Wender·Vista
Sejong
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileSouth Korea
in central South Korea, about 120 kilometres south of Seoul

Sejong

— a capital still drawing itself.

Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
a note from the studio

South Korea's youngest city, established in 2012 as a planned administrative capital and named for King Sejong the Great. The Government Complex on the Geum River now houses most central-government ministries that moved south from Seoul. The plan was Kisho Kurokawa's: a ring city of low buildings around a central park, with a green-roofed government quarter that visitors can walk in a loop above the offices.

from the studio
Sejong
— bring it home

Sejong, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

about Sejong

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
the place

Sejong Special Self-Governing City was established in July 2012 as South Korea's new administrative capital, carved out of Chungcheongnam-do to relieve government congestion in Seoul. The city covers about 465 square kilometres in the centre of the Korean peninsula, roughly 120 kilometres south of Seoul along the Geum River. The 2024 population was around 390,000, growing roughly 4 percent a year. The official name honours King Sejong the Great, the 15th-century Joseon ruler who commissioned the Hangul writing system in 1443. Twenty-three government ministries and dozens of public agencies now sit inside the Government Complex.

the stone

The master plan came from the Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa, who won the international competition in 2007 with a ring-city concept built around a central park and 22-kilometre development loop. The Government Complex, completed in 2014 by Haeahn Architecture and H Associates, runs as a single 3.5-kilometre serpentine building with a continuous green roof a visitor can walk end to end. The National Library of Korea Sejong Branch sits at one end, residential quarters at the other; the offices are stitched between.

— informed by Haeahn Architecture
the visit

Sejong is reached most directly by KTX high-speed train to Osong Station, twelve kilometres west, then a 15-minute bus or taxi into the city. From Seoul Station the trip runs about 90 minutes door to door; Incheon Airport adds an express link of roughly two and a half hours. The Government Complex roof walk is open during daylight hours and free to enter. Winter brings cold dry air and occasional snow; spring along the Geum River carries cherry blossom from early April.

— informed by Korail
where
South Korea · Sejong Special Self-Governing City
position
36.4800° N · 127.2890° E
the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
12 km W
Osong
KTX rail town
20 km S
Daejeon
metropolitan city
25 km W
Gongju
historic city
30 km NE
Cheongju
city
N
Sejong
Osong
Daejeon
Gongju
Cheongju
common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Sejong — and about bringing the piece home.
about the place

Sejong Special Self-Governing City sits in the centre of South Korea on the Geum River, about 120 kilometres south of Seoul. It is a separate special-status city, not part of any province.

Sejong was created to ease congestion in Seoul and to spread central-government functions across the country. Construction began in 2007 and the city was inaugurated in July 2012; ministries began relocating in stages from late 2012.

King Sejong the Great, the fourth Joseon king, who commissioned the Hangul writing system in 1443. He is widely regarded as the most influential Korean monarch and appears on the 10,000-won banknote.

The master plan was won in 2007 by the Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa with a ring-city concept. The serpentine Government Complex was completed in 2014 by the Korean firms Haeahn Architecture and H Associates.

Take the KTX from Seoul Station to Osong, around 50 minutes, then a 15-minute bus or taxi into the city. Express buses from Seoul's Gangnam terminal also run direct in about two hours.

Yes. The continuous green roof of the 3.5-kilometre Government Complex is a public park, open during daylight hours and free to enter. The walk passes ministries, the central library, and views of the Geum River.

about the piece in your home

It has carried well for civil servants who moved south with the ministries and for architects who follow Kurokawa's work. The piece holds the Geum River line and the green roof curve. A Medium reads from across an office.

The cool greens and stained-glass blues read in Korean-modern, Japandi, and Minimalist Asian interiors. The piece also sits comfortably in Mid-century rooms where wood and quiet colour already carry the palette.

A single Large covers a console; for a sofa, a 4-tile or 9-tile Mural carries the wall. The Medium suits an entry or a hallway, and the Coaster Set scales the river palette to a side table.

Yes. Order it in Dura Satin or Matte for showers, splash zones, and kitchen walls. The Glossy finish is meant for framed wall art and dry display surfaces.

A soft microfibre cloth and water handle daily dust. For stuck residue on a Dura Satin or Matte tile, a drop of mild dish soap is fine; avoid abrasive pads and citrus solvents.

Yes. Reid Wender curates and paints every piece in the WenderVista atlas from the Knoxville studio; nothing is licensed in or sold to outside catalogues, and each tile is hand-finished in-house.

if this one stayed with you

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