A screenshot of the view of Gyeongbokgung on S-map website. (S-map)
A screenshot of the view of Gyeongbokgung on S-map website. (S-map)

Were you dreaming of visiting Seoul this winter, only to have your plans dashed? Don’t fret— until you can book that plane ticket, let “S-Map” transport you to Seoul.

Seoul City on Thursday introduced the S-Map, a 3D mapping experience that brings Seoul directly to your phone and PC screen.

“We aim to provide advanced services offering immersive experiences that are otherwise difficult to realize in the physical world,” said Park Jin-young, Seoul City’s director of the digital city department.

From March to June, the city harnessed the latest technology — drones and LiDAR scanners — to capture every corner of Seoul. Spanning 605 square kilometers, S-Map is your ticket to a hyper-detailed tour of the capital.

Though portal giants like Naver and Google provide similar services, Seoul offers a higher definition, especially when viewing inside cultural heritage sites like Gyeongbokgung.

The map features updated footage of the Han River, complete with boats floating on the water and docks rendered in 3D, according to Seoul City. Streams feeding into the river have also been carefully documented.

Historic landmarks come alive as well on the PC version.

Although it takes a bit of time to install the program required for the virtual map to work, a historical image of how Seoul looked in 1900 is presented in stunning detail virtually.


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