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Places to go during the Season for Reading

Fall is the season when "the sky is high and the horses grow fat," an old Korean adage referring to the bountifulness of the harvesting season. Fall is also known as the season for reading and  building knowledge and wisdom. Since the clear, blue skies and cool breeze are perfect for sitting down with a book, how about looking at some special places that bring travel and books together? From a book museum that records the history and culture of Korea’s books to a space for reading nested within nature, let’s take a trip through some places in Seoul that brings you closer to the joy of reading. 

A Sensory Experience of Book Culture

#SongpaBookMuseum #ExperientialMuseum

The Songpa Book Museum is Korea’s first public book library. Aligning with its purpose as a book-themed space, the museum’s exterior is designed to look like the fore-edge of a book and the main hall that greets visitors coming through the entrance shows at a glance that this is a space about books. Bookcases line either side of the terraced seating and natural light pours in through the high skylight. This building, leaving the impression of being a book haven of sorts, won the grand prize at the 38th Seoul Architecture Awards in 2020.

The Songpa Book Museum provides spaces to read comfortably in its nooks and corners but the primary function of the building is that of a museum. The different programs, from book related exhibitions to lectures, awaken visitors' interests in books. In the permanent exhibition hall, you can learn about the way Korean ancestors used to enjoy reading in Joseon Dynasty as well as the history of modern and contemporary Korean books. The special exhibition about magazines titled, The Golden Age of Magazines, accentuates the space with various colors like pink and purple.

This space is for anyone, children and adults alike, to approach books easily through various book cultures. There is not a minute to feel bored in this area filled with experiential spaces to see with your eyes, touch with your hands, and hear with your ears. Visitors can try transcribing in a writing room to the background sound of pencil on paper or the clacking of a typewriter, or make handmade bookmarks by pressing down on a printing press. The BookKium area for preschool children is practically a playground. The storybook village is filled with play activities that use all five senses, inviting children to play freely and fall in love with the world of books.

Address              77 Songpa-daero 37-gil, Songpa-gu, Seoul

Operating Hours  Daily 10:00 ~ 18:00 KST (Closed Mondayds & holidays)

Bridging the Town & Park Together

#NaesoopLibrary #YoonDongJuLibrary

Over the stream (nae), to the forest (soop) / Over the hill, to the village /

We went yesterday and we will go today / My road, the new road

The Naesoop (lit. Over the Stream to the Forest) Library, which opened on the 100th year anniversary of the birth of poet Yoon Dong-ju, is named after the first line of his poem, The New Road. Located between a dense residential area and a green park, the library connects the town and the park just like the line, "over the hill, to the village." The building, which has a green facade just like the forest that lies beyond the library, won the Excellence Award at the 36th Seoul Architecture Awards in 2018.

Following the inverted trapezoidal exterior, the interior space also has a steep slope. The cascading bookshelves of the Naesoop Library are designed so that you can choose a book while going up and down each step along the slope. The high bookshelf that extends to the ceiling and the pure white interior give a sense of openness to the space that is packed with books. The reading area where you can sit and read books freely is in the form of steps. The use of wood brings a sense of warmth and coziness while also creating an atmosphere for reading that is free and comfortable like a concert hall.

The Naesoop Library has various entrances that were made to match the different floor heights along the external stairs leading to the forest next to the building. No matter which of the entrances you enter through, it connects to the library, and no matter which one you exit through, it brings you to the path that leads to the forest. The Naesoop Library, which blurs the boundary between the town and the park, serves as a playground for nearby school students and a place for chatting for local residents, where anyone can drop by to read a book.

Address              50 Jungsan-ro 17-gil, Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul

Operating Hours  Weekdays 09:00 ~ 22:00 KST, Weekends 09:00 ~ 18:00 KST (Closed on Mondays & holidays)

A Resting Spot with Nature and Books

#YangcheonParkBookShelter #LibraryinNature

Yangcheon Park in Yangcheon-gu contains natural elements such as warm sunlight, cool breeze, and birdsong. The energy of people exercising and the leisure of people enjoying a walk are harmoniously mixed together. And in one corner of this park, there is a place where you can enjoy reading in harmony with nature. Yangcheon Park Book Shelter, located within Yangcheon Park, is a reading and resting space that is congruous with the park that won the grand prize at the 39th Seoul Architecture Awards in 2021.

The Yangcheon Park Book Shelter is a space that emphasizes curvilinear beauty, with the arches of three inward curves surrounding a cylindrical bookshelf, forming a pinwheel-like shape. You can fully enjoy the nature of the park from inside the library through the large windows along the curve that seems to embrace the park. One side of the curved wall is used as a bookshelf, allowing sunlight to flow in between the books. Together with the sunlight, warm lighting is added to the warm wooden floor, further emphasizing a soft image.

The Yangcheon Park Book Shelter is both a library and a shelter. One can be reading and go outside anytime to enjoy nature. The pavilion that runs along the round exterior of the Yangcheon Park Book Shelter is the best outdoor shelter for library users. Located right in front of the library, it is easily accessible and you can rest quietly under the shade created by the pavilion. The laughter of children playing in the playground in front of the pavilion adds to the sense of peace, creating a cozy resting place in the busy city.

Address              111 Mokdongdong-ro, Yangcheon-gu, Seoul

Operating Hours  Daily 10:00 ~ 19:00 KST (Closed Mondays)