Byeolmadang Library in Seoul, a Playground for Bookworms and Digital Nomads
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| A panorama of Byeolmadang Library with 13-meter huge book shelves, a pair of escalators, a big artwork and Starbucks cafe. This library is a sunken style with glass ceilings. |
COEX Mall, Samseongdong, Seoul
September 11th, 2022
Byeolmadang Library is one of the most famous libraries in South Korea, located in the center of Starfield COEX Mall, Samseongdong, Seoul. Its13-meter(42.65ft)-height bookshelves contain around 70,000 books. Tables and chairs with outlets for electric devices to be charged are everywhere in the library so that people can study or work there freely. And there are elevators for the disabled.
Once you get into this library, you may feel surrounded by stars because of its decoration with lights and unique ceiling. The name, ‘Byeolmadang’ is byeol(별)+madang(마당). Byeol means a star and madang means a field or square where people gather. Now you can guess where the name came from. This library is founded by Starfield! Starfield is one of the biggest shopping mall brands in Korea whose mother company is Shinsegae, the Korean conglomerate.
Unlikely silent and quiet normal libraries Byeolmadang Library is so casual and informal that digital nomadic people who love to work in white noise flock. Even we went there in early time on Sunday, many people already were working with a laptop or an iPad. Many tourists were taking pictures and walking around and chatting in the library, but these digital nomads did not care about that.
You can see all kinds of areas of books including fiction, essay, business, children’s books and even magazines in Byeolmadang Library. Amazingly most of these books were donated by companies and individuals.
One of my Japanese friends said that visiting Byeolmadamg Library is in her bucket list. She really loves books, especially Korean children’s books. We are online friends and we haven’t met in person yet. I promised her to take her the library when she travels to South Korea.
COEX, the convention center area has three underground big shopping malls, Starfield COEX, Hyundai Department Store and Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas, and they are all connected to each other underground, even to the subway station, Samseong. Byeolmadang Library doesn’t have walls. The two-storied library is set in the middle of the big underground shopping mall with glittering lights, you never miss it when you enter the shopping mall, so it is a good place where people meet to hang around at this huge shopping and dinning complex.
Byeolmadang Library is not a library just relating to books, also it offers various art exhibitions, musical concerts and lectures. And if you are looking for a place to take pretty instagrammable photos, I highly recommend Byeolmadang Library.
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| People are working at tables in the library. |
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| People are reading books seating on the stairs under the book shelf. |
- How to get Byeolmadang Library
The COEX complex is connected to Samseong subway station on line No. 2 of Seoul Metro. And buses from everywhere in the metropolitan area stop in front of the complex. Very convenient to use any type of transportation.
- Opening hour of Byeolmadang Library
10:30 - 22:00 all year around
- Where to eat breakfast
After visiting Byeolmadang Library, we had brunch at No Brand Burger on the first floor of the COEX building. No Brand Burger is a Korean fast-food brand and it is also another subsidiary company of Shinsegae. They promote they can supply burgers with cheap price and high quality. I think they are not wrong. Their prices are less expensive than other brands, I think. The cheapest burger is 2,500 won, around 2 dollars. Branches of No Brand Burger are everywhere in South Korea. Try it. The COEX branch opens 10:00 a.m.
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| A photo of No Brand Burger fast-food restaurant. |
