[One Day Walk] Climbing Stairs and Strolling through Gungmaeul and Gwangpyeong Daegun Tomb Area... Suseo Station

[Editor's Note] Walking a few thousand steps within about an hour during your commute or lunch break can boost both your body and mind. The subway is not only an easily accessible and safe mode of transportation for everyone but also a key point for achieving the daily 10,000 steps goal. We introduce pleasant walking spots around subway stations.

Today's featured course is Suseo Station. Suseo Station is Seoul's new gateway connecting the Gangnam area with major cities nationwide. It directly links the SRT, Subway Line 3, and the Suin-Bundang Line, and is adjacent to Subway Lines 2, 5, and 8, as well as the Shinbundang Line. It is also near the Dongbu Expressway, connecting to major highways, making it a crucial transportation hub. The name Suseo (水西) means "west of the Han River," referring to the river flowing to the west. Suseo-dong was called Gungmal or Gungchon because it houses the tombs of Prince Muan and his successor Prince Gwangpyeong, sons of King Taejo of Joseon. It is located near the northern foothills of Daemosan Mountain and has the Tancheon Stream to the east.

Health stairs installed at Suseo Station
Photo by SR

Suseo Station itself is a sight to see. It has two underground floors and three aboveground floors, with many facilities and numerous staircases inside. The SRT operator has jointly installed and managed a health donation staircase with Gangnam Severance Hospital. Each time a customer uses the stairs, both organizations donate 10 won each to a social contribution fund, accumulating about 20 million won annually, which is donated to the Make-A-Wish Korea chapter. On the first floor, there is an SRT Customer Health Lounge, a convenience space operated by Gangnam Severance Hospital for passengers, hospital visitors, and emergency patients.

Gungmaeul Park
Photo by Gangnam-gu Office

Exiting from Suseo Station Exit 6, you can enjoy nature and historical cultural assets along the "Suseo-dong Gungmaeul History Trail." This path connects Suseo Station with Gungmaeul, the kiln site ruins, the Bongheon Temple site, and the Gwangpyeong Prince's tomb area. The "Temple Ruins" and "Tile Kiln Site" are Joseon Dynasty relics discovered in 2013 during apartment site development around 540 Suseo-dong. These relics were relocated and restored in their original form to create a local heritage viewing facility.

Gwangpyeong Daegun Tomb Area
Photo by Gangnam District Office

"Gungmaeul Secret Garden" is a place redesigned as a hidden beautiful secret garden of Gungmaeul on an unauthorized cultivation site next to the kiln site. It features 13,000 trees and herbaceous plants of native Korean species such as Baekilhong and Bokjagi, along with deck resting areas. "Gungmaeul Park" has a rose flowerbed with 2,724 rose bushes planted by local residents, and at the "Gungmaeul Front Yard" in the neighborhood park, various traditional play experience events are held. After walking around Suseo Park and the Children's Forest Experience Center, you will reach the tomb area of Prince Gwangpyeong of the Jeonju Yi clan. This site, covering a total area of 124,820 pyeong (approximately 412,000 square meters), is located on a mountain and preserves over 700 tombs of Prince Gwangpyeong, the fifth son of King Sejong, along with shrines, ancestral halls, a clan meeting hall, and the clan house. It is a designated Seoul City Tangible Cultural Property and is the best-preserved royal tomb site near Seoul.