Seoul Spotlight: Olympic Park
- Joy Kim(Legacy)
- Mar 2
- 2 min read
To many Koreans, an iconic “landmark” that symbolizes Korea’s mass progress and development during the 80’s is the Olympic Park, the place with the stadium where athletes played during the 1988 Seoul Olympics. To many tourists, the Olympic Stadium may be a place of temporary visit - or just a glimpse. However, its stories and culture embedded in Koreans exceed more than “just a stadium”. In this article, we will go over the history of the Olympic Park, how it is centered in Korean culture now, and how you can personally enjoy your time potentially there.
When Korea was chosen to host the ‘88 Olympic Games, it was not just going through the concern of constructing an Olympic stadium. Rather, the country was facing a collective effort to start rapidly developing infrastructures, roads, facilities, and others. To make the Olympic Park accessible and athletes from nearly 200 countries, Korea needed to rapidly develop from a poor, underdeveloped country to an industrialized one. To this day, the Olympic Park is a symbol of this period of rapid development, which was only possible by industry-focused presidential administrations and collective effort and labor from the workers. As a result, alongside the Olympic Stadium, the Olympic Road, made to let people access the Olympic Park conveniently, was made.
Nowadays, the Olympic Park, being in the center of Jamsil, is accessible to key attractions nearby. For example, the Olympic Park is nearly adjacent to the Lotte Tower, and Lotte World—one of Korea’s oldest and most famous indoor amusement parks—is nearby. The Park surrounding the stadium is a common place to hang out among Koreans during the weekend days. As a Korean myself, the Olympic Park always used to be a dear place during my childhood when I rode bicycles with my family during the weekend. For visiting tourists, the Park could be a great place to spend the afternoon of one of the last days in the country, since it provides a comforting atmosphere.
The Olympic Park is attractive not only because of its calming atmosphere but also because it is adjacent to many key attractions in Seoul, such as the Lotte Tower and Sports Complex. To understand the true beauty of the place, we must first understand how large and well-decorated the park is. The Park is full of lakes and artistic displays that are put around different places in the Park.
To enjoy Seoul’s “spotlights” could mean a lot of different things - from enjoying the busy atmosphere of markets to the intricately designed shopping malls. The Olympic Park is different from those attractions in that it does not involve many activities like shopping or amusement (as you’d enjoy in amusement parks like Lotte World and Everland). However, what the Olympic Park does provide is a chance to peacefully enjoy and look back at your trip. As a big fan of traveling, I believe every travel must have a day, or at least one evening, where you can think back to all you’ve enjoyed on your trips. For that, especially if you come to Korea with a friend or loved one, I’d say the Park is an excellent place to bring closure to the travel.
Commentaires