When we were in Seoul last September, Mon and I made it a point to visit the headquarters of YG, JYP and SM on our third day. Of course, taking a leaf from the books of those who have done it had greatly helped, but the YG Entertainment one was the trickiest.
We found some directions posted online to be quite simplistic and sparse of details. I even had my Kindle open the whole time, still looking for directions but we still got a bit lost. So, I might as well put every observation and other questions we have also asked ourselves while looking for YG’s peculiar building that might help other fangirls and fanboys. =D
(Click the map to ZOOM)
1) Similar to other directions, yes, you go to 합정역 / Hapjeong Station and leave EXIT 8. You will know that it is the correct direction if you see that the farthest that you can see in the road was an almost elevated road leading somewhere else… the Han River.
2) Now, please remember that there are TWO (2) SK Gas Stations in the same stretch. When we looked for directions online, it seemed like there was only one. So please note that once you leave EXIT 8, there’s already the SK Gas Station #1.
3) You then walk and follow the road (shown by the blue lines). Contrary to other online directions, you will turn right on the first street. It would be correct if you consider SK Gas Station #1 as the only one but just continue walking towards the second, SK Gas Station #2.
4) Once you reach SK Gas Station #2 beside Namkyong Hotel and saw a ‘center island‘ across the road, you will then turn right and continue walking for about 100 meters.
5) It is easy to spot their building on your 50th meter and you can also see the “Prouod” (with number 15) signage before the building. There’s not a lot of places to hangout inconspicuously while waiting, but you can position yourself beside the laundromat, right in front of their entrance (or what I think was the entrance) as these fangirls did.
Take note of the scale shown in the lower left side corner of the map. The long blue lines were scaled EXACTLY to 50 meters and as you can see, you will probably be walking considerably — most especially the stretch from SK#1 to SK#2. Just add up how many blue lines you can see. ;D
Good luck with your quest to find the YG building and stalk your favorite YG artists! <3 Unfortunately, we did not see 2NE1 (as they were in Japan that time) nor Big Bang.
ETA: You might also want to check out my Winter in Seoul series in 2012 or our DMZ/JSA experience from 2011 =)
Thanks for the directions! By the way, how long did it take you to walk from the station to the office itself?
No prob! As for the walking, I think it would take you around 8 minutes upon exiting the station. =)
Ah. So it’s not that far time-wise. Haha. I’m so poor at estimating distances that I estimate it by time. Thanks! I’ll try to visit it and yours is the most comprehensive guide I’ve found on the net. 🙂
Yep! And I am talking about the Filipino leisure-walking na. Good thing you found my guide because we got lost following other directions when we were already there. So I made sure that I’ll recall every detail of that place. =)
Hi! I’m getting the opportunity to visit Seoul this coming summer vacation with my dad. I am an avid consumer of YG Entertainment (Blackjack forever) and I would have to say out of all the directions I’ve found/gotten your directions would have to be the easiest to understand so thank you!
Hey thanks a lot! And sorry for taking forever to reply! Yes, we got confused as well and we were already in Mapo-gu area and still looking for directions HAHAHA Just passing the indiot-proof info forward 😀
Oh wow I just stumbled on your blog about Phlpost… but then you have this article! Are you by chance a Kpop fan? Lol but thanks for publishing since I’ll be going to Seoul this March & this will surely help me. 🙂
Yes I am! Though I am heavily biased towards YG in general! 😀
How did I not see this? I am officially jealous; first of your bag collection, and now this. When I eventually make it to South Korea, I’m going to have to ask you about this so I can skulk around and try to spot some of my favorite groups. LOL. Also, did you do a lot of shopping while you were there? I’d have to get some advice on that, too (Not that I expect much to fit my 6’3″, gargantuan-limbed frame).
Hey!!! Hahaha I think it is safe to say that we love South Korea a lot! It is funny how we instinctively know which train exit to get off and no longer be in a mad rush to get to places. Speaking of which, I was jealous of a former colleague who happened to chance by ex-2NE1 member Minzy a couple of months ago while in Gyeongbokgung. That was luckily so random!
As for the shopping, it was my least favorite part but my partner had to do the obligatory shopping for family and friends, so yeah we actually did a lot of shopping especially at night in Myeongdong before heading back to the guesthouse. It was our compromise rather than doing a one-time, big-time shopping the night before heading home. Although I have heard that clothes are much cheaper in Hongdae area because it was like Seoul’s university belt.
I think you won’t have too much of a problem with your height there. A lot of Korean men are lanky and TALL and I felt like a smurf on the subway. Let me know when you go there and I will gladly give you a couple of advice to make the trip as hassle-free (and pocket-friendly) as possible. =D