Seoul NowWhat is Seoul Now?
Seoul Now is a 100% free, non-commercial public-interest project that makes Korean government open data accessible and useful for international travellers visiting Seoul. No advertising, no user registration, no personal data collection, and no paywalls — ever.
Why does Seoul Now exist?
South Korea publishes some of the most extensive public open data in the world — real-time crowd density, air quality, 180,000+ points of interest, and much more. But language barriers and fragmented government portals make this data nearly impossible for international visitors to use. Seoul Now bridges that gap by aggregating, translating, and visualizing official government data in one mobile-friendly interface with AI-powered natural language search.
What can you do with Seoul Now?
- Check live crowd levels at 20+ hotspots like Myeongdong, Hongdae, and Gangnam — updated every 5 minutes from Seoul Metropolitan Government data.
- Plan your trip with crowd forecasts and walking plans that include nearby toilets, cafes, Wi-Fi, and convenience stores.
- Find dietary-friendly food — curated halal, vegan, kosher, and gluten-free restaurants, plus 5,162 government-certified exemplary restaurants.
- Locate essentials — 2,189 public toilets, 17,057 free Wi-Fi spots, 9,443 bike parking locations, and tourist info centers.
- Know the safest times to visit each area with 7×24 calm-window heatmaps and police box locations.
- Search 135,000+ local eateries from the Korea Small Business Administration registry by district and cuisine.
- Ask the AI concierge anything about Seoul in English, Japanese, or Korean — it queries live data and builds personalized walking plans.
Where does the data come from?
Every piece of data on Seoul Now comes from official Korean government open data portals. We do not use proprietary databases or user-generated content.
Seoul Open Data Plaza (서울 열린데이터광장)
Seoul Open Data — Free to use
Real-time crowd density and 12-hour forecasts for 50+ city areas, air quality (PM2.5/PM10) by district, public toilets, free Wi-Fi hotspots, bike parking, and government-certified exemplary restaurants.
- citydata (실시간 도시데이터) — live crowd levels, weather, forecasts
- RealtimeCityAir — district-level air quality PM10/PM2.5
- 공중화장실정보 — 2,189 public toilets
- 무료와이파이정보 — 17,057 free Wi-Fi hotspots
- 자전거보관소정보 — 9,443 bike parking locations
- 모범음식점정보 — 5,162 exemplary restaurants
data.go.kr (공공데이터포털)
Korea Open Government License
National public data portal providing police station locations, tourist information centers, and accessibility data across South Korea.
- 경찰청 전국 지구대·파출소 주소 현황 — police boxes (Seoul filtered)
- 서울시 관광안내소 표준데이터 — tourist information centers
Korea Small Business Administration (소상공인시장진흥공단)
Korea Open Government License
Comprehensive small-business commercial registry with 135,000+ food-related establishments in Seoul including restaurants, cafes, bars, and convenience stores.
- 상가(상권)정보 서울 — 135,000+ local eateries and convenience stores
Our principles
| Principle | What it means |
|---|---|
| 100% Free | No paywalls, no premium tiers, no in-app purchases |
| No Advertising | Zero ads, zero sponsored content, zero affiliate links |
| No Sign-up | Use every feature immediately — no account, no email required |
| No Data Collection | We do not collect, store, or share any personal information. Read our privacy policy |
| Open Data Only | All data sourced from official Korean government open data portals |
What languages are supported?
Seoul Now supports English (primary), Japanese (日本語), and Korean (한국어). The interface language can be toggled via the globe icon in the header. Place names are dynamically translated using AI to ensure accuracy.
Contact
Questions, feedback, or data corrections — reach us at [email protected]