Seoul Address

A simple guide to understanding Korean addresses when visiting Seoul.

Many visitors feel confused when reading Korean addresses.

Sometimes you see:

Cheongdam-dong

Samseong-ro

Teheran-ro 83-gil

They look similar,

but they mean different things.

Once you understand the basic structure,

finding places becomes much easier.

The old system — Dong

In the past, Korean addresses were based on neighborhoods.

You might still see addresses like:

Cheongdam-dong

Samseong-dong

Sinsa-dong

These names refer to areas or neighborhoods.

Many locals still use them in daily conversation.

So you will continue to see “dong” in addresses.

The current system — Ro and Gil

Today, Korea mainly uses a street-based system.

Ro means a main road.

Gil means a smaller street connected to that road.

For example:

Samseong-ro

Samseong-ro 119-gil

This tells you:

The main road
The smaller street connected to it

It works like a simple map.

A typical address example

3F, BK Tower

547 Samseong-ro

Gangnam-gu, Seoul

This means:

Floor: 3rd floor
Building name: BK Tower
Street: Samseong-ro
District: Gangnam-gu
City: Seoul

Once you know this pattern,

addresses become much easier to read.

My personal tip

When visiting beauty places in Seoul,

I usually focus on the building name and floor number first.

That makes finding the location much faster.

That is enough.

Essential Information

Best tip

Look for the building name and floor number first

Most common words

Dong (neighborhood)

Ro (main road)

Gil (small street)

How to Read Korean Addresses — Dong, Ro, and Gil Explained