Routes · Yeouido, Yeongdeungpo-gu
Yeouido Goguma Loop.
여의도 고구마 루프
A flat lap of Yeouido island, named for the goguma (sweet potato) it draws on the map. Forested river paths, the 63 Building in gold, and the best-equipped runner hub in Seoul to start from.
- Distance
- 8.6 km
- Elevation
- 22 m
- Difficulty
- Easy
Course map
The route, on the actual map.
GPS-recorded track with points of interest along the way. Click any marker for the local context: water, toilets, CV stores, bridge crossings, photo spots.
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Loading map…
Hover the route or the elevation chart
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How it runs
The route, in five parts.
For ease, convenience and sheer variety, this is the most runnable spot in Seoul. The thing that makes it work is how much sits within a few minutes of each other on Yeouido. You have the Han River park on one side, which takes you through water-play fountains, forested eco-streams and wide lawns made for a picnic and food after the run, and on the other you have Yeouido proper: skyscrapers, malls like The Hyundai, and the 63 Building reflecting gold over the water.
What pushed this route to the top of my list is new: the government-sponsored Running Station inside Yeouinaru Station. It has just about everything a runner could need. Lockers, a changing room, a stretching zone, even a shoe styler. There is a body analyzer that scans you in a few postures and hands back a read on your body age, your posture and where your flexibility is letting you down. All of it free, all of it open to the public. It means you can show up to Yeouido with nothing and run.
The route itself gives you a mix you would not expect in the heart of the city, let alone the financial district: genuine forested nature on the river paths, and then the full wall of downtown skyscrapers, all on wide, comfortable, flat paving with more restrooms than you can count. There are multiple courses through this area and a length for everyone, whether you want a quick 3 km stroll along the river or a 15 km-plus exploration of every nook and cranny of the island.
On the map the main loop draws a goguma, a Korean sweet potato, which is where the name comes from. It is pancake flat and ringed by river the whole way, which makes it equally good for a first run in Seoul, an easy recovery day, or honest speed work.
- 01
Gear up at the Yeouinaru Running Station
We meet at the Running Station inside Yeouinaru Station (Line 5). It is a government-built runner hub: lockers, a changing room, a stretching zone, a shoe styler, and a body analyzer that scans your posture and flexibility and gives you a report, all free and open to the public. Stash your bag, change if you need to, then take the stairs straight down to the river.
- 02
Into the green you would not expect
Within a couple of minutes you are on forested park path, eco-streams and tree cover on both sides. It does not feel like you are standing in the middle of Korea’s financial district, but you are. This is the stretch that surprises every visitor.
- 03
The open river and the 63 Building
The path opens onto the wide Han River: flat, comfortable, easy running with the water on one side and the skyline on the other. The 63 Building rises over the trees and catches the light off the river. Bridges, fountains, and long clear sightlines down the river the whole way.
- 04
The Yeouido island side
The loop curves back through the island side, the financial towers and The Hyundai close at hand, tracing the sweet-potato shape that gives the route its name. Wide pavement, frequent restrooms and water, and convenience stores clustered near the station for a cold drink at the end.
- 05
Close the goguma, or keep going
The main loop closes back at Yeouinaru at about 8.6 km. From here it is yours to size: drop it to a 3 km riverside stroll, or keep exploring out to 15 km-plus around the full island. Same start, same Running Station to come back to.
Facts
Numbers, surfaces, fountains, toilets.
The things you actually want to know before you head out.
- Default distance
- 8.6 km (the goguma loop)
- Length range
- 3 km riverside stroll → 15 km+ full-island exploration
- Elevation gain
- Flat. A few metres of bridge ramp at most.
- Surface
- Paved riverside and park path throughout
- Traffic exposure
- None on the river path; fully separated from road traffic
- Shade
- Good tree cover through the forested park stretches; open and exposed along the main river edge
- Water fountains
- At the Running Station plus multiple park fountains around the loop
- Toilets
- Running Station plus more park restrooms than you can count
- Convenience stores
- Cluster around Yeouinaru and the Running Station
- Running Station
- Inside Yeouinaru Station: lockers, changing room, stretching zone, shoe styler, body analyzer. Free and public, roughly 06:00–24:00.
- Transit
- Subway Line 5, Yeouinaru (start & finish), with the Running Station inside the station
When to run it
Best time, best season, the honest caveats.
Best time of day
Early morning has the river path quiet and cool and the Running Station already open. Late afternoon into evening is the other good window, when the skyline and the 63 Building light up across the water.
Best seasons
Spring and autumn are ideal: cool air, clear sightlines down the river, and the park lawns at their best for an after-run picnic. Yeouido is Seoul’s cherry-blossom capital, so early April lines the river and the Yunjung-ro road behind the National Assembly with blossom, worth timing a run around. Summer is very doable thanks to the tree cover and the endless water and restrooms, just run early or late.
Caveats and Plan B
- The main river edge is open and exposed; in summer midday the forested park stretches give the only real shade. Run early or late in July and August.
- Weekend afternoons get busy near the Running Station, the fountains and the picnic lawns. Wide paths keep it moving, but expect company.
- The Running Station facilities (lockers, changing) run on roughly 06:00–24:00 hours; the river path itself is always open.
From me
Yeouido is where I send anyone who tells me they want to run in Seoul but do not know where to start. It is flat, it is impossible to get lost on, and now that the Running Station is there you can roll up with literally nothing, lock your bag, and go. The first time I stood on the body-analyzer pad and it told me my posture age I laughed, and then I went and stretched the way it told me to. The route gives you forest and skyline and gold-lit river all in under an hour, and you can make it as short or as long as the day calls for.
· Quintin
Where we start
Yeouinaru Station (Line 5), the Running Station inside the station, or Yeouido Hangang Park
Subway Line 5, Yeouinaru. The Running Station is inside the station; take the stairs from there straight down to Yeouido Hangang Park and the river path.
FAQ
Quick answers.
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What is the Running Station, exactly?
A government-sponsored runner hub inside Yeouinaru Station: lockers, a changing room, a stretching zone, a shoe styler, and a body analyzer that reports on your posture and flexibility. All free and open to the public, roughly 06:00 to 24:00. It is the reason you can show up to Yeouido with nothing and still have a proper run.
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How far can we make it?
Anywhere from a 3 km flat stroll along the river to a 15 km-plus loop of the whole island. The main goguma loop is about 8.6 km. There is a length here for a first-timer, a recovery day, or a hard session.
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Why is it called the Goguma loop?
Because the main loop, traced on a map, draws a goguma: a Korean sweet potato. Once you see it you cannot unsee it.
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Is it really flat?
Pancake flat, ringed by river the whole way, with no hills and only the odd few metres of bridge ramp. That is what makes it equally good for an easy first run and for honest speed work.
Take it with you
GPX + interactive map coming with the route packs.
Downloadable GPX, turn-by-turn cues, the elevation profile, and an interactive map land with the first route pack. Until then, run it with me, I know every turn.
More Seoul routes
Where to run next.
Mangwon · Han River · Seonyudo
My home-ground route. Start in the city, jump into complete greenery, cross two bridges and end up on a hidden island park most Seoulites have never visited.
- 12.3 km
- Easy
- ~1:15 main loop
The Puppy Run
A loop through the historic heart of Seoul that draws a puppy on the map. Gwanghwamun Square, Gyeongbokgung, the Blue House, the palace-wall lanes and the Cheonggyecheon, all in one run.
- 8.7 km
- Easy
- ~1:10 at an easy pace
The Great Shebang · Mangwon to Jamsil
The whole river. Mangwon out to Jamsil and back: 20+ km on the north bank, 20+ km on the south. A Han River marathon and a whole-day affair.
Coming soon