Locks and love aren’t exactly synonymous. Love after all, was supposed
to set you free. But at the N Seoul Tower in Namsan Park, South Korea,
you’ll find thousands and thousands of locks symbolizing the love
between couples. Unearthing Asia takes a peek behind this unusual tradition that has seen tourists both locals and internationals alike flock the site.
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| A spectacular night view of Seoul from up at the Seoul Tower. Photo cr-ziczic90 |
With a spectacular night view of Seoul and a wide range of restaurants, the N Seoul Tower (simplified
as just Seoul Tower) is emerging as a hot spot for a growing number of
romantics, both young and old. Located in central Seoul in the middle of
Namsan Park, the tower reaches 480 meters above sea level, allowing a
luxurious view of the entire city and the surrounding areas.
During the weekend, the tower is almost always full with visitors,
both locals and tourists alike. Most visitors ride the Namsan cable car
up the mountain, and then hike up to the tower. As I made my way up
towards the base of the tower.
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| Namsan Cable Car |
The Seoul Tower is actually a communication tower built in 1969, and
opened to the public in 1980. At the foot of the tower, there is a plaza
with various amenities and facilities. You can find a Food Court,
various Multi-Media Show and Media Art installations, as well as a Lobby
& Media Zone whose seats were cunningly designed to fit two people
just nicely. A great place to relax and enjoy the view.
There is also the Pavilion, a cultural experience space
with performances and exhibitions for adults and children. Outside the
plaza, the Teddy Bear Museum is always popular with the girls, with
cutesy illustrations of Korea’s cultural history.
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| illustrations of Korea’s cultural history inside Teddy Bear Museum |
Towards the sky terrace attached to the tower. The air is cool and
breezy, with a great open view of Seoul. “This is probably better than
the view up at the top, from behind those glass walls,” The freedom of being out in the open air always exciting, and this was no different.
Thousands of locks adorn the fences, hung by couples both
young and old, with the keys thrown away to ensure that the
sweethearts’ vows to never separate are kept forever.
Now the idea of a lock as a symbol of love is a double-edged sword.
Its a promise and commitment to being together, a vow to never separate.
At the same time, it is also the end of freedom, a symbol of being
caged in prison for the rest of your life. Fortunately for us, Seoulites
has embraced the former much more than the latter.
This idea originated from local tourists a few years ago who saw the same thing at Tokyo Tower. Recently,
it’s enjoying a renewal after two stars dated there in a popular
reality show. Since then, locals flock the site, and international
tourists have similarly embraced this novel idea.
Most of the locks are decorated with writings, drawings and stickers
while some cannot even be called locks. Some used chain locks for bikes
shaped as hearts, as well as pink and red heart-shaped ribbons on their
locks.
Unfortunately, the chain link fence was not designed to accommodate
this extra weight. As more and more locks are left behind, the weight
increases and the fences are starting to bend. With the locks filling
the whole area, its almost impossible for children to enjoy the
surrounding view. Since the tradition includes throwing away the keys to
the lock, there is also a danger that other people under the terrace
might be hit.
Romantics from all over the world certainly hope that this beautiful
tradition can continue, but what can be done to safe the overburdened
chain fences? Simply replacing it with a new one may prove to be an
unpopular decision with the various couples whose locks adorn the fence.
In the mean time however, Seoul Tower’s locks of Love remains a
memorable, must-do event for both local and foreign tourists.
source: unearthingasia
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