A local guide to Seoul and Yeouido
seoul insider 
My wife, my daughter, and I spent a day on the Han River, watching the sunset from a kayak and ending the night at Mangwon Market. I wanted to keep this place to myself for a while, but good things are better shared, so I’m writing it down. For readers outside Korea, the Han River … Read more
Yeouido to Nodeul Island is only 6 kilometers — an easy ride on a bike, or even a quick run. And yet, in all my time living nearby, I had never once gone there on purpose. I only ever crossed over it, driving along Hangang Bridge without stopping. Then I heard that Nodeul Island had … Read more
One weekend morning, I decided to go for a short run from Yeouido Hangang Park to Yeouido Park. It was the end of September, yet the sky was clear and the breeze was cool, perfect running weather. I had no idea that this short run would change my mornings from that day on. The reason … Read more
A quick orientation: Yeouido (여의도) is an island in the Han River (한강), in the middle of Seoul. It’s home to the National Assembly and the city’s financial district. Yeouido Park (여의도공원) is the long strip of green right in the middle of it. SEOULDAL (서울달) is a tethered helium balloon that started flying over … Read more
A fireworks festival is a night event. But this one does not start at night. If you are looking up the Seoul fireworks festival road closures, here is what Yeouido actually looked like five hours before the first shell. On the afternoon of Saturday, September 5th, I went out to Yeouido ahead of the main … Read more
There is something modest built into the word “eve.” Tomorrow is the real thing, so tonight we will go easy — that is the implication. So when I walked down to Yeouido Hangang Park on Friday evening, September 4th, my expectations were low. I mostly wanted to scout a good spot for the main night … Read more