Seoul City Hall's 'grasshopper-eye' observatory opens for weekend nights

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Wednesday that it will open the sky observatory atop city hall to the public on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Buoyed by strong public interest, the city will extend the observatory's hours on Fridays and add Saturday openings starting Friday. Previously, the space was open only Monday through Friday until 6 p.m. The observatory is nicknamed the "grasshopper eye" among city hall staff.

The space had long served as a waiting area connected to the eighth-floor multipurpose room and was not open to the public.

The city began converting it into a public observatory last September so residents could enjoy the view, replacing part of the western exterior wall with floor-to-ceiling glass to widen the sightlines. The Sky Observatory — about 122 square meters — occupies the eighth and ninth floors on the western side of the main city hall building. Since opening for daytime visits on July 6, it drew more than 66,000 visitors in eight weeks through Sunday, establishing itself as a new downtown vantage point. At dusk, visitors can take in the tiled rooftop of Deoksugung Palace alongside the red roof of the Anglican Cathedral of St. Mary and St. Nicholas; after dark, the full sweep of Sejong-daero from Gwanghwamun to Sungnyemun glows through the glass. Landscape information panels on the observatory floor identify key buildings visible outside, with labels in both hangul and English.

Visitors enter through the main entrance of city hall and take a dedicated elevator beside the first-floor robot café directly to the ninth floor, then turn left toward the Happiness Plus Café to reach the observatory entrance. No reservation or admission fee is required.

After taking in the nighttime skyline from the observatory, visitors can step down to Seoul Plaza to admire the illuminated city hall building itself. Starting this month, the city will light up the facades of city hall and the Seoul Metropolitan Library every evening from 30 minutes after sunset until 11 p.m. The city replaced its existing lighting system in July and installed a control system capable of displaying a range of colors and images — 1,721 landscape lights on the main city hall building and 180 lights plus 118 accent lights on the library. On regular evenings, four designs drawing on Seoul's signature colors, the haechi mascot and seasonal palettes will cycle on an hourly rotation. On special occasions — major city festivals, diplomatic anniversaries and similar events — themed lighting will convey Seoul's message through light.

The area around city hall offers several distinct night-view experiences to suit different tastes. Those who want a wide-open indoor panorama of the city center can head to the Sky Observatory; those who want to enjoy the night view of Deoksugung over coffee can visit the Jeongdong Observatory; and those who prefer an outdoor garden overlooking Seoul Plaza and Sejong-daero can go to the Sky Garden.

The Jeongdong Observatory on the 13th floor of Seosomun Annex Building 1 offers a tranquil nighttime view of Deoksugung and the Jeongdong neighborhood. A remodeling last year expanded the viewing space from 117 square meters to 322 square meters — nearly three times its previous size. Soft lighting and background music have been added for the evening hours, and seating has been rearranged to center on the windows.

The viewing area and café space have been separated to create a more comfortable night-view experience, and Café Darak offers a special evening-only menu to complement the scenery.

The rooftop Sky Garden on the fifth floor of the Seoul Metropolitan Library operates as an urban retreat with a night view, where visitors can look out over Seoul Plaza and Sejong-daero. Starting this month, the viewing area has been fully opened on the Seoul Plaza side in addition to the existing Sejong-daero side, and the rooftop landscaping, indirect lighting and sound equipment have all been refreshed.

The Sky Garden operates from March through November, excluding winter months. Weekday hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; weekend hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. It is closed on Seoul Metropolitan Library closure days and public holidays, and hours may be adjusted depending on nearby large-scale rallies or demonstrations.

Visitors who want to experience city hall's history, architecture, exhibitions and night views all at once can join the evening "Tongtong Tour." The city is adding a night course to its existing city hall tour program, with weekly Friday and Saturday runs beginning Sept. 18.

The night course runs one hour, from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Participants tour the building with a professional guide before taking in Seoul's nighttime scenery from the Sky Observatory and Sky Garden. Online reservations open Sept. 15.

The city plans to link the Sky Observatory, Sky Garden and Jeongdong Observatory into a "viewing and relaxation belt," turning the city hall precinct into a new nighttime tourism and cultural destination in central Seoul. Depending on the results of this year's trial operation and visitor feedback, the city is also considering expanding to six nights a week from 2027.

"We will continue to expand our nighttime offerings so that residents and tourists can drop by city hall after work or on weekend evenings and enjoy Seoul's night views and the various light displays without any burden," said Kwak Jong-bin, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's administrative bureau.