A Day of Walking Through Seoul with K-pop: From Apgujeong to Nanji

If you choose a Hallyu theme in Seoul, the route starts in Gangnam Apgujeong, passes through Samsung-dong COEX, and extends to Nanjido on the northwest side of the Han River. These three locations are only a few subway stops apart, so if you want to visit them all in one day, you need to consider the travel time. However, each location has a different way of expressing itself: character sculptures on the street, a large bookshelf in the middle of a shopping mall, and a pine forest rooted along the Han River. When you visit all three at once, the differences between them become even more apparent. K-Star ROAD is a street that has been transformed into an exhibition space, with a 1km-long sidewalk. Starfield Library is an indoor space with a 13m bookshelf in the central plaza of COEX Mall, and Nanjido K-Pop Star Forest is an outdoor space where trees planted by fans have become a walking path along the Han River.

Gangnam K-Star ROAD, Apgujeong Walking Exhibition Following the Gangnamdol

K-Star ROAD is a pedestrian street that stretches about 1km from Apgujeong Rodeo Station to Cheongdam intersection. On the sidewalk, bear-shaped art toys, which are about the size of a person, are lined up at regular intervals. The name of this character is Gangnamdol, which is a combination of Gangnam, idol, and doll. Each Gangnamdol represents a K-Pop group, and the surface of the bear doll is printed with the group's concept image. The color of the clothes, the props held in their hands, and the accessories on their heads are all different for each group, so even if they look similar from a distance, you can see the differences between them by checking the nameplate at their feet and the print on the side as you walk.

The reference point of the street is the Gangnamdol House, which is located in the square in front of the Galleria Department Store. Here, you can get information about the street and buy miniature Gangnamdol figurines, so it is a good starting point to get an idea of the location before walking 1km. In front of the department store, there is a 3m-high PSY Gangnamdol, and in the direction of Cheongdam, there are Gangnamdols of Super Junior, EXO, Girls' Generation, and BTS. Since it is difficult to know in advance which group is where, it is efficient to check the arrangement at the Gangnamdol House and then start walking so that you don't wander around in front of your favorite group.

When taking pictures, try shooting from a low angle so that the toys are captured head-on and the trees and store signs of Apgujeong are also included in the frame. If you shoot slightly upwards so that the accessories on their heads overlap with the sky, it will add depth to the picture, and the platforms lined up in the same way will create a sense of perspective. In front of the popular group's toy, there is often a line, so it is efficient to walk quickly to Cheongdam and check the locations, and then return to the toy where there are no people to take pictures.

The sidewalk and streetlights between the toys are also easy to overlook. Star- and heart-shaped pictograms are embedded in the sidewalk blocks, and K-Star ROAD logo banners are hung on the streetlights, so the markings of the street continue even in the sections where there are no toys. Sometimes, fans leave stickers, messages, and photocards around the platforms, and the unspoken rule of this street is not to remove or move them.

Recommended route to see K-Star ROAD better

When viewing the street, it is recommended to follow a U-shaped route rather than walking in a straight line from one end: follow one row of figures, cross to the opposite sidewalk, and walk back in the opposite direction. Even if it is the same row of figures, the direction of the sunlight changes, so you can capture the silhouettes in backlight when going and the colors in direct light when returning. Among the Gangnam figures, some have group logos or patterns on the back, so you need to view them from the opposite side to see the character's details completely.

It is also good to combine the surrounding area. The area around Apgujeong Rodeo is a district with Galleria Department Store, luxury brand stores, designer select shops, and cafes, so after viewing all the figures, you can naturally move towards Cheongdam and continue to the cafe street. Since it is a street mainly for pedestrians, you can walk anytime without separate admission fees or operating hour restrictions, and during the day, the store signs and trees become the background, and after sunset, the store lights become the background, so the same figures have a different feel depending on the time of day.

Starfield COEX Byeolmadang Library, an indoor plaza created by 13-meter bookshelves

Byeolmadang Library is an open-type library located in the center of Starfield COEX Mall, and it opened in May 2017. In the plaza of approximately 2,800㎡ (850 pyeong), three large bookshelves with a height of 13m rise towards the ceiling, and about 50,000 books are arranged, mainly focusing on humanities, economics, hobbies, and practical books. Anyone can search for books at the search stations and read them for free, and since it is not a closed reading room but a plaza-type space located in the middle of the shopping mall, the view from the upper walkway and the view from the 1st floor are completely different. If it is your first time, it is recommended to first feel the height of the bookshelves on the 1st floor and then go up to the 2nd floor railing to see the top of the bookshelves and the ceiling lights together.

Long tables and seats are placed between the bookshelves, and the sight of people sitting and reading books becomes part of the space. If you only take pictures of the bookshelves without people, the height of 13m will not be conveyed well, so if you include the back of a person sitting at the table in the foreground and have the bookshelves rising beyond it, the scale will come alive in the photo. The bulb lights hanging from the ceiling dye the spines of the books in a warm yellow tone, and it is better to leave the white balance as is rather than adjusting it separately to match the color of the space.

It is not just a place to view the bookshelves. Byeolmadang Library consists of a foreign language book corner, a famous person's study corner, and an E-Book corner that can be viewed on an iPad, so it is worth taking a tour and looking at the themes of each corner. In the magazine corner, domestic and foreign magazines are displayed so that the covers are visible, and there is also a new book display and a special author corner where the curation changes every season.

• Foreign Language Book Corner — Since it mainly displays the covers, it is good to browse the titles and get an idea of the trends in overseas publications at that time.
• Famous Person's Study — This is a corner where books selected by the recommender are collected, and it can be a starting point when you cannot decide what to read.
• E-Book Station — You can read e-books on an iPad, so it is used as a place to take a break between paper books.

How to enjoy both photography and viewing at Byeolmadang Library

In photography, diagonal compositions are the most impactful. By positioning the corner of a bookshelf in the center of the frame and capturing the books extending outward on both sides, you can create a sense of depth and break away from symmetrical compositions. While everyone takes straightforward, symmetrical shots, try finding a slightly offset angle where two bookshelves overlap. A high-angle shot looking down at the tables on the first floor from the second floor captures both people and the bookshelves in a single frame, best showcasing the structure of the square-shaped library.

This space is a crossroads where multiple entrances of the COEX Mall converge, so foot traffic flows in all directions. When taking photos, it's essential to stand a step away from the bookshelves to avoid obstructing passage, and it's good etiquette not to take close-up shots of people sitting in the seats. The area behind the bookshelves, near the stairs, is relatively less crowded, so if you want to capture a calmer atmosphere of the same bookshelf, you can move to that area. When leaving the library, you'll find the COEX Mall's aquarium, cinema, and food and beverage stores all connected on the same floor, allowing for a natural transition from viewing to relaxation or dining.

Nanjihan River Park K-Pop Star Forest: A Pine Tree Walking Path Planted by Fans

The Nanjihan K-Pop Star Forest is a pine tree forest located within Nanjihan River Park. It's a space created through donations made by fans in the name of K-Pop artists. The Seoul Metropolitan Government decided to consolidate the star forests that had been scattered throughout the Han River area into one location and expand its scale, so it provided approximately 10,000 square meters of land in Nanjihan River Park. Triple Planet, an organization that has been carrying out fan-based tree-planting activities, has been working with various fandoms, including BTS, EXO, G-Dragon, SHINee, Girls' Generation, and IU, to create the forest. If the two locations in Gangnam offer "viewing" content, this location offers content that is more about "walking."

Upon entering, you'll find tall pine trees lined up on both sides of the walking path, and in each section, there are low-lying signposts indicating which artist and fandom planted the trees. The best way to experience this forest is to walk slowly along the signposts, but the letters are small, so it's easy to miss them. It's a good idea to check the names of your favorite groups beforehand. It's recommended to walk in a direction that first has your back to the Han River and then faces the Han River. When entering, focus on the density of the forest and the signposts, and when exiting, focus on the view of the Han River that opens up between the pine trees.

The pine trees remain green throughout the year, so the forest's appearance doesn't change regardless of the season, and the scent of the pine needles becomes more pronounced after rain. When taking photos, it's better to step back a bit and capture the signposts with the group of pine trees planted by that fandom in the background, rather than just taking a close-up of the signposts. If you stand in the middle of the forest path and capture the rows of trees on both sides in a symmetrical composition, it will create a sense of depth. The moment when sunlight filters through the pine needles at dusk is so beautiful that it doesn't even require additional post-processing.

After seeing the forest, it is nice to continue walking to other areas of Nanjihan River Park. Inside the park, there is a campsite, a large grassy area, and a bicycle rental shop, and it is also connected to the nearby World Cup Park and Haneul Park, so you can explore the Han River and the pampas grass ridge together. Since it is a bit far from public transportation, if you are traveling from Gangnam, it is best to check the transfer routes and time in advance to make your itinerary smoother.

How to connect Gangnam's two locations and Nanjihan Forest in one flow

The three locations have different environments: street, indoor, and forest. If you decide on your outfit and exposure in advance, it will make your movement smoother. At K-Star ROAD, colorful art toys are the main attraction, so a neutral tone will complement the background, and under the warm incandescent lights of Starfield Library, neutral colors will not obscure the colors of the book spines. In Nanjihan Forest, the background is green and dark brown, so wearing a bright-colored outerwear will naturally separate the person from the background. The street has outdoor lighting, the library has tungsten-based indoor lighting, and the forest has natural lighting, so the light sources are all different, and you need to readjust the exposure for each location.

Although they are all grouped under the same term, "Hallyu," the bear-shaped character sculptures on the street, the 13-meter bookshelf rising in the middle of the shopping mall, and the pine forest planted by fans along the Han River are all completely different in form. Gangnamdol is a commercial street that transfers K-Pop groups into characters, Starfield Library is a public indoor plaza that uses books as a medium, and Nanjihan Star Forest is an ecological space where fans' donations and saplings have accumulated. If you connect the three places in one route, you will be able to walk while comparing how the city puts the same theme into different containers: street, indoor, and nature.