Neighborhood guide
Songpa-gu
Seoul's most populous district — Lotte World Tower, Olympic Park, and large family apartment estates.
- Area:
- 33.85 km²
- Population:
- ~652,000
- Legal dong:
- 13
Songpa-gu occupies Seoul's southeastern corner and is the city's most populous district — roughly 652,000 residents. It's anchored by Jamsil (Lotte World, the 555-meter Lotte World Tower — Korea's tallest building — and Seokchon Lake), the 1988 Olympic Park, and the huge Garak wholesale market. Developed from farmland in the 1970s, Songpa today is a premium, family-oriented area of large apartment estates, generous parks, and strong subway access — a more suburban, family-leaning alternative to neighboring Gangnam while staying firmly upmarket.
Housing costs
Median of recent official MOLIT transactions — a realistic middle, not the cheapest or a listing price.
Apartments
- Jeonse deposit
- ₩725M10545 deals
- Wolse deposit
- ₩200M + ₩1.0M / month9313 deals
- Sale price / ㎡
- ₩22.2M/㎡4495 deals
Officetels
- Jeonse deposit
- ₩280M1565 deals
- Wolse deposit
- ₩30.0M + ₩820K / month6115 deals
- Sale price / ㎡
- ₩9.2M/㎡1013 deals
Villas & row houses
- Jeonse deposit
- ₩250M5330 deals
- Wolse deposit
- ₩80.0M + ₩500K / month12453 deals
- Sale price / ㎡
- ₩10.5M/㎡3173 deals
Getting around
Songpa is very well connected, served by five Seoul Metro lines. Jamsil Station — where the Line 2 loop meets Line 8 — is the district's main hub and was ranked the busiest station in the entire network in 2024. Line 8 runs north–south through the district's heart, Line 5 serves Olympic Park and the east, Line 3 reaches its southern terminus at Ogeum, and Line 9 stops at Sports Complex and Songpanaru — giving fast access to Gangnam, central Seoul, and both banks of the Han River.
Jamsil
Line 2 · Line 8
Primary hub; Lotte World Tower, department stores, Seokchon Lake — busiest station in Seoul (2024)
Sports Complex
Line 2 · Line 9
Seoul Sports Complex; Line 2 loop × Line 9 interchange
Ogeum
Line 3 · Line 5
Southern terminus of Line 3, direct northbound toward central Seoul
Munjeong
Line 8
Gateway to the Munjeong business and legal district
No direct airport rail line, but frequent limousine buses run from Jamsil to Incheon; Gimpo is reachable via a Line 2 or Line 9 connection.
Who lives here
Songpa is best known for scale and family living. Jamsil combines major leisure and retail — Lotte World theme park, the landmark Lotte World Tower and its mall, and walkable Seokchon Lake — with dense, high-value apartment complexes. To the east, Olympic Park (built for the 1988 Games) is one of the city's largest green spaces, while the Garak wholesale market and the newer Munjeong office district add commercial weight. The feel is upscale and residential rather than nightlife-driven: wide roads, big estates, good schools, and plenty of parks — Gangnam-level prices in many areas, but a more suburban, family orientation.
- Jamsil— The leisure-and-retail core — Lotte World, Lotte World Tower, Seokchon Lake, premium high-rises.
- Olympic Park (Bangi / Oryun)— Sports facilities, museums, and large green space with quieter residential blocks.
- Garak— Korea's major wholesale market for produce and seafood.
- Munjeong— A modern business and legal district in the south, with newer developments.
For foreign residents
Songpa suits foreigners who want space, family amenities, and green areas over a highly international nightlife scene — it feels less internationally oriented than Mapo or central Gangnam. Its strengths are large modern apartment complexes, the parks and lakeside walks around Olympic Park and Seokchon Lake, and major shopping at Lotte World Mall and Jamsil's department stores. Excellent multi-line subway access makes commuting to Gangnam and central Seoul straightforward. It is not a university-cluster area — students usually commute out to campuses in other districts.
Universities in or near the district
- Korea National Sport University— Specialized national university for sport and physical education, in Bangi-dong near Olympic Park.