Foreign envoys discover Sejong's appeal beyond Korea's administrative capital

Thirteen officials from 12 foreign missions toured Sejong on Sept. 29 and 30 to explore the administrative capital’s tourism appeal. They visited the Presidential Archives, Sejong National Arboretum, Ieung Bridge, Government Complex Sejong and Sejong Traditional Market. Participants praised the city’s green spaces, family-friendly layout, cultural attractions and planned infrastructure. Sejong is also developing international tourism and convention programs ahead of the Chungcheong 2027 FISU World University Games.

Sejong National Arboretum covers 650,000 square meters and contains more than 4,367 plant species and about 2.5 million individual plants.

Ieung Bridge spans 1,446 meters across the Geum River, linking the central green zone with a waterfront park in southern Sejong.

The rooftop garden at Government Complex Sejong is nearly 3.6 kilometers long, connects 15 government buildings and was recognized by Guinness World Records in 2016 as the world’s largest rooftop garden.

The Presidential Archives exhibition covers presidential terms through the 2017-22 administration of Moon Jae-in and includes documents, photographs, videos, objects and recreated spaces from Cheong Wa Dae.

Sejong aims to expand meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions tourism through venue coordination, tailored tours, multilingual guidance, local dining and cultural experiences.

Published Oct 8, 2026 4:28 pm KST

Rooftop greenery and traditional markets reveal quieter charms of planned city

Residents jog along a forest trail near the Presidential Archives in Sejong, Saturday. Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho

SEJONG — For those accustomed to Seoul’s density, Sejong, the nation's administrative capital approximately 130 kilometers south of Seoul, offers an unfamiliar Korean cityscape: cyclists follow streams to work and visitors from across the country stroll through the giant rooftop garden atop Government Complex Sejong or along wide boulevards with no utility poles or curbside parking.

Founded in 2012 as Korea’s administrative city, Sejong has grown into a community of roughly 400,000 residents, shaped in large part by the civil servants and their families who moved south as ministries were relocated from Seoul.

Thirteen officials from 12 foreign missions in Korea joined a two-day tour of Sejong on Sept. 29 and 30, arranged by the Sejong Culture and Tourism Foundation to introduce the planned city’s tourism assets.

Kenyan Ambassador Emmy Kipsoi, one of the participants, said the visit exceeded her expectations of the city as a strictly functional government hub.

“Before the visit, I knew Sejong mainly as Korea’s administrative capital, the home of government ministries and a city of policy and public administration,” Kipsoi told The Korea Times. “What I found was a city designed with people and nature at its center.”

The city’s generous green spaces, including waterfront and cycling paths, showed her that a planned capital could be “efficient in purpose but humane in character.”

Foreign diplomats based in Korea view portraits of former Korean presidents at the Presidential Archives in Sejong, Sept. 29. Korea Times photo by Lee Hae-rin

Presidential Archives

At the Presidential Archives, participants followed Korea’s democratic history through the records of its former presidents.

The exhibition, which currently covers presidential terms through the 2017-22 administration of Moon Jae-in, brings together documents, photographs, videos and objects once used by presidents. The building also houses recreated spaces from the presidential compound of Cheong Wa Dae, including the president’s office and Chunchugwan press center.

From the exhibition hall, visitors can also look out over the construction site of the future presidential office and National Assembly complex. President Lee Jae Myung is pushing to relocate the presidential office and National Assembly to Sejong by 2030.

An official of the Embassy of Tanzania views digital artwork on Korea's presidential history at the Presidential Archives during the city tour in Sejong, Sept. 29. Korea Times photo by Lee Hae-rin

The exhibition also features artificial intelligence-rendered videos of the former leaders, text-art portraits composed of words from presidential speeches, nine former presidential vehicles and diplomatic gifts presented by foreign leaders.

Several participants were delighted to recognize items from their own countries. Kipsoi spotted a necklace and matching earrings gifted by Kenya’s second president, Daniel arap Moi, to then-President Chun Doo-hwan in 1982.

“It was a deeply moving moment,” she said, calling the preserved gift a reminder that current Korea-Kenya ties rest on “foundations laid by earlier generations of leaders.”

An Angolan Embassy official found the use of interactive digital technology to illustrate Korea’s democratic history “very impressive.”

Foreign diplomats walk around during a tour of the Sejong National Arboretum in Sejong, Sept. 29. Korea Times photo by Lee Hae-rin

Sejong National Arboretum

At the Sejong National Arboretum, the tour had a slower encounter with the city's green heart.

As Korea’s first urban national arboretum, it covers 650,000 square meters, containing more than 4,367 plant species and about 2.5 million individual plants. It has more than 20 themed gardens that bring together Korean traditional and royal garden design and everyday horticulture.

After the arboretum visit, several envoys described Sejong as "serene, spacious and family-friendly," with parks and nature woven into daily life rather than treated as a weekend escape.

“I really appreciated how well the city was planned, making it livable and family-friendly,” an official from the Embassy of the Philippines said. "The wide roads, jogging areas and walking paths surrounding the river and lake were impressive."

Ieung Bridge glows at night over the Geum River in Sejong, Sept. 29. Korea Times photo by Lee Hae-rin

Cityscape view from Ieung Bridge

As the sun sets, the group crossed Ieung Bridge, Sejong’s distinctive circular landmark spanning the Geum River, as the city’s skyline sparkles across the water in a cool autumn breeze.

The 1,446-meter structure connects the central green zone on the river’s north side with a waterfront park in the city’s southern districts. Its length is meant as a reference to the year King Sejong promulgated "Hunminjeongeum," the work that introduced the Korean alphabet, while its round form recalls the Hangeul consonant “ieung.”

Kipsoi said the nighttime walk across the bridge captured Sejong’s ability to bring history to mind within a thoroughly contemporary cityscape.

“I was struck by how a piece of modern infrastructure can carry so much history and meaning,” the ambassador said. “It is a bridge that connects not only two banks of a river, but also Korea’s past and its future.”

A drone view of buildings in Sejong reflected on the surface of the Geum River behind the Ieung Bridge / Korea Times photo by Choi Heung-soo

Several diplomats said Sejong’s broad boulevards, new apartment towers and carefully planned layout reminded them of Songdo, but with a quieter, more residential character.

Many said they could imagine living there with their families, drawn by its sense of safety, space and daily convenience, even as they noted that embassies would still need strong transport links to Seoul and international airports.

For a Costa Rican Embassy official, Sejong's ordered landscape recalled Hangeul itself. “I came back to Seoul with the impression of a very well-organized city that transmits the same feeling of calmness of Korean writing," the official said.

A drone view of Government Complex Sejong's rooftop garden / Korea Times photo by Choi Heung-soo

World's largest rooftop garden

Several envoys cited the rooftop garden of Government Complex Sejong as "the most memorable stop" of the tour.

Nearly 3.6 kilometers long, the green corridor links 15 government buildings, breaking from the conventional image of isolated ministry buildings. It was recognized by Guinness World Records in 2016 as the world’s largest rooftop garden and now offers a space for public servants and visitors from across the country to relax and enjoy a panoramic view of the city from up high.

“To walk across the top of the buildings where national policy is shaped, among trees and flowers and open views of the city, says a great deal about how Korea wants its government to relate to its citizens and to the environment,” Kipsoi said.

Government Complex Sejong's rooftop garden / Courtesy of Sejong Culture and Tourism Foundation

A Zambian diplomat saw the complex not simply as an architectural attraction but as a model for a country trying to build public infrastructure around people's daily lives.

"This is a typical example of a smart city," the official said, adding that he plans to return with the ambassador as Sejong offers a useful benchmark, particularly on its idea of connectivity, to Zambia's development of its own government complex.

"Clustered government buildings in other Korean cities do not usually provide such an ambience," said an official from the Philippine Embassy, calling the "photogenic view of Sejong City from the rooftop" as the city's "memorable appeal."

Other diplomats also pointed to Sejong's underground waste-collection system, digitalized urban management and interconnected buildings as signs of long-term planning, and said the tour provided practical reference points for countries confronting their own challenges with congestion, regional development and public safety.

Shoppers and merchants wander through Sejong Traditional Market in Sejong, Sept. 22. Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho

Sejong Traditional Market

At Sejong Traditional Market, the tour stepped into a familiar Korean ritual: wandering covered alleys lined with snacks, fresh produce and everyday household goods.

Opened in 1931, the market is part of the old town that predates Sejong’s planned-city development.

The market looked much like traditional markets elsewhere in Korea, but participants found its wider aisles and slower rhythm especially welcoming. Merchants greeted the foreign envoys with cheerful questions about where they came from, offering generous extras and friendly banter that turned a simple purchase into a conversation.

An official from the Tanzanian Embassy said the market and surrounding neighborhood revealed the kind of everyday life that could make Sejong attractive beyond official visits. “I want to come and move to Sejong,” she said, adding that her family also “would love it here.”

The city is also looking beyond leisure travel. It aims to grow into a major destination for meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions, leveraging its role as an administrative center.

For foreign institutions considering meetings or events in Sejong, the city is seeking to offer coordination support with local venues, tailored tour programs, multilingual guidance, local dining and cultural experiences.

Sejong is also developing tour programs combining history, cityscapes, nature and local food for international travelers.

Alongside online promotion through travel booking platform Korea Travel Easy, the city is preparing multilingual and QR code menus at designated local restaurants to better welcome overseas visitors ahead of the Chungcheong 2027 FISU World University Games.

9月29日至30日，来自12个外国使团的13名官员参观了世宗市，考察这座行政首都的旅游吸引力。他们参观了总统档案馆、世宗国立植物园、梁桥、世宗政府大楼和世宗传统市场。与会人员对世宗市的绿地、适宜家庭居住的城市布局、文化景点和完善的基础设施给予了高度评价。世宗市也在积极筹备2027年忠清世界大学生运动会，并大力发展国际旅游和会展项目。

世宗国立植物园占地65万平方米，拥有超过4367种植物，约250万株植物。

梁桥横跨锦江，全长1446米，连接世宗市南部的中央绿地和滨水公园。

世宗政府大楼的屋顶花园长近 3.6 公里，连接 15 座政府大楼，并于 2016 年被吉尼斯世界纪录认证为世界上最大的屋顶花园。

总统档案展览涵盖了文在寅 2017-2022 年总统任期内的所有总统任期，展品包括青瓦台的文件、照片、视频、物品和重建的空间。

世宗市旨在通过场地协调、定制旅游、多语种导游、当地餐饮和文化体验，拓展会议、奖励旅游、会展旅游。

发布于2026年10月8日下午4:28（韩国标准时间）

屋顶绿化和传统市场展现了规划城市更为静谧的魅力。

周六，在世宗市总统档案馆附近的一条林间小径上，居民们正在慢跑。（韩国时报 李汉浩 摄）

世宗——对于习惯了首尔高密度城市的人来说，位于首尔以南约 130 公里的韩国行政首都世宗市，展现出一种不熟悉的韩国城市景观：骑自行车的人沿着溪流上班，来自全国各地的游客漫步在世宗政府大楼顶部的巨大屋顶花园，或沿着没有电线杆或路边停车位的宽阔大道漫步。

世宗市于 2012 年成立，是韩国的行政中心。如今，世宗市已发展成为一个拥有约 40 万居民的社区，这在很大程度上要归功于随着各部委从首尔迁往韩国南部而迁居至此的公务员及其家属。

9月29日至30日，来自12个驻韩外国使团的13名官员参加了由世宗文化旅游基金会安排的为期两天的世宗市考察之旅，旨在介绍这座规划中的城市的旅游资源。

肯尼亚大使艾米·基普索伊是此次访问的参与者之一，她说此次访问超出了她对这座城市作为严格意义上的政府中心的预期。

“在访问世宗之前，我对它的了解主要停留在韩国的行政首都、政府部门所在地以及政策和公共管理中心，”基普索伊告诉《韩国时报》。“而我发现，这是一座以人为本、以自然为中心的城市。”

这座城市拥有大片的绿地，包括滨水区和自行车道，这让她意识到，一个规划完善的首都可以“在目的上高效，在性格上人性化”。

9月29日，驻韩外国外交官在世宗市总统档案馆参观韩国历任总统画像。（韩国时报 李海琳 摄）

总统档案馆

在总统档案馆，参观者通过查阅韩国历任总统的档案，了解了韩国的民主历史。

本次展览目前涵盖了文在寅总统2017年至2022年执政期间的历任总统，汇集了总统们曾经使用过的文件、照片、视频和物品。该建筑内还复原了青瓦台总统府的部分空间，包括总统办公室和春秋馆新闻中心。

从展览厅还可以眺望未来总统府和国会大厦的施工现场。李在明总统正力推在2030年前将总统府和国会迁至世宗市。

9月29日，在世宗市游览期间，坦桑尼亚大使馆一名官员在总统档案馆参观有关韩国总统历史的数字艺术作品。（韩国时报 李海琳 摄）

展览还展出了人工智能渲染的前领导人视频、由总统演讲中的词语组成的文字艺术肖像、九辆前总统座驾以及外国领导人赠送的外交礼物。

一些参与者欣喜地认出了来自自己国家的物品。基普索伊发现了一条项链和一副配套的耳环，这是肯尼亚第二任总统丹尼尔·阿拉普·莫伊在1982年赠送给时任总统全斗焕的礼物。

“这是一个令人非常感动的时刻，”她说，并称这份保存下来的礼物提醒人们，当前的韩肯关系建立在“前几代领导人奠定的基础”之上。

一位安哥拉大使馆官员认为，利用互动数字技术来展示韩国的民主历史“非常令人印象深刻”。

9月29日，外国外交官在世宗国立植物园参观。韩国时报 李海琳摄

世宗国立植物园

在世宗国立植物园，旅行团得以放慢脚步，感受这座城市的绿色心脏。

作为韩国首个城市国家级植物园，它占地65万平方米，拥有超过4367种植物，约250万株。园内设有20多个主题花园，融合了韩国传统和皇家园林设计以及日常园艺。

参观完植物园后，几位使节形容世宗市“宁静、宽敞、适合家庭居住”，公园和自然风光融入了日常生活，而不是被当作周末度假的去处。

菲律宾大使馆一位官员表示：“我非常欣赏这座城市的规划，它既宜居又适合家庭居住。宽阔的道路、慢跑区以及环绕河流和湖泊的步行道都给我留下了深刻的印象。”

9月29日，夜幕降临，世宗市锦江上的义陵桥灯火辉煌。（韩国时报 李海琳 摄）

从梁桥眺望城市景观

夕阳西下，一行人穿过横跨锦江的世宗标志性圆形桥梁——梁桥，秋风习习，河面上的城市天际线波光粼粼。

这座1446米长的建筑连接着江北岸的中央绿地和城市南部的滨水公园。它的长度是为了纪念世宗大王颁布《训民正音》的年份，《训民正音》是引入韩文字母的著作；而它的圆形造型则让人联想到韩文辅音“ieung”。

Kipsoi 表示，夜间漫步桥上，体现了世宗在现代都市景观中融入历史感的能力。

大使说：“我深受触动，一座现代基础设施竟能承载如此丰富的历史和意义。这座桥不仅连接着河流的两岸，也连接着韩国的过去和未来。”

无人机拍摄的世宗市建筑倒映在燕桥后方锦江水面上的景象 / 韩国时报 崔兴洙摄

多位外交官表示，世宗市宽阔的林荫大道、新建的公寓大楼和精心规划的布局让他们想起了松岛，但世宗市更安静，更具住宅特色。

许多人表示，他们能够想象与家人一起生活在那里，因为那里安全、宽敞、生活便利，但他们也指出，大使馆仍然需要与首尔和国际机场建立牢固的交通联系。

一位哥斯达黎加大使馆官员表示，世宗井然有序的城市景观让他联想到了韩文本身。“我回到首尔后，对这座城市的印象非常深刻，它传递出一种与韩文文字相同的宁静感。”

世宗政府大楼屋顶花园的无人机航拍图 / 韩国时报 崔兴洙摄

世界最大的屋顶花园

多位使节表示，世宗政府大楼的屋顶花园是此次访问中“最令人难忘的一站”。

这条近3.6公里长的绿色走廊连接了15座政府大楼，打破了以往政府部门大楼彼此孤立的传统形象。它于2016年被吉尼斯世界纪录认证为世界上最大的屋顶花园，如今为来自全国各地的公务员和游客提供了一个放松身心、俯瞰城市全景的场所。

“漫步在制定国家政策的大楼顶部，周围绿树成荫、鲜花盛开，还能欣赏到城市的开阔景色，这充分体现了韩国希望其政府如何与公民和环境建立联系，”基普索伊说道。

世宗市政府大楼屋顶花园 / 图片由世宗文化旅游基金会提供

一位赞比亚外交官认为，该建筑群不仅是一个建筑景点，更是一个国家围绕人们的日常生活建设公共基础设施的典范。

“这是一个典型的智慧城市，”这位官员说，并补充说，他计划与大使一起返回，因为世宗市为赞比亚建设自己的政府综合体提供了一个有用的标杆，尤其是在其互联互通的理念方面。

“韩国其他城市的政府大楼群通常不会营造出这样的氛围，”菲律宾大使馆的一位官员说，并称“从屋顶看到的世宗市美景”是这座城市“令人难忘的魅力”。

其他外交官也指出世宗市的地下垃圾收集系统、数字化城市管理和互联互通的建筑是长期规划的标志，并表示此次考察为面临交通拥堵、区域发展和公共安全挑战的国家提供了实际的参考点。

9月22日，在世宗市，购物者和商贩们在世宗传统市场闲逛。（韩国时报 李汉浩 摄）

世宗传统市场

在世宗传统市场，游客们体验了一把熟悉的韩国传统：漫步在摆满小吃、新鲜农产品和日常家居用品的有顶棚的小巷中。

该市场于 1931 年开业，是老城区的一部分，其历史比世宗市的规划城市发展还要悠久。

这个市场看起来和韩国其他地方的传统市场很相似，但更宽敞的过道和更悠闲的节奏让参与者倍感亲切。商贩们热情地询问外国使节来自哪里，并慷慨地赠送小礼物，亲切地交谈，让简单的购物变成了愉快的对话。

坦桑尼亚大使馆一位官员表示，市场及其周边社区展现了世宗市的日常生活，这使其除了官方访问之外，也具有其他吸引力。“我想搬到世宗来住，”她说，并补充说她的家人也“会喜欢这里”。

这座城市的目标远不止休闲旅游。它希望利用其作为行政中心的地位，发展成为举办会议、奖励旅游、会展和展览的重要目的地。

对于考虑在世宗市举办会议或活动的外国机构，该市正在寻求提供与当地场馆的协调支持、量身定制的旅游计划、多语种指导、当地餐饮和文化体验。

世宗市也在为国际游客开发结合历史、城市景观、自然风光和当地美食的旅游项目。

除了通过旅游预订平台 Korea Travel Easy 进行线上推广外，该市还在指定的当地餐馆准备多语言和二维码菜单，以便在 2027 年忠清世界大学生运动会之前更好地迎接海外游客。