Venue access guide

Korea University Hwajeong Gymnasium

48 Gaeunsa 2-gil, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul

A compact campus arena on Line 6, easy to reach but tucked up a hill on Korea University's grounds, so the last stretch is a climb.

Capacity
About 8,000 for a concert: roughly 3,500 upstairs, plus 1,500 seated and 3,000 standing on the floor.
Also called
Hwajeong Gymnasium · Hwajeong Tiger Dome · Tiger Dome · 고려대학교 화정체육관 · 화정체육관

Getting there

Main
Anam Station (Seoul Subway Line 6), Exit 1
Alternate
Korea University Station (Line 6) with the Seongbuk 20 village bus, or a short taxi up the hill
Last-mile walk
About 12 minutes uphill (800m) from Anam Station Exit 1
  • Myeongdong / Euljiro -> Line 2 or 4 -> transfer to Line 6 -> Anam
  • Itaewon / Hapjeong -> Line 6 direct -> Anam
  • Hongdae -> Line 2 one stop to Hapjeong -> Line 6 -> Anam
  • Dongdaemun -> Line 1 one stop to Dongmyo -> Line 6 -> Anam
  • ICN -> AREX to Seoul Station -> transfer toward Line 6

Getting home after the show

  • This is a small campus arena, about 8,000 seats, so the after-show crowd is nowhere near dome scale. The pinch is the narrow campus streets and the downhill walk back to Anam Station, not the platform.
  • Shows here wrap by 22:00 to 22:30, so on paper the last train is not tight. The catch is where it goes. Westbound out of Anam on a weekend the board's last train, 23:54, terminates at Hangangjin, one stop short of Itaewon. The last one that reaches Itaewon and Gongdeok is 23:43, and the last that runs the full line to Hapjeong, Mangwon and Eungam is 23:21, half an hour before the board's last.
  • Weekdays run about 50 minutes later with the same shape: 24:46 dies at Hangangjin, 24:32 reaches Gongdeok, and 23:57 is the last all the way to Eungam.
  • Taxis surge about 1.4 to 1.6 times right by campus for the first half hour. Walk a couple of blocks down toward Anam Station or the main gate and hail one off the bigger road, or set your Kakao T ride before you leave your seat.
  • Going to Itaewon after? Line 6 from Anam runs straight there with no transfer, which is the easy late-night move from this venue, as long as you are on the 23:43 or earlier at the weekend. Hongdae is not on Line 6: ride to Hapjeong and change to Line 2 for one stop, and the last Line 2 from Hapjeong to Hongik Univ is 23:58 at the weekend.

Where to stay, and what it costs on a show night

Right by Korea University Hwajeong Gymnasium the rooms spike hard whenever a concert lands. The cleaner move is a well-connected area a few stops out that stays closer to its normal price. Here is each stay area, cheapest first, with the normal nightly range and what it usually runs on a concert night.

Eunpyeong (Eungam / Yeonsinnae)Far escape

A real bed under budget when the central clusters sell out or surge

One Line 6 train west, about 35-40 minutes

Normal USD 3865On show nights USD 80139
Anam / Korea UniversityClosest

The shortest walk back and the cheapest rooms

Closest base, walkable to the gym

Normal USD 4080On show nights USD 8181
Konkuk Univ / SeongsuSecond escape, southeast

A room that stays bookable when Dongdaemun, Itaewon and even the Eungam motels are gone

Line 6 to Sindang, then Line 2, about 30 minutes

Normal USD 4070On show nights USD 139207
Cheongnyangni / JeonnongNearest real hotels

Being near the gym without paying a tourist-district rate

1.5 to 3 km east of campus, the closest proper hotel stock there is

Normal USD 4585On show nights USD 52101
Dongdaemun (DDP)Best all-round

Shopping, late food, and easy transit on a budget

A few stops away, huge hotel and food supply

Normal USD 50110On show nights USD 60241
ItaewonNightlife pick

Foreign visitors who want nightlife and a straight line to the gym

Direct Line 6 ride, no transfer

Normal USD 60130On show nights USD 126343

Typical nightly ranges for each area, not a live quote. Open an upcoming concert below for booking links with live prices for those exact dates.

Hotels fans book for shows here

Every hotel below made the cut in one of our concert guides for Korea University Hwajeong Gymnasium. Each was affordable for its area and bookable when we last checked. Prices move with dates, so open a card and enter your nights for the live rate.

Billz Hotels Dongdaemun

8.5
BudgetCheongnyangni / Jeonnong

The best value we found anywhere near this venue: 8.5 from 75 reviews, a proper little business hotel, and it holds its rate through weekends that push the Dongdaemun tourist hotels past US$200. The name says Dongdaemun but it is really out on Jeonnong-ro by Cheongnyangni, which is the reason it stays cheap and also the reason the last leg is a taxi rather than a walk.

🚇 Getting back: about 3 km from the gym on the Jeonnong side, a 10-minute taxi, or Line 6 to Sinseol-dong and Line 1 up to Cheongnyangni and a short walk.
typically USD 52/night
Check live price ↗

K-Grand Hostel Dongdaemun

8.3
BudgetDongdaemun (DDP)

8.3 from 783 reviews, which is the deepest review record of anything we would put you in around this venue, and the private double rooms are ordinary hotel rooms rather than bunks. It sits on the Wangsimni-ro corridor, so it is a straightforward ride back and you are next to Sindang for late food.

🚇 Getting back: from Anam ride Line 6 three stops to Dongmyo and change to Line 2 at Sindang, or take one taxi for about 20 minutes. It sits on Wangsimni-ro between Sindang and Sangwangsimni.
typically USD 60/night
Check live price ↗

Aank Hotel Cheongnyangni

8.1
BudgetCheongnyangni / Jeonnong

The nearest actual hotel to Korea University, near enough that the ride back is a 5,000-won taxi rather than a train trip. It is a small place with 8.1 from only 14 reviews, so read that score as thin rather than proven, and note the way it fails on a busy weekend is by selling out, not by doubling its price. Every room type we opened had free cancellation.

🚇 Getting back: it is 1.5 km straight down from the gym, so a taxi is about 5,000 won and takes five minutes. By train it is Line 6 from Anam to Sinseol-dong then Line 1 two stops to Cheongnyangni, which is slower than the taxi.
typically USD 76/night
Check live price ↗

Hamilton Hotel

7.7
Mid-rangeItaewon

On the same subway line as the gym, so the trip back after the fan-con is one train with zero changes, and Itaewon keeps you near late food and bars when the show lets out.

🚇 Line 6 runs straight from Anam back to Itaewon, about 20 minutes with no transfer, so it is the easy late-night ride from this venue. The hotel sits right on top of Itaewon Station Exit.
typically USD 95/night
Check live price ↗

nook Inn

7.6
BudgetDongdaemun (DDP)

A shared-bathroom double runs about US$95 and a private one about US$103, and the all-night Dongdaemun markets mean there is real food whenever the show lets you out.

🚇 Getting back: from Anam it is three stops west on Line 6 to Dongmyo, then one stop on Line 1 to Dongdaemun, about 20 minutes all in. The inn is a 4-minute walk from Dongdaemun Market and the DDP night scene.
typically USD 95/night
Check live price ↗

Anook Hotel and Spa Seoul Seongsu Konkuk University

8.8
Mid-rangeKonkuk Univ / Seongsu

US$117 for a double with breakfast included, or US$80 if you skip the breakfast and take the partner rate. Treat the 8.8 with care, it is only eight reviews so far. The Konkuk district holds rooms and sane prices on the weekends that empty out Anam and central Seoul, which is the whole reason it is on this list.

🚇 Getting back after the show: Line 6 from Anam to Sindang, transfer to Line 2 to Konkuk University, about 30 minutes. The 건대 strip is awake late, so there is food whenever you get in.
typically USD 117/night
Check live price ↗

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Bag storage

Anam Station right by the gym has no lockers you can count on, so use the lockers one stop north at Korea University Station, or a 24/7 app near your stay for a late finish. See the luggage guide →

Where to eat nearby

Real restaurants near the stay areas, from Korean local reviews. Tap to open on Naver Map.

Concerts at Korea University Hwajeong Gymnasium