Namsan Cable Car and Illang (인랑): The Wolf Brigade 2018

Namsan Cable Car

http://www.cablecar.co.kr/eng/
https://www.nseoultower.co.kr:8501/eng/visit/traffic2.asp
https://www.seoultower.co.kr/en//visit/cablecar

Founded: 15 January 1958
Opened: 12 May 1962
Length of the Ropeway: 605meters
Capacity: 48 people
Altitude Change: 138 meters
Speed of Operation: 3.2 meters per second (7.2 mph)

Source: cablecar.co.kr

Namsan Cable Car is the most recognized landmark of South Korea.  The locals in Seoul and throughout South Korea visit Namsan Tower and the Cable Car.  The cable car station sits on top of Namsan Mountain as well as the ground station being located in the heart of Seoul.  The cable car has been in operation daily for almost 60 years.  That’s really amazing. I guess the cable car was built to last.

Millions of people visit Namsan Tower and ride the cable car each year, visiting from countries around the world.  They take the cable car rides in order to see the spectacular view of downtown Seoul on their way up to Namsan Tower.  The Namsan cable car is the official cable car to take people up to Namsan Tower.

Namsan cable car and Namsan Tower still offers a modern experience.  They conduct routine maintenance and safety inspections.  They must be doing something right since the tower and cable car have been open for over 60 years!

Hey, maybe I will see you at Namsan Cable Car or N Seoul Tower. Who knows?

Address : 83, Sopa-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul (Hoehyeondong 1-ga)
Contact : Daytime 02) 753-2403 / Nighttime 02) 757-1308 | Fax : 02)755-4195

How to get to Namsan Cable Car

By Car – http://www.cablecar.co.kr/eng/about/location1.html
Navigation: Using WAZE, type in “Namsan Cable Car”

By Foot – http://www.cablecar.co.kr/eng/about/location5.html
From exit 3 of Myeongdong Station, walk through the alley and stay to your right, passing the 7-Eleven (convenience store), and continue about 7-8 minutes between the Pacific Hotel and the GS25 (convenience store). Namsan Cable Car is at the top of the hill near the Chinese Consulate.

By Shuttle Bus – http://www.cablecar.co.kr/eng/about/location6.html
You can board the free shuttle bus at exit 1 of Myeongdong Station, and at the Seoul Square bus stop at Seoul Station. The shuttle bus operates about every 30 minutes.

Shuttle Bus Timetable
12:00 1:00 2:00 3:00 4:00 5:00 6:00 7:00 8:00
12:30 1:30 3:30 4:30 6:30 7:30 8:30
Operation Hours (Departure from Namsan Cable Car)

Source: cablecar.co.kr

Getting to Namsan Cable Car By Ohreumi/Incline Elevator

From exit 4 of Myeongdong Station, head towards the Hoehyeon intersection (towards Shinsegae Department Store), and turn left at the intersection. Walk about 5 minutes to reach the Namsan Cable Car Ohreumi/Incline Elevator.

Parking is available – http://www.cablecar.co.kr/eng/about/parking.html
Namsan Cable Car Parking Lot: for cable car passengers, its KRW 1,000 per 10 minutes. Address: San 1-19, Hoehyeondong 1-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul

La Luce Wedding Hall Parking Lot: KRW 2,000 for the first 30 minutes, and after that, KRW 1,000 per 15 minutes. Address: 13-6, Namsandong 1-ga, Jung-gu

Signus Parking Tower: KRW 2,000 for the first 30 minutes, and after that, KRW 1,000 per 10 minutes. Address: In front of exit number 2, Subway Line 4 Myeongdong Station

Namsandong Public Parking: Same for every public parking, KRW 500 per 10 minutes. Address: 31-1, Namsandong 2-ga, Jung-gu
Hoehyeongdong Public Parking: Same for every public parking, KRW 500 per 10 minutes. Address: Hoehyeondong 1-ga

Source: cablecar.co.kr

Cable Car Fare – http://www.cablecar.co.kr/eng/guide/fare.html
Single Adult KRW 9,500 (roundtrip) / KRW 7,000 (one-way)
30 or more people: KRW 8,000 (roundtrip) / KRW 6,000 (one-way)
Single Child KRW 6,500 (roundtrip) / KRW 4,000 (one-way)
30 or more people: KRW 5,500 (roundtrip) / KRW 3,500 (one-way)
Note: Child is 36 months to 12 years old

65 years or older: KRW 6,500 roundtrip
65 years or older: KRW 4,000 one-way

Namsan Cable Operates 365 days a year from 10:00 AM to 11:00 PM.

Source: cablecar.co.kr

Namsan Cable Car Station Guide

Bottom Part of the Station – Ground Street Level
1F Ticket Booth / Namsan Chamsutbul Galbi Restaurant / Women’s Restaurant
2F Waiting Room / Coffee Shop and Mart / Exhibition Room / Family Guide Room / Nursing Room / Men’s and Women’s Restrooms
3F Boarding Platform

Top Part of the Station – Namsan Seoul Tower
1F Boarding Platform / Ticket Booth / Men’s and Women’s Restrooms
4F Cibo Cima Restaurant

How to get to NSeoul Tower

by Bus
Namsan Sunhwan Shuttle Bus No. 02
Closest Subway Station: Chungmuro Station (train line #3,4) Exit 2 (in front of Daehan Cinema, Dongguk University Station Exit 6 (train line #3)
Intervals: every 10-13 minutes
Operating Hours: 06:30 – 22:45
Price to take shuttle bus: W600 won in cash or transportation card
Bus Route of Namsan Sunhwan Shuttle Bus No. 02
N Seoul Tower > Namsan Public Library > Seoul Education Research and Information Institute > Namsan Walk B Course > Seoul Animation Center, Soongeui Women’s College > Teogyero 3-ga Hanok Village > Daehan Cinema > Teogyero 5-ga > Ambassador Hotel > Dongguk University Station > National Theater of Korea > Namsan North Side Circuit Entry > N Seoul Tower

Namsan Sunhwan Shuttle Bus No. 04
Closest Subway station: Dongguk University Station (train line #3)
Intervals: every 10 – 13 minutes
Operating hours: 06:30 – 22:30
Price: W600 won cash or use a transportation card

Bus Route of Namsan Sunhwan Shuttle Bus No. 04
Namsan Public Library > Baekbeom Plaza > Hilton Hotel > Namdaemun Market, Accessory Arcade > in front of City Hall > City Hall, Seoul Publishing Company > Jongno-1Ga > Jongno-2Ga > Jongno-3Ga, TapgolPark > Jongno-4Ga, Jongmyo > Jongno-5Ga, Gwangjang Market > Jongno-6Ga, Dongdaemun Market > Dongdaemun History and Culture Park > Gwanghui-dong > Dongguk University Station, Jangchung-dong > National Theater of Korea > Banyan Tree Hotel > Namsan North Side Circuit Entry > N Seoul Tower

Source: cablecar.co.kr

Source: wikipedia

Illang: The Wolf Brigade 인랑 (2018)

Movie Scene:
A scene is shot of Im Joong-Kyung played by Kang Dong-won and Lee Yoon-Hee played by Han Hyo-joo both taking the Namsan cable car together.

• Movie: Illang: The Wolf Brigade
• Country: South Korea
• Release Date: Jul 25, 2018
• Duration: 2 hr. 19 min.
• Genres: Action, Military, Psychological, Romance, Crime, Sci-Fi, Mature
• Tags: Fujiwara Kamui, Oshii Mamoru, Future, Death, SHINee, Violence, Rebellion, Adapted From A Manga, Idol Actor
• Content Rating: 15+ – Teens 15 or older

Source: Hancinema

Illang: The Wolf Brigade (Korean: 인랑; Hanja: 人狼; RR: Illang; lit. Human-Wolf; also known as Inrang) is a 2018 South Korean science fiction action film directed by Kim Jee-woon and starring Gang Dong-won, Han Hyo-joo, Jung Woo-sung and Kim Mu-yeol. It is a action film adaptation of the Japanese animated film Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade.

The movie released on July 25, 2018, being distributed by Warner Bros. Korea. It cost 19 billion won ($ 17,040,000) to produce. It got mixed reviews and the amount of tickets sold in South Korea was a little disappointing, selling around 897,000 tickets. The break-even point of production cost to the number of tickets needing to be sold was 6 million tickets. They didn’t meet the break-even point. The films advertising budget was targeted to attract over 6 million moviegoers but due to a few negative reviews from movie critics and moviegoers, the film only screened for a total of 897,254 moviegoers, falling short by a wide margin the break-even point of selling 6 million tickets.

PLOT of Illang: The Wolf Brigade

The South Korea police create and launch a special anti-terroist special unit called “Illang” (The Wolf Brigade) in order to combat and stop a terroist group set out to stop the reunification named “The Sect.” The movie is set in the year 2029, where South and North Korea are preparing and getting ready to unify the government.

Source: wikipedia

Illang: The Wolf Brigade (인랑) Trivia

DID YOU KNOW?

The movie is a South Korean adaptation of the Japanese 1999 anime “Jin Roh: The Wolf Brigade” directed by Hiroyuki Okiura and written by Mamoru Oshii.

The movie started filming in August 16, 2017 and finished in March 23, 2018.  The film was released in South Korea in July 25, 2018.  Netflix bought the rights to internationally distribute the film.

It was the second South Korean film to compete in the San Sebastian International Film Festival for the Golden Shell award.

Hollywood artist Vanessa Lee designed the costumes.  She also worked on costumes for Underworld: Evolution (2006) and Avengers film series.

A red carpet opening event for the film occurred on July 18, 2018 at Times Square mall in Yeongdeungpo-gu.  The Marriott Seoul Times Square Hotel is located on Times Square Mall.  I stayed there previously, you can check out the review of Marriott Seoul Times Square Hotel here.

Source: wikipedia

What Did I Think Of “Illang: The Wolf Brigade”?

Costumes:  For a movie taking place in the year 2029, I thought the gears of Illang would be better. The gears and clothes looked a lot like something from the 1960s. Wouldn’t scientific research and innovation have created better looking, functioning suits? Damn, Where is Samsung?  I think after watching the movie for the 4th time, the costume set was good and probably matched the vision of the writer and movie director.

Acting: The acting as usual was good for most Korean films that I’ve seen. However, the acting alone was not enough to save a film from a disappointing revenue generation expectation.  See my new updated comment above.

Plot: The plot seemed a bit weak. It seemed a bunch of civilians that called themselves “The Sect” was such a threat that the South Korea police had to create a 1950s looking special police unit that went into the “The Sects” hideout with mini-guns. The costume effects individuals tried to make the special units look cool with the red laser eyes, but come on.  The plot is actually good and I think if a sequel came out, the plot actually builds a foundation for the sequel.  See comment below.

How Could They Have Made “Illang: The Wolf Brigade” Better?
Have better cooler looking costumes.  Make a sequel.  Illang: The Ghost Brigade?  Or Illang: The Lost Souls Brigade?
Maintain the same level of Korean acting.
Have a better plot.  After seeing the movie for the fourth time, the plot was good.  I think viewers and critics need to watch the film at least twice so they can catch any missed scenes or story they may have missed.  Perhaps maybe throw in some zombies, plagues, viruses and space aliens into the mix. Have Godzilla make a special guest appearance.

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DISCLAIMER:  The paragraphs above is my attempt at Korean English humor. I am a Korean-American, so I believe it is ok. If you don’t like it, then don’t read the paragraphs above. Too late, you already done it.

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illang:_The_Wolf_Brigade
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/