We were in Korea for vacation, so naturally I wanted to do some SOTA. Korea is a mountainous place, and it looked like there were plenty of choices. The first summit we did is in the middle of Seoul, literally. The geographic center of the city is on the side of the plaza on top.
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| The tower is visible from a lot of places in the city, including this traffic island in Myeongdong. |
Our hotel was in the Myeongdong neighborhood, near the Hoehyeon subway station. From exit 1, head uphill through the neighborhood. There was a flight of stairs just below a busy road, which we crossed to enter Baekboem Plaza. The tower on top was visible from here, and it was easy to follow the path to the bottom of the staircase.
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| From the plaza. Still some blossoms on the trees! |
Since the summit is easy to get to in a big city, there were a lot of people out. The stairs up to the top were wide and paved. There are plenty of benches, and even a few viewing platforms on the way. It was hazy as we ascended, but we could still see Bukhansan a few kilometers away to the north. We were glad it was cool out, it probably would have been a miserable hike in the summer.
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Base of the stairs.
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You know you are close when you see the cable car terminal. This is also where it goes from busy to crowded. Once you make it up the last few stairs, there are plenty of benches around the plaza and under the structure. We sat for a few minutes taking in the scene. On one side the fence is filled with locks that couples have attached. There was even a vending machine to buy your own to add.
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| High point of Namsan. |
We found a bench out of the way, and I got on 2m. I had been warned that Korean hams are chatty, and they were. It took a couple of minutes calling CQ, but I soon had a long conversation with someone who couldn't quite get my Korean callsign (HL1/AA6XA). The slash seemed to trip him up. After a long chat I got two more stations in the log. Some more CQ calls didn't get anyone else, and we were getting bored and hungry, so I packed up. I thought about trying HF, but there really isn't anywhere to put up a wire without getting in people's way.
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| At the geographic center of Seoul. |
We took the stairs back down, then turned onto a different road to get to the bibimbap restaurant near the base. It was a tasty and well earned lunch.
Trailhead: We started from Hoehyeon Station exit 1, but there are myriad routes one could take
Route: Make your way through the streets to the base of the stairs, then up the stairs to the summit. Or take the cable car.
Red Tape: None.
Video: https://youtu.be/PhfTnJKnz4U
