Wongaksa Pagoda, Stone pagoda in Tapgol Park, Seoul, South Korea

Wongaksa Pagoda is a ten-story stone tower standing in Tapgol Park in the Jongno 2-ga neighborhood of Seoul, South Korea, rising to 12 meters (39 ft). Each story is covered in carved stone details, and the tower leans slightly, placing it among a handful of tilted pagodas in the country.

Wongaksa temple was founded by King Sejo in 1465 on the site of the older Heungboksa temple, and the pagoda was erected there in 1467. Yeonsan-gun closed the temple in 1504 and turned it into a kisaeng house; under Jungjong the site became government offices, leaving only the pagoda and a memorial stele. During the Imjin War of the 1590s the top portion was pulled down and lay at the foot of the tower until American military engineers replaced it in 1947.

Carved dragons and lotus flowers cover the stone surfaces at eye level, making details easy to observe as you walk around it. The park where it stands is a gathering spot for people from the neighborhood, so the monument is part of everyday life rather than a distant exhibit.

The pagoda sits inside Tapgol Park, which is an easy walk from Jongno 3-ga subway station. Because the structure is enclosed in glass for protection, walking around all sides gives the clearest view of the stone carvings.

The pagoda's top three storeys had collapsed for centuries, reportedly eroded by bird droppings, before American military engineers rebuilt them in 1947. The sources describe this as a restoration to the original state, not a stylistic departure. The glass protective case was added in 1999.