If you are a book lover, apart from the book cafes and big bookstores, there are good places for you to visit in Seoul.  Let’s talk about two newly opened spots in this blog post.

Gyeongui Line Book Street

This is a new cultural landmark opened in October 2016 in the Hongdae area and is near the Hongik University subway station. The book street is about 250 meters long from Exit 6 of the Hongik University subway station to the Wow Bridge.  There is a train-shaped book booth  which is divided into 14 cabins with different themes like literature, humanities, children, and travel. Promotional events, cultural programs, and exhibitions will also be held in the cabins. There are sculptures, a mini-platform featuring the history of Seogang Station and old train tracks which are good spots for taking pictures as well. The book street opens from 11 a.m. till 8 p.m. but closes on Mondays.  You can have a quick tour of the book street by watching this video.

COEX Mall Starfield Library

This is a new cultural space in the Central Plaza of the COEX Mall which is open to the public free of charge.  This is a two-storey open library with total floor area of about 2,800 square meters and with 3 large bookshelves each of 13 meters high. There are over 50,000 books and magazines available for reading.  Visitors can use the chairs and desks there for reading their favourite books and magazines. Free seminars and performances will also be held there.  Cultural activities with different themes are held on each day of the week – for example, the themes for June 2017 are “poetry” for Mondays, “travel” for Tuesdays, “books” for Wednesdays, “arts & books” for Thursdays, “special guest lectures” for Fridays, “kids’ entertainment” for Saturdays, and “special guest performances” for Sundays.  The Starfield Library opens from 10 a.m. till 10 p.m. everyday, and can be easily accessed by the underground passageway to the COEX Mall from Exit 6 of the Samsung subway station.  You can have a glimpse of this open library by watching this video.

Next time you go to Seoul, don’t forget to visit these two must-go places for book lovers.  Happy reading! 🙂

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References:

“Seoul’s Latest Attraction, Starfield Library in Starfield COEX Mall“, Korea Tourism Organization, 2017-06-14

노지현기자, “ ‘Book street’ is ready to attract visitors in Hongik Univ. area“, The Dong-A Ilbo, 2016-10-27