map. Besides its excellent quality, it's also handy when you don't know where to go sometimes (？)
Second Floor | 'K-POP Ground' K-POP Ground |I highly recommend this floor! It has several interactive studios designed to immerse viewers in the scene. Each set can change its own lighting color and flashing frequency. The impressive part is that you can also choose the background scene and music, and take unique certified photos with your favorite song and lighting! There are also props available on the side for personal use (like the props for the popular Korean life four-panel photo). I have to ask, how much money does the Korea Tourism Organization have to create such a tourism experience?
3rd floor｜'HiKR Atrium' HiKR Atrium｜The 3rd floor encompasses the content display of K-Art and K-Drama. Among them, the works of the famous Korean artist Northwall are also exhibited here. There is an eye-catching and colorful Korean house artwork. Some people may have the impression that there is also a prominent Korean house artwork hanging inside Incheon Airport Terminal. They are all works of Northwall! (If you haven't noticed, please look up when you're at Incheon Airport!) In addition, there is the section on K-Drama! Part of the 3rd floor presents all of the current Korean dramas on NETFLIX, forming a wall full of Korean dramas (I've seen several of them... I'm really a Korean drama fanatic). One eye-catching point here is that Korean drama filming locations are compiled here. If you want to know where each Korean drama was filmed, come here to dig for treasures! (Filming locations are very, very important! After all, many tourist attractions in Korea have become popular because of Korean dramas.)
Fourth floor | 'Hiker Cave' HiKR Cave, Festival Experience Hall |In the Festival Experience Hall, you can take a piece of graffiti paper with thick black lines and draw your desired wish. After completing it, scan it and it will appear in the wish area on the big screen. You can also tap the interactive screen to light up the wish and there will be surprises! I drew the KOREA logo of the Tourism Association, which was really eye-catching! In addition, this floor also has a 'Medical Tourism Consultation Center' where you can taste some local Korean tea. I had a tea called 'Vitamin' in Chinese translation (although I really forgot what its effect was...) but it's really a chill experience to have tea here when you're tired from shopping!
☞ Medical Tourism Consultation Center Business Hours: Tuesday to Sunday 10:00-19:00 (Closed on Mondays)
5th floor | 'Hiker Lounge' HiKR Lounge, Hiker Challenge HiKR Challenge, Tourist Information Center, Knotted x HiKR｜This floor has an outdoor platform where you can see the view of the stream and the surrounding commercial buildings, but the outdoor platform was not open on the day we went. This is definitely a good place to appreciate and take pictures of the stream. When you come here later, try your luck and see if the outdoor platform is open~ And HiKR Challenge is an interactive slot machine game. Sometimes the results can be quite amusing... Additionally, the tourist information center here provides services for consultation in Chinese! (Other language support includes English and Japanese) Welcome everyone to seek travel-related assistance here 🙌
Located on the 5th floor of HiKR, Knotted is a popular donut specialty store in Korea in recent years. On the day of the visit, it felt like almost all the customers in the shop were local office workers. Compared to the crowds in other branches in Seoul, it seems that not many people have discovered this branch yet (hopefully it won't become too crowded after sharing). The prices are average and not too expensive compared to other cafes. After exploring the 1st to 4th floors, why not enjoy some desserts and coffee on the 5th floor!
☞ Recommended Items (I have tried): 🍩 Milk Cream Donut ₩3500 🍩 Classic Vanilla Donut ₩3000
☞ Noted hiker Knotted x HiKR Business hours: Mon-Sun 10:00-21:00
