History
Built in 1969 at a cost of approximately US$2.5 million, Namsam tower was opened to the public in 1980. Seoul Tower was completed on 3 December 1971, designed by architects at Jangjongryul though at the time the facility interior was not furnished. N Seoul Tower opened to the public in October 1980.[4] Since then, the tower has been a landmark of Seoul.[5] Tower elevation ranges from 236.7 m (777 ft) at the base to 479.7 m (1,574 ft) above sea level. Seoul Tower had its name changed to N Seoul Tower in 2005, with the “N” standing for ‘new’, ‘Namsan’, and ‘nature.’ Approximately 15 billion KRW was spent in renovating and remodeling the tower.[6][7]
When N Seoul Tower’s original owner merged with CJ Corporation, it was renamed the N Seoul Tower (official name CJ Seoul Tower). YTN acquired it from CJ Corporation in 1999, and changed its name to YTN Seoul Tower. It has also been known as the Namsan Tower or Seoul Tower. It is also Korea’s first general radio wave tower that holds transmissions antennas of KBS, MBC, SBS TV, FM, PBC, TBS, CBS, and BBS FM.[8]
N Seoul Tower, along with Changdeokgung Palace, was selected as one of the world’s top 500 tourist destinations in Lonely Planet’s Ultimate Travel List, based on global travel expert evaluation and reader preference surveys.[9]
Floors and amenities
N Seoul Tower is divided into three main sections, including the N Lobby, N Plaza, and the N Tower. The N Plaza consists of two floors, while the N Tower consists of four floors.
Lobby
Plaza P0/B1 (Lobby): Includes: Entrance to Observatory, Information Desk, Alive Museum, Cafe, Children’s Theater, Nursing room.
The N Lobby holds the N Gift, N Sweetbar, BH Style, the Alive Museum, Memshot, Nursing Room, Information booth, a cafe, and entrance to observatory.
Plaza
Plaza P1: Includes: Ticket booth, Food Court, Light Garden, Grass Terrace, Souvenir Shop, Characters & Photos.
N Plaza has two floors. The first floor includes the ticket booth, N Terrace, N Gift and a burger shop. The second floor houses the Place Dining, an Italian restaurant, and the Roof Terrace where the “Locks of Love” can be found.
Plaza P2: Includes: Restaurant, Roof Terrace, Cafe
Tower
The N Tower has four floors: 1F, 2F, 3F, and 5F (most buildings in Korea avoid having fourth floors).[10] There are four observation decks (the 4th observation deck, which is the revolving restaurant, rotates at a rate of one revolution every 48 minutes), as well as gift shops and two restaurants. Most of the city of Seoul can be seen from the top. Close to N Seoul Tower is a second lattice transmission tower. The tower offers a digital observatory with a 360° panoramic view that showcases Korea’s history through 32 LCD screens. This is located on the third floor of the N Tower.[6]
Tower T1: Includes: Korean Restaurant “Hancook”
Tower T2: Includes: Analogue Observatory, The Wishing Pond, Sky Restroom, Sky Coffee, Photo Studio
Tower T3: Includes: Digital Observatory, Shocking Edge and Digital High-powered Telescope, Gift shop
Tower T5: Includes: A revolving restaurant