October 14, 2025
SEOUL – With so much going on, Seongsu can tire you out. If you need some time out, head over to a book lounge that serves coffee brewed by robots. In Korea, autumn is synonymous with silver grass and one of the best places to take in this autumnal glory is at Haneul Park near World Cup Stadium. An ecological park built atop a former landfill, it is an engineering marvel. A former train station now a cultural space marks its centennary by turnning back the clock. Imagine Seoul and Seoul Station 100 years ago through photographs.
If you’re looking for a stylish and quiet place to read, work or simply recharge this weekend, Lounge (x) X Kyobo Book Center in Seongsu is the perfect destination. This unique collaboration between popular robotic cafe Lounge (x) and South Korea’s leading bookstore, Kyobo Book Center, offers more than just a typical book cafe experience.
Located in the bustling Seongsu neighborhood, this space stands out as a peaceful oasis where visitors can enjoy curated books, calming interior and even freshly brewed coffee made by robots. The concept merges Lounge (x)’s cutting-edge hardware with Kyobo’s literary expertise, resulting in a beautifully designed environment that encourages both creativity and concentration.
Access is affordable and flexible: A two-hour pass including one cafe drink is available for 8,000 won, while four-hour and six-hour passes with more drink coupons are priced at 14,000 won and 19,000 won, respectively. Guests are welcome to browse and read books on-site, enjoy light snacks and even participate in interactive journaling activities.
One of the most attractive features of this space is its 24-hour operation, making it an ideal spot for night owls or early risers who want to escape the crowd and dive into a good book or focused work session.
Lounge (x) X Kyobo Book Center
12 Seongsuil-ro 10-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul
Haneul Park sprawls across the crest of World Cup Park in Mapo-gu, its vast silvergrass fields rippling like sea when October winds arrive.
This 98-meter hilltop — remarkably, once a landfill — has transformed into one of the city’s most stunning seasonal destinations. Each fall, acres of eulalia grass turn golden-silver, their feathery plumes catching light and breeze in equal measure.
The annual Seoul Silvergrass Festival runs Oct. 18-24 this year. Themed “Silvergrass Dyed in Light,” this year’s edition leans into evening spectacle with media facades and landscape lighting scattered throughout the grounds. Busking performances fill afternoons while hands-on workshops let visitors try out crafts with pressed flowers and calligraphy. The opening ceremony is on Oct. 18 at 6 p.m. with projections and live music.
Beside the festival, the park rewards visitors with panoramic views stretching across the Han River to Namsan Tower and Bukhansan. Reach it via World Cup Stadium Station on Subway Line 6, followed by a 20-minute walk — or take the shuttle service to skip the staircase climb.
Haneul Park
95 Haneulgongwon-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul
Before it was turned into a cultural space, Culture Station Seoul 284 was a train station, built during the Japanese colonial period (1910-1945). Marking the 100th anniversary of the building, the space has been returned to what it looked like in the early 20th century, when trains left there on journeys across Eurasia.
The exhibition “A Century and a Day” has recreated spaces such as the waiting room for passengers, the station master’s office and a room for VIPs. The lobby has been turned into an open space for visitors to grab a beer from Seoul Brewery.
The former luncheon bar on the second floor, named “Grill,” which could seat some 200 people in the old days, has been turned into a library for the exhibition. It’s shelves are stacked with books written during that time or influenced by that period.
An exhibition of seven contemporary artists are running on the first floor as well as a display of photographs that illustrate the historic context of Seoul and the station, spanning from 1910 to the early 2000s. The old station was closed in 2009 for restoration and re-opened in 2011 as a cultural space.
Culture Station Seoul 284
1 Tongil-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul
