In a post before when I went to Namsan Tower, I mentioned that I ultimately decided to not go up the tower and was satisfied enjoying the view up from the mountain and the other activities, such as the leaving behind my mark on a lock. This time, I went with a friend to the Lotte Mall and we decided to go up this tower, which is advertised as the 5th tallest building in the world with 123 floors. I suspect that the view from here might be even higher than the one from Namsan. Interestingly enough, this tower opened only a year ago in 2017 so it is still quite a new attraction.
You can buy a ticket from the lobby of the mall and there is an elevator that takes less than a minute to get to the top. I found the price to be a little steep, being 27,000 won for adults, but since we were already there, we went with it. On the way towards the elevators, you walk through several exhibits showcasing some art as well as historical pieces pertaining to old Korea and the background of the tower.
You can also see that they utilized technology on the walls to provide a unique experience. The elevators also played clips on the way up that makes the time inside pass by quickly.
At the top, there are 5 floors, mostly built for the view below. The 2nd and 4th floor were just a second platform away from the 1st and 3rd and hosted some food areas and souvenir shops. You could stand at a table and eat while looking out the windows. On the 1st floor, they built a glass floor where you can stand on to take pictures.
On the 3rd floor, we discovered that there were two sides of the building where you were allowed to go outside. Because of the high chance that there might be wind at such a high altitude, there is a staff person who asks you to stay in this buffer room and wait for the doors to close before opening the door to go outside. Luckily, it wasn’t windy anyway on the day we went. The view was nice but it was hard to see far away, I assume because of the mist of the clouds. You can view the Han river from the tower.
On the 5th floor, they have more places for you to take pictures and even provide telescopes with a 500 won fee so that you can take a look closer at the ground. We took the elevator back down from this floor and they have a souvenir shop at the end.
Overall, I would say it was a pretty cool experience but I think the decision of whether the price is worth the short trip is one to make on your own.
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