Seoul Station has one argument and it is a good one: the KTX, the airport express and four subway lines are in the same building.
That matters precisely when your trip leaves Seoul. It matters very little when it does not.
Stay here if your trip goes somewhere
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Busan or Gyeongju by KTX — you walk from the lobby to the platform
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An early flight — the airport express leaves from the station itself
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Multiple day trips out of the city
Each of those removes two luggage transfers, and luggage transfers are the part of a Korea trip people remember as annoying.
Do not stay here for a trip that stays in Seoul
The area is functional. The streets around a major station are the streets around a major station, and the evenings are quiet in the dull sense rather than the peaceful one. For a week of palaces, markets and food, Myeongdong or Jongno is a better place to come back to.
It is closer to the centre than people think
Namdaemun Market is a walk. Myeongdong is one stop, or about fifteen to twenty minutes on foot depending on the exit. The reputation for being "out of the way" is not really earned — what it lacks is charm, not proximity.
The one practical warning
What is checked here and what is not
Lines served, walking distances and the station's layout are stable and checked on the date above. Platform and exit arrangements occasionally change during works — confirm your hotel's nearest exit on its own listing.
