Lotte World Tower, Seoul’s vertical city of glass
Published on 08/24/2026 at 11:52 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Lotte World Tower is a supertall skyscraper rising above the Songpa District of Seoul, bringing offices, apartments, a luxury hotel and the Seoul Sky observation spaces together in a single, tapering glass tower completed in 2016.
A glass needle on the Han River plain
The tower stands in Sincheon-dong in Seoul’s Songpa District, close to the Han River and the extensive Lotte World complex of retail and entertainment facilities.Sincheon-dong in Songpa District The building reaches an architectural height of about 555 m (1,821 ft), making it the tallest building in South Korea and one of the tallest skyscrapers worldwide.555 m architectural height Its silhouette narrows gradually as it rises, forming a sleek, almost conical profile that dominates the eastern part of the city.
Lotte World Tower has 123 floors above ground and six basement levels, with a total floor area estimated at more than 300,000 m² (around 3.2 million sq ft).123 floors above ground The exterior is clad almost entirely in glass, accentuated by vertical lines that emphasise the tower’s height and by gentle curves that soften its edges. At night, lighting emphasises the upper sections and the spire, turning the building into a luminous marker that can be picked out from many points across the metropolitan area.
Designing Korea’s first supertall
The overall architectural design of Lotte World Tower was led by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, working with local partners such as BAUM Architects.Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates The structure is classified as a supertall skyscraper, a term used for buildings exceeding 300 m in height, and it was the country’s first building to go beyond 100 storeys.first building beyond 100 floors The tower’s form draws on a combination of straight and curved surfaces, with the façade tapering towards a lantern-like crown.
Construction began in 2010 and the structure was completed in late 2016, with a formal opening in 2017.completed and opened in 2017 Engineering practices including Leslie E. Robertson Associates and LERA Consulting Structural Engineers were involved in the structural design and analysis of the tower’s core and lateral systems.LERA Consulting Structural Engineers The combination of height, slenderness and a mixed-use programme places the building among a global group of high-rise projects that push architectural and structural design to an advanced level.
A vertical city: offices, living and Seoul Sky
Lotte World Tower is organised as a stacked sequence of different uses, turning the building into a kind of vertical city. Lower levels close to street level are devoted to a podium of retail space, connecting into the wider Lotte World shopping and entertainment district.podium retail levels Above these podium floors, a long run of office space occupies several dozen storeys, with premium offices located on higher levels to take advantage of the views and the clear separation from the busy streets below.Prime offices on mid-levels
Residential apartments and an upper-tier Lotte Hotel occupy the central and upper mid-sections of the tower, stacked above the offices.apartments and Lotte Hotel The uppermost floors, from around level 117 to the very top, are reserved for public observation spaces known as Seoul Sky.Seoul Sky observation deck Here, visitors find indoor viewing halls, cafés, terraces and glass-bottomed platforms that look down to the streets far below, offering broad views across Seoul, the Han River corridor and the surrounding mountains on clear days.
Visiting Lotte World Tower: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- Lotte World Tower stands in Sincheon-dong in Seoul’s Songpa District, near the Han River and adjacent to the Lotte World shopping and entertainment complex. It is easily reached by urban rail services that stop at Jamsil Station on one of the city’s metro lines.
- Movement inside the tower’s public areas involves lifts and escalators, with staircases linking some levels of the podium. Elevators connect directly to the higher observation floors, and visitors encounter enclosed interior spaces rather than exposed mountain-style paths.
- The area around the tower is densely built, with wide streets, large intersections and extensive retail complexes, so visitors can expect urban terrain with paved surfaces and multi-level indoor circulation.
- South Korea’s official language is Korean and the currency is the South Korean won.
- Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.
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Frequently asked questions about Lotte World Tower
Where is Lotte World Tower located within Seoul?
Lotte World Tower stands in Sincheon-dong in Songpa District, in the south-eastern part of Seoul near the Han River and the Lotte World complex.
What can visitors expect when going up to Seoul Sky?
Visitors reach upper floors by high-speed lifts and encounter indoor observation halls, cafés, terraces and glass-bottomed sections that offer extensive views across the city.
What makes Lotte World Tower distinctive among skyscrapers?
Its height of about 555 m, 123 floors and tapering glass form, combined with a stacked mix of retail, offices, apartments, hotel and public observation spaces, give it the character of a vertical city.
