N Seoul Tower

This guide to the padlock-covered fences at N Seoul Tower traces how a single couple's clip in 2006 grew into a citywide ritual, from the tower's own marketing embracing the trend to a hit Korean reality show sending celebrity couples up to add their own. You'll hear how K-drama fans and K-pop devotees turned the habit into something the whole country recognized on sight. Look closely at the locks nearby for the names, dates and messages scratched into the metal by strangers who came before you.