Seoul: Namsan Tower and the Han River at Dawn

Seoul sits in a basin of the Han River valley, surrounded by the peaks of Bukhansan National Park (836 m) to the north. Namsan, a 262-meter hill at the city's geographic centre, carries the N Seoul Tower at 480 meters total height; from here the Han River, the business district of Gangnam to the south, and Bukhansan to the north form a 360-degree panoramic. The Han River parks along Yeouido Island are the accessible flat-water position for the skyline at both ends of the day. Bukchon Hanok Village, on the slope between Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung Palaces, faces the southern sunrise; the traditional tiled rooftops turn amber-gold in the first light. At 37.6°N, golden hour runs about 37 minutes. Winter mornings deliver the clearest skies; summer brings humidity that diffuses the light into warm haze.