Lotte World Tower
Seoul's tallest skyscraper puts the entire city at your feet.
Lotte World Tower is a 555-metre, 123-floor glass spire that dominates the Seoul skyline from the Songpa district — it's the fifth tallest building in the world and the tallest in Korea. Completed in 2017 after nearly a decade of construction, it sits right next to Lotte World, one of the world's largest indoor theme parks, and the artificial Seokchon Lake, making this corner of the city one of Seoul's most visited districts. The tower itself is more than an observation deck: it contains a luxury hotel (Signiel Seoul, occupying floors 76–101), high-end retail, restaurants, and the Seoul Sky observation deck near the top.
The main reason most visitors come is Seoul Sky, which spans floors 117 to 123. The experience is genuinely impressive — you ascend in a glass-floored elevator, arrive at an indoor observation deck with floor-to-ceiling windows, and can step out onto a narrow outdoor terrace on floor 118. On a clear day you can see all the way to the mountains ringing the city, Namsan Tower, the Han River snaking westward, and the dense urban grid stretching in every direction. The glass floor section is predictably nerve-wracking and obligatory. There's also a sky bridge, a café, and a cocktail lounge called Cloud 123 up here, which makes for one of the more dramatic places to have a drink in Asia.
Book your Seoul Sky tickets online in advance — queues at the desk can be long, especially on weekends and public holidays. The sunset slot (roughly an hour before dark) is the sweet spot: you get daylight panoramas that shift into a glittering city-lights view without having to visit twice. The surrounding Lotte World Mall and Seokchon Lake are worth factoring into your visit, particularly in spring when the lakeside cherry blossoms are spectacular.
