Haneul Park is the most popular of the five parks situated in World Cup Park which was built to commemorate the 17th FIFA World Cup. Like its name Haneul, which means "sky" in Korean, the park is situated on the highest part of World Cup Park and offers breathtaking views of Seoul. Once a landfill, Haneul Park is an incredible example of ecological and urban regeneration. The annual Silver Grass Festival at Haneul Park is one of the city's most popular events. It is held each October when the silver grass is in bloom. Silver grass is also known as eulalia or pampas grass. The park can be reached by climbing up a wooden stairway that boasts 291 steps or by taking a ride on the park's electric tram.

 

Opened on May 1st, 2002, the Wolrd Cup Park was once a 15-year-old landfill that held over 92 million tons of garbage. The park is located near Seoul World Cup Stadium, and is made up of five smaller parks - Pyeonghwa (Peace) Park, Haneul (Sky) Park, Noeul (Sunset) Park, Nanjicheon Park, and Nanji Hangang Park.

 Haneul Park consists of vast grassland located at the highest elevation of the five parks. The park's pasture is covered with eulalias and wild flowers in their most natural state. In addition, 30,000 butterflies of different species were introduced in 2000 to stabilize the ecosystem. Five wind-powered generators provide power to the park and the park’s maintenance office. Once a mountain of garbage, it is now a green hill with 22 lookout points offering breathtaking views of Seoul, including the N Seoul Tower, Bukhansan Mountain, and Hangang River. Tall trees are line the park to provide shades and serve as resting spots for visitors. As a popular spot to enjoy the sight of eulalias, the park usually remains open until late in the evening during the Eulalia Festival period.

How to get there:

Haneul Park can be easily reached by Subway from Seoul city center. Just get off at World Cup Stadium Station (Seoul Subway Line 6) and take Exit 1. It takes around 45 minutes from Myeongdong