What are the best adjectives to use in description of Seoul's streets? Busy is the most obvious, but you could also easily go for frenzied, hectic, or even claustrophobic. In short, the Korean capital is a crowded place full of fast-moving traffic and Koreans.Areas like Dongdaemun, Gangnam, and Sinchon often leave you with little space to even breathe, and that is why I always appreciate a trip into the serenity offered at the top of the Nansam Tower. We sat on the top of a major hill and wooded park in the Yongsan-Gu area of the city, as the tower offers a superb panoramic view of the city that can be appreciated without the hustle and bustle of fighting your way through the packed streets.
The structure of the tower in itself is nothing to write home about. Much of its height comes from the mountain upon which it sits, making it far less impressive than competitors, such as Toronto's CN Tower or Shanghai's Oriental Pearl, both of which are considerably taller and considerably closer to sea level. In terms of towers, it also quite antiquated, dating all the way back to the 1960s.
The beauty of Nansam is almost completely monopolised by the view it provides. Seoul sprawls around it like a giant lake of buildings, through which the occasional mountain or hill sticks its green-topped head. I have found few more relaxing afternoons than those I have spent sat in the rotating restaurant at the top enjoying a (to be fair, rather expensive) bottle of beer and quite literally watching the world go by.
The only drawback I ever found at Nansam was the combination of haze and smog that sits over Seoul, which on particularly bad days could obscure almost half the city.