Seoul Subway Line 9 Guide: 11 Stops Worth Getting Off

Line 9 is the subway that stays south of the river. It starts beside Gimpo Airport, follows the Han’s south bank through Yeouido and the old ferry towns of Noryangjin and Heukseok, then turns east under Gangnam and ends past Jamsil in Gangdong-gu. It never leaves Seoul, and it is one of the few lines in the city where you choose between an express and a local train on the same platform.

That choice is the whole trick. The express makes Gimpo Airport to Gangnam a 33-minute ride and is packed to bursting every weekday morning. The local is slower and calmer, and it is the one that stops where the line gets interesting: Seoul’s only surviving Joseon-era Confucian school, a riverside pavilion above Heukseok and a field of Baekje royal tombs among Songpa’s apartment blocks.

Where does Line 9 go?

From Gaehwa in Gangseo-gu to VHS Medical Center in Gangdong-gu, without a branch and without leaving Seoul. Its quirks are the express service and the fact that two different operators run its western and eastern halves.

🚇 Line 9 at a glance (Seoul city, Seoul Metro; November 2026)

Item	Line 9
Termini	Gaehwa (901) – VHS Medical Center (938)
Stations	38 (25 in phase 1, 13 in phases 2–3)
Route length	40.6 km
Operators	Seoul Metro Line9 Corporation: Gaehwa–Sinnonhyeon; Seoul Metro: Eonju–VHS Medical Center
Opened	July 24, 2009 (Gaehwa–Sinnonhyeon); March 28, 2015 (to Sports Complex); December 1, 2018 (to VHS Medical Center)
Express stops	16: Gimpo Int’l Airport, Magongnaru, Gayang, Yeomchang, Dangsan, Yeouido, Noryangjin, Dongjak, Express Bus Terminal, Sinnonhyeon, Seonjeongneung, Bongeunsa, Sports Complex, Seokchon, Olympic Park, VHS Medical Center
Main transfers	Gimpo Int’l Airport (Line 5, AREX, Gimpo Goldline, Seohae Line), Dangsan (Line 2), Yeouido (Line 5), Noryangjin (Line 1), Express Bus Terminal (Lines 3, 7), Sports Complex (Line 2)
Other transfers	Magongnaru (AREX), Saetgang (Sillim Line), Dongjak (Line 4), Sinnonhyeon (Sinbundang), Seonjeongneung (Suin-Bundang), Seokchon (Line 8), Olympic Park (Line 5)

The first 25 stations, Gaehwa to Sinnonhyeon, opened in July 2009 as a privately financed line. The second phase took it to Sports Complex in March 2015, and the third added eight stations from Samjeon to VHS Medical Center on December 1, 2018, when Seoul city said the express would cut Gimpo Airport to Olympic Park to 50 minutes with no transfer. Trains have six cars; the line started in 2009 with four.

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Which Line 9 stations are worth getting off at?

Eleven, from the Gangseo riverside in the west to Seokchon Lake in the east. Six of them are served by local trains only, which is exactly why they are quieter.

📍 11 Line 9 stops worth the exit (exits: market, cemetery and attraction operators, Seoul city, Seoul Danurim Tourism; numbers and express stops: Seoul Metro)

Station (No.)	Exit	Why get off	Local eat nearby	Transfer
Yangcheon Hyanggyo (906), local	2	Yangcheon Hyanggyo, Soakru Pavilion, Gyeomjae Jeongseon Museum	Matjarang Chicken (Gayang, 1 stop east)	—
Yeomchang (910), express	2	Deungchon’s neighbourhood food streets	Family Mandu (dumplings)	—
National Assembly (914), local	1	Free tour of the National Assembly	Jeongin Myeonok (Pyongyang naengmyeon)	—
Noryangjin (917), express	7	Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market	Real Jjang (exam-village buffet)	Line 1
Heukseok (919), local	1, 3	Hyosajeong’s river view, Heukseok Market	Chungbuk Sundae (sundae-gukbap)	—
Dongjak (920), express	8	Seoul National Cemetery	Miso’s House (tteokbokki, Gubanpo)	Line 4
Sinbanpo (922), local	1, 4	Seorae Island, Seorae Village	Kim Young-mo Patisserie	—
Seonjeongneung (927), express	—	Seonjeongneung royal tombs (gate about 940 m away)	Gamja Boribap (Seolleung side)	Suin-Bundang
Bongeunsa (929), express	1	Bongeunsa Temple	Yeonhoe Dawon (temple tea house)	—
Seokchon Gobun (932), local	3	Seokchon-dong Baekje tombs	Jangsu Sikdang (Samjeon, 1 stop west)	—
Songpa Naru (934), local	2, 3	Seokchon Lake’s east side, Bangi Market	Bangi Market stalls	—

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What is there to do at each Line 9 stop?

West to east, here is why each stop earns its exit, plus one place to eat. The restaurants come from our neighbourhood guides, which go into more detail.

Yangcheon Hyanggyo (906) — Seoul’s last Confucian school

One stop east of Magongnaru, whose Seoul Botanic Park is covered in our AREX guide and Magok guide, this local-only station is named after the thing worth seeing. 향교 hyanggyo were the state Confucian schools of the Joseon provinces; Gangseo-gu calls Yangcheon Hyanggyo the only one left in Seoul. Seoul’s media hub puts it 436 m from Exit 2. It was founded under King Taejong in the early 1400s and its buildings were rebuilt in 1981; twice a year, in spring and autumn, a memorial rite for Confucius is still held here.

Behind it, on Gungsan hill above the river, is Soakru Pavilion (460 m from Exit 2), built in 1737 and reconstructed in 1994. The landscape painter Jeong Seon, known as Gyeomjae, served as magistrate of Yangcheon and painted the Han from this spot, which is why the Gyeomjae Jeongseon Museum sits at the foot of the hill: VisitSeoul puts it 487 m from Exit 1, open 10:00–18:00, closed Mondays, adults 1,000 won. The Hangang Bus pier at Magok is about a ten-minute walk from the hyanggyo, according to the same media hub piece; see our Hangang Bus guide. The Hwagok and Gangseo guide has the full loop.

The station has no long-running restaurant we could verify, so eat one stop east at Gayang, an express stop. Matjarang Chicken (Yangcheon-ro 492), right outside Gayang Exit 8 with “since 2003” on the sign, is a fried-chicken and beer hall whose street tables fill with neighbours on warm nights; half fried, half scallion chicken was 19,900 won in 2026 reviews. It opens at 16:30. More in our Balsan and Deungchon guide.

📍 Open in Naver Map

📍 Open in Naver Map

Yeomchang (910) — dumplings by the exit

Yeomchang has no sight to speak of; it is the express stop for the residential streets of Deungchon and Yeomchang, where food is still priced for the neighbourhood. Family Mandu (Gonghang-daero 635) steams its dumplings in baskets at the front of the shop, less than 40 m from Exit 2; bloggers date it to 1987. Ten pork or kimchi dumplings were 5,500 won in 2026 reviews, and it is open 10:30–23:30, closed on the 2nd, 4th and 5th Sundays. Two stops west, near Jeungmi Exit 4 (local trains only), is the restaurant widely named as the original Deungchon mushroom shabu-shabu kalguksu; our Balsan and Deungchon guide explains the three-step ritual.

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National Assembly (914) — inside the dome

The western end of Yeouido belongs to the National Assembly and the broadcasters, and Line 9 has a local stop for it. VisitSeoul puts the green-domed National Assembly Building 438 m from Exit 1. Tours are free but must be booked online at least three days ahead, with ID for everyone in the group; sessions run on weekdays and on Saturday mornings, except the fourth and fifth Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. Our guide to Korea’s parties and protests explains what you are looking at.

For lunch, Jeongin Myeonok, about 500 m from Exit 1, serves Pyongyang-style 냉면 naengmyeon, buckwheat noodles in a clear, cold beef broth, for 15,000 won. It is open 11:00–21:30 with a break from 15:00 to 17:00 and no fixed closing day, and it is listed in the Michelin Guide. See Yeouido after dark for the late-night side of the Assembly district.

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Noryangjin (917) — the fish market at the end of a tunnel

Noryangjin is really two stations with one name: the Line 1 station on the surface and the Line 9 station below, linked by a transfer passage. Use Line 9. The market’s own directions are simple: Exit 7, straight on for about 70 m, through the pedestrian underpass and you are at the entrance of Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market. The sales floor is open every day of the year. Auctions start at midnight with everyday fish, then shellfish from 01:00, premium fresh fish from 01:30 and live and frozen fish from 03:00; there are none on Sundays, New Year’s Day or the Seollal and Chuseok holidays.

The system to know: you buy fish on the ground floor and carry it upstairs to a 초장집 chojangjip, a restaurant that charges for the table, the slicing and the spicy stew. Our Noryangjin guide explains how not to double your bill, and the king crab guide prices the big shellfish. South of the station is the exam-prep village. Real Jjang (Manyang-ro 14-gil 29) is the best-known of its 고시뷔페 gosi buffet canteens, all-you-can-eat Korean home cooking that was 7,500 won by card in our August 2026 listing; it opens at 06:30, in time for breakfast after the auction.

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📍 Open in Naver Map

Heukseok (919) — a pavilion above the river

Two stops east, Seoul Metro’s sub-name for the station is Chung-Ang Univ., and the campus is up the hill. Most visitors never get off, since express trains skip it. Take Exit 1: Seoul’s media hub puts Hyosajeong 296 m away, a pavilion on the site of the villa of No Han, a high official under King Sejong, and the city calls its view the best of any Han River pavilion. From the top you look straight across the river to Yongsan.

Then go back to Exit 3 and down the stairs to Heukseok Market, open since 1965. Three sundae-guk houses within 200 m share the same prices; Chungbuk Sundae (Seodal-ro 14-gil 16) is the easiest pick, with no break time, 09:30–22:00, closed Sundays. Order 순대국밥 sundae-gukbap, pork-bone soup with blood sausage, 10,000 won in August 2026. More in our Heukseok and Sangdo guide.

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📍 Open in Naver Map

Dongjak (920) — Seoul National Cemetery

The station’s full name, Dongjak (Seoul National Cemetery), says where to go. On Line 9, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs directs you to Exit 8, beside the main gate; Line 4’s Exits 2 and 4 lead to the east gate. The grounds are open 06:00–18:00 every day and are free. The decision to create a national armed forces cemetery was taken on May 6, 1952, this site was approved in 1953, and the cemetery took its present name in 2006. It covers about 1.44 km² of wooded hillside under Seodalsan, where Korea’s war dead and several former presidents are buried, and in autumn the ginkgo and maple paths, Seoul’s media hub notes, are some of the best foliage walks in the city. Dress and behave as you would at any war cemetery.

Dongjak is an express stop with very little around it, so ride one stop east to Gubanpo for food. Miso’s House, in the basement of the Hanshin Arcade about five minutes from Gubanpo Exit 3, has served the same table-cooked 즉석떡볶이 jeukseok tteokbokki since 1981: 5,000 won a portion, with fried glass-noodle sundae on the side and rice fried in the leftover sauce. It closes 14:30–16:00 and on Mondays. See our Express Bus Terminal local eats.

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📍 Open in Naver Map

Sinbanpo (922) — the quiet end of Banpo Hangang Park

Most visitors reach Banpo Hangang Park for the bridge fountain from Express Bus Terminal, covered in our Line 3 guide. Sinbanpo is the back door to its western half: Seoul’s media hub puts the park about 15 minutes on foot from Exit 1. There you find Seorae Island, a small island in the park and one of only two free designated fishing spots on the Seoul Han, as our Hangang parks comparison notes. Exit 4 goes the other way, toward Seorae Village, Seoul’s French quarter, about ten minutes’ walk; read our Seorae Village guide before you go.

Right outside Exit 4 is the Sinbanpo branch of Kim Young-mo Patisserie, a bakery brand founded in 1982 by one of Korea’s master pastry chefs and credited with Korea’s first mont blanc in 1993. It is takeout only and opens at 08:00; take a pastry to the river.

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📍 Open in Naver Map

Seonjeongneung (927) — a royal tomb, but not at this exit

Here is the trap. The station is named after Seonjeongneung, the UNESCO-listed Joseon royal tombs of King Seongjong, his queen Jeonghyeon and their son King Jungjong, but the only gate is on the far side of the forest. Seoul Danurim Tourism measures it at 939 m, about 16 minutes on foot, from Seonjeongneung Station and 464 m, about 7 minutes, from Seolleung Station on Line 2. If you are coming from Bongeunsa, Samseong Jungang, one stop on Line 9, is 859 m. The tombs are open 06:00–21:00 except on Mondays, and adult entry is 1,000 won. Since May 2026 the royal tombs have also been free on Wednesdays, as our palace admission guide explains. Seonjeongneung is also a transfer to the Suin-Bundang Line.

Walk out through the gate toward Seolleung Station for lunch at Gamja Boribap (Teheran-ro 406), an office-block barley-rice canteen where the regulars are in their sixties: barley rice topped with a steamed potato, namul and thick doenjang sauce, around 9,000 won in reviews. It is open on weekdays only. Our Yeoksam and Seolleung guide has more.

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📍 Open in Naver Map

Bongeunsa (929) — the temple across from COEX

Our Line 2 guide uses Samseong for COEX; Line 9 puts you at the temple. Seoul Danurim Tourism measures Bongeunsa at 100 m from Exit 1, and entry is free. The two stops belong together: Queen Jeonghyeon, buried at Seonjeongneung, rebuilt the temple in 1498 to guard her husband’s tomb. Inside, look for the 23 m stone Maitreya Buddha completed in 1996 and Panjeon, built in 1855, which holds the woodblocks of the Avatamsaka Sutra. Bongeunsa also runs short temple-life programmes for visitors; our temple stay guide lists them.

Instead of a restaurant, sit down at Yeonhoe Dawon, the temple’s own tea house, with floor seating, traditional tea and Korean sweets, ten minutes and a world away from the COEX crowds. Our Samseong-dong guide and Seoul temples top 8 have more.

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📍 Open in Naver Map

Seokchon Gobun (932) — Baekje kings among the apartments

A few stops past Sports Complex, the station names turn to Baekje, the kingdom that ruled from this side of the Han until 475. Seokchon Gobun means “Seokchon ancient tombs”, and Seoul’s media hub puts the Seokchon-dong tomb park 500 m from Exit 3. These are stepped stone-mound tombs of the Hanseong Baekje royal family and nobles, designated Historic Site No. 243 in 1975. Records from 1916 counted about 290 tombs here; eight survive, and the largest, Tomb No. 3, about 4.5 m high, may be that of King Geunchogo (r. 346–375). It is a park, open and free, with apartment towers on all sides. Our guide to stations built on history covers the other Baekje walls.

For dinner, go one stop back west to Samjeon. Jangsu Sikdang cooks kimchi and pork belly together in a cast-iron pan, with staff tending the meat for you, and does budae-jjigae too. It is open 11:00–21:50 with a break from 15:00 to 17:00, closed Sundays. See our Jamsilsaenae guide.

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📍 Open in Naver Map

Songpa Naru (934) — Seokchon Lake’s quieter side

Line 2’s Jamsil gets the Lotte World end of Seokchon Lake. Songpa Naru, one stop past Seokchon, is the local’s way in from the south. From Exit 2, Seoul’s media hub puts The Gallery Hosu, a free lakeside gallery run by Songpa-gu on the east lake, 428 m away; the café alley known as Songridan-gil starts right behind the same exit, as our Jamsil and Songridan-gil café guide shows.

From Exit 3 it is 186 m to Bangi Market, a 460 m alley market that grew from the late 1980s and still sells food made on the spot: twisted doughnuts, whole fried chicken, handmade dumplings and knife-cut noodle soup. Come before late afternoon, when the best stalls sell out. One stop further, Hanseong Baekje Station’s Exit 2 leads to the Hanseong Baekje Museum; our Bangi-dong and Olympic Park guide covers both. After that the line runs on to Olympic Park, Dunchon Oryun and its eastern end at VHS Medical Center.

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📍 Open in Naver Map

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How do you ride Line 9 without getting crushed?

Use the express when the train is empty and the local when it is full. The express saves real time on long rides; at rush hour it is the most crowded train in Seoul.

⏱️ Weekday midday travel times from Gimpo Int'l Airport (Seoul Metro timetable, September 2026)

From Gimpo Int’l Airport to	Express	Local
Yeouido	19 min	30 min
Noryangjin	22 min	35 min
Express Bus Terminal	30 min	50 min
Sinnonhyeon	33 min	54 min
Bongeunsa	39 min	62 min
Olympic Park	50 min	80 min

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One-day route along Line 9

West to east, from a Confucian school to a lake, Tuesday to Saturday. The museum and the tombs close on Mondays, and the Heukseok soup house on Sundays.

• 10:00 — Yangcheon Hyanggyo, Exit 2. The hyanggyo, Soakru Pavilion and the Gyeomjae Jeongseon Museum; about an hour and a half.
• 12:00 — Noryangjin, Exit 7. About 27 minutes by local. Lunch at the fish market: buy downstairs, eat upstairs.
• 14:00 — Heukseok, Exit 1. Two stops on: the river view from Hyosajeong, then Heukseok Market from Exit 3.
• 15:00 — Dongjak, Exit 8. One stop on: walk the Seoul National Cemetery before the 18:00 close.
• 17:00 — Bongeunsa, Exit 1. About 12 minutes by express: the temple at dusk and tea at Yeonhoe Dawon.
• 18:30 — Seokchon Gobun, Exit 3. About 7 minutes by local: the Baekje tombs, then dinner at Jangsu Sikdang in Samjeon.
• 20:00 — Songpa Naru, Exit 2. A walk around Seokchon Lake's east side and coffee on Songridan-gil.