Leeum is the finest art museum in this part of Seoul and one of the best in the country, built from the Samsung family collection on the hillside of Hannam-dong above Itaewon. It is really two museums in one: Museum 1, by Swiss architect Mario Botta, holds an outstanding collection of Korean traditional art — celadon, ink painting, gold Buddhist relics — while Museum 2, by Jean Nouvel, shows modern and contemporary work from Korean masters to international names like Rothko, Bacon, and Koons. Rem Koolhaas designed the connecting hall.
The architecture alone justifies the visit, and the permanent galleries are free, with charges only for special exhibitions. It sits a steep walk up from the Itaewon strip, making it an easy, calmer counterpoint to the neighbourhood's bars and shopping.