3 Best Sights in Seoul, South Korea

Just outside Dongmyo subway station (exit three), there’s a whole city block that feels as though it’s emerged from another era. This veritable time warp contains various examples of Chinese art and architecture including wood statues, stone calligraphy tablets, and an ornate, colorful shrine dedicated to the third-century general Guan Yu of the ancient Chinese state Shu Han. The general’s spirit was said to have led a Korean army to victory over a Japanese invasion in 1592, and the complex was erected in 1599 in his honor.

With a name that literally means “beheading hill,” this shrine pays tribute to the approximately 8,000 Catholics that were executed for their faith here in 1866. Overlooking the Han River to the West, the shrine’s outdoor space and exhibitions are open to the public. There is an altar for lighting votive candles and a few dozen statues of well-known Catholics like Mother Teresa and Andrew Kim Taegon, the first Korean Catholic priest. There are two exhibit spaces, a museum on the history of the space in the main building, and a nook that showcases the vehicles used to torture Catholics. Religious or otherwise, the space is a sight to behold for its significance in Korean history and sunset views over the Han.

Another of Seoul's UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Sites, Jongmyo is the royal shrine of the Joseon kings and queens. Completed in 1395, the shrine houses stone tablets said to contain the spirits of these long deceased rulers. Like the palaces of Seoul, Jongmyo was destroyed in 1592, but rebuilt and expanded soon after. The forested grounds make for a peaceful setting, but the highlight here is the shrine itself, credited as the longest wooden structure in the world. Fronted by an expansive, 150-meter-long (492-foot) raised stone yard, it is an impressive sight. More than any other destination in Seoul, Jongmyo makes one feel very, very small—possibly the intended effect in the face of ancient royal spirits. The first Sunday in May Jongmyo hosts the jerye, a slow but colorful Confucian ceremony honoring the old royalty.