Tong-Tong Tour - City Hall | The Official Travel Guide to Seoul

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Seoul Guided Walking Tour

Tong-Tong Tour - City Hall

Published Date : Aug 01, 2024 / Edited Date : Nov 21, 2024

Tong-Tong Tour - City Hall

About Seoul City Hall Tong-Tong Tour

Renovated in August 2012, the new Seoul City Hall reinterprets the eaves of traditional Korean houses. It is designed to be eco-friendly, providing shade to keep cool in the summer and saving heat to keep warm in the winter.

In addition to being used as an administrative office space for city hall staff, the building is also utilized as a space for citizens, including a vertical garden , indoor garden, sky plaza, and multipurpose hall. The first floor lobby was renovated in April 2024, transforming the space into a place for healing, rest, and enjoyment.

The former city hall building has now become the Seoul Metropolitan Library, and visitors can explore the city's past history through the former mayor's office and the Seoul Archival Services.

This tour covers the entire City Hall establishment including the main building and Seoul Metropolitan Library.

Check out the Tong-tong Tour, and walk with our knowledgeable and experienced docents as they guide you through the many sights and stories.

Hours

Course

Online Reservation	On-site Participation
Tue to Sun 10:30, 14:30 (70 minutes each)	Tue to Fri (4 tours a day, 40 minutes each)
City Hall Main Building, Seoul Metropolitan Library	City Hall Main Building, Seoul Metropolitan Library

Basic Course: (City Hall Main Building) 1F City Hall Model, Seoulim & Vertical Garden , Metaseosa Seobeol, Media Wall, Robot Cafe; 9F Sky Plaza Cafe & Gallery; 6F Lounge; 2F Photo Zone; (Seoul Metropolitan Library) 3F: Former Mayor’s Office, Planning and Situation Room, Seoul Archival Services; 5F City Hall Traces Exhibition Room, Sky Yard

Meeting Location: In front of City Hall Model, 1F Seoul City Hall Main Building

Course TIP: Tour is closed on Mondays (closing day of the Seoul Metropolitan Library), holidays, and days when there are no tour registration.; On-site participation: Arrive at the meeting location on the tour day without reservation.

Make a Reservation

Landmarks

Vertical Garden

The 1,516㎡ indoor vertical garden features 14 species of plants, including ivies and Scindapsus, and reaches seven stories high. It forms a harmonious pair with the indoor garden filled with seasonal flowers that allow visitors to enjoy the change of seasons
Metaseosa Seobeol

Metaseosa Seobeol is JHEON Soo-cheon’s installation artwork, selected through a public contest. The long story of Seoul, which has served as the country's capital for 2,000 years, represented as a light of hope, a mythical path, and a whirlwind of life
① Light of Hope: Symbolizes the hope of Seoul citizens
② Mythical Path: Represents the long history of Seoul
③ Whirlwind of Life: Expresses the dynamic vitality and strong will of Seoul citizens
Media Wall

Visitors to the City Hall are first greeted by a large media wall on the first floor of City Hall, opposite the main entrance. It features a variety of media contents, including the dynamic present and future images of Seoul, a digital aquarium, and works selected through public media art contest.
Sky Plaza Gallery (8F)

Sky Plaza Gallery is an exhibition space in the City Hall where citizens can freely visit and admire the featured artworks. Three to five teams/artists are selected each year through an open call, and the selected teams/artists take turns to showcase their works for set periods throughout the year.
Sky Plaza (9F)

Overlooking Seoul Plaza, Sky Plaza is home to the Happy Plus Café, where you can enjoy delicious drinks and refreshments made by baristas with disabilities at affordable prices. This multi-purpose cafe also serves as a cultural space for exhibiting and selling products made by people with disabilities.
Former Mayor's Office, Planning and Situation Room (3F)

The former mayor's office was restored to its early 20th-century appearance, preserving the original building materials from before the building was demolished. In the mayor's office, which has served multiple mayors, visitors can sit at the desk and imagine themselves as the future mayor. The table in the Planning and Situation Room, where various meetings were held, is lined with documents showing the 20 most decisive events in Seoul and how they were handled.
Seoul Archival Services (3F)

The Seoul Archival Services is an exhibition space that conveys the value of archival culture as it tells the story of Seoul's evolution and the people who have lived with it. The space shares the memories of Seoul's citizens who have lived in the city through the records of joys and sorrows from daily lives.
Sky Yard (5F)

This is the rooftop garden of the Seoul Library. Visitors can enjoy views of Gwanghwamun, Cheongwadae, Gyeongbokgung Palace, Deoksugung Palace, and the surrounding areas. A wide wooden bench has been set up along with an aquatic biotope and a lawn.
Seoul Outdoor Library in Seoul Plaza

Seoul Metropolitan Library has prepared a FUN space in the city center where visitors can freely read books and enjoy various cultural activities outdoors. Planned based on the concept of the “city’s living room,” the “Seoul Outdoor Library in Seoul Plaza” has welcomed many visitors and become a representative cultural platform in Seoul.It offers a variety of things to enjoy such as signature bookshelves, traveler’s library, and creative playgrounds.