Dongdaemun Design Plaza Offers Unusual Tour

Published on 2019/05/26 | Source

A reporter takes a picture on the rooftop of Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul on Thursday.

Seoul's landmark Dongdaemun Design Plaza is offering a unique experience to walk the rooftop of the UFO-shaped building that is usually off-limits to visitors.

The event was arranged to mark the fifth anniversary of its opening, and 88 people who signed up in advance were selected for the tour on Friday and Saturday -- 44 per day -- which also includes a sneak peek of some other parts of the building that have been restricted.

The small number of participants is due to safety reasons, since they need to wear helmets and other safety equipment.

The building, designed by the late architect Zaha Hadid with her distinctive swooping curves, is covered in over 45,000 aluminum panels. The rooftop, at about the height of a four-story building, provides impressive views of downtown Seoul.

The organizer of the event, Seoul Design Foundation, said it could make the tour a regular fixture.