Seoul - Wikipedia

capital of South Korea
This article is about the capital city of South Korea. For other uses, see Seoul ( disambiguation )
limited city in Seoul Capital, South Korea

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versatile views of Seoul from the 63 build in July 2019 Seoul (, like soul ; korean : 서울 [ sʰʌ̹uɭ ] ( ) ; lit. ‘Capital ‘ ), formally the Seoul Special City, is the capital [ 8 ] and largest city of South Korea. [ 9 ] Seoul has a population of 9.7 million people, and forms the heart of the Seoul Capital Area with the surrounding Incheon city and Gyeonggi state. Considered to be a ball-shaped city and rated as an Alpha – City by Globalization and World Cities Research Network ( GaWC ), [ 10 ] Seoul was the earth ‘s 4th largest metropolitan economy in 2014 after Tokyo, New York City and Los Angeles. International visitors generally reach Seoul via AREX from Incheon International Airport, noteworthy for having been rated the best airport for nine consecutive years ( 2005–2013 ) by Airports Council International. In 2015, it was rated Asia ‘s most livable city with the second highest choice of life globally by Arcadis, with the GDP per head ( PPP ) in Seoul being around $ 40,000. In 2017, the monetary value of living in Seoul was ranked the 6th highest globally. [ 11 ] [ 12 ] In 2020, Seoul ‘s real number estate of the realm commercialize was ranked 3rd in the earth for the price of apartments in the business district plaza. [ 13 ] Seoul was one of the host cities for the official tournament of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, which was co-hosted by South Korea and Japan. With major technology hubs centered in Gangnam and Digital Media City, [ 14 ] the Seoul Capital Area is home to the headquarters of 15 Fortune Global 500 companies, including Samsung, [ 15 ] LG, and Hyundai. Ranked seventh in the Global Power City Index and Global Financial Centres Index, the city exerts a major influence in ball-shaped affairs as one of the five lead hosts of global conferences. [ 16 ] Seoul has hosted the 1986 asian Games, 1988 Summer Olympics, and the 2010 G20 Seoul summit. Seoul was the capital of versatile korean states, including Baekje, Joseon, the Korean Empire, Goryeo ( as a secondary capital ), and presently South Korea. strategically located along the Han River, Seoul ‘s history stretches back over two thousand years, when it was founded in 18 BC by the people of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. The city was late designated the capital of Korea under the Joseon dynasty. Seoul is surrounded by a mountainous and cragged landscape, with Bukhan Mountain located on the northerly edge of the city. The Seoul Capital Area contains five UNESCO World Heritage Sites : Changdeok Palace, Hwaseong Fortress, Jongmyo Shrine, Namhansanseong and the Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty. [ 17 ] More recently, Seoul has been a major site of modern architectural construction – major modern landmarks include the N Seoul Tower, the 63 Building, the Lotte World Tower, the Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Lotte World, Trade Tower, COEX, and the IFC Seoul. Seoul was named the 2010 World Design Capital. It is the birthplace of K-pop and the korean curl .

etymology

The city has been known in the past by the names Wiryeseong ( korean : 위례성 ; Hanja : 慰禮城, during the Baekje era ), Hanyang ( 한양 ; 漢陽, during the Goryeo era ), Hanseong ( 한성 ; 漢城, during the Joseon era ), and Keijō ( 京城 ) or Gyeongseong ( 경성 ) during the time period of annexation to Japan. [ 18 ] During Japan ‘s annexation of Korea, Hanseong ( 漢城 ) was renamed Keijō ( 京城 ) by the Imperial authorities to prevent confusion with the hanja ‘ 漢 ‘ ( a transliteration of an ancient korean word Han ( 한 ) meaning “ big ” ), which besides refers to Han people or the Han dynasty in chinese and in Japanese is a term for “ China ”. [ 19 ] After World War II and Korea ‘s liberation, the city took its salute name, which originated from the Korean parole mean “ das kapital city ”, which is believed to have descended from an ancient word, Seorabeol ( korean : 서라벌 ; Hanja : 徐羅伐 ), which originally referred to Gyeongju, the capital of Silla. [ 20 ] Ancient Gyeongju was besides known in documents by the Chinese-style name Geumseong ( 金城, literally “ Gold Castle or City ” or “ metallic Castle or City ” ), but it is indecipherable whether the native Korean-style name Seorabeol had the same mean as Geumseong. Unlike most place names in Korea, “ Seoul ” has no match hanja ( chinese characters used in the Korean speech ). On January 18, 2005, the Seoul government changed its official name in chinese characters from the historic Hancheng ( simplified Chinese : 汉城 ; traditional chinese : 漢城 ; pinyin : Hànchéng ) to Shou’er ( simplified Chinese : 首尔 ; traditional taiwanese : 首爾 ; pinyin : Shǒu’ěr ). [ 21 ] [ 22 ]

history

settlement of the Han River sphere, where contemporary Seoul is located, began around 4000 BC. [ 23 ] Seoul is first recorded as Wiryeseong, the das kapital of Baekje ( founded in 18 BC ) in the northeastern area of mod Seoul. [ 23 ] There are respective city walls remaining in the area that date from this fourth dimension. Pungnaptoseong, an earthen wall located southeasterly Seoul, is wide believed to have been at the main Wiryeseong locate. [ 24 ] As the Three Kingdoms competed for this strategic region, operate passed from Baekje to Goguryeo in the fifth hundred, and from Goguryeo to Silla in the sixth century. [ 25 ] In the eleventh hundred Goryeo, which succeeded Unified Silla, built a summer palace in Seoul, which was referred to as the “ southern capital ”. It was alone from this time period that Seoul became a larger colony. [ 23 ] When Joseon replaced Goryeo, the capital was moved to Seoul ( besides known as Hanyang or Hanseong ), where it remained until the fall of the dynasty. The Gyeongbok Palace, built in the fourteenth century, served as the royal residence until 1592. The other bombastic palace, Changdeokgung, constructed in 1405, served as the main royal palace from 1611 to 1872. [ 23 ] After Joseon changed her name to the Korean Empire in 1897, Hwangseong besides designated Seoul. in the first place, the city was entirely surrounded by a massive circular stone wall to provide its citizens security system from wild animals, thieves and attacks. The city has grown beyond those walls and although the rampart no long stands ( except along Bugaksan Mountain ( korean : 북악산 ; Hanja : 北岳山 ), north of the downtown sphere [ 26 ] ), the gates remain near the downtown district of Seoul, including most notably Sungnyemun ( normally known as Namdaemun ) and Heunginjimun ( normally known as Dongdaemun ). [ 27 ] During the Joseon dynasty, the gates were opened and closed each day, accompanied by the surround of big bells at the Bosingak campanile. [ 28 ] In the late nineteenth hundred, after hundreds of years of isolation, Seoul opened its gates to foreigners and began to modernize. Seoul became the first city in East Asia to introduce electricity in the royal palace, built by the Edison Illuminating Company [ 29 ] and a decade subsequently Seoul besides implemented electrical street lights. [ 30 ] much of the growth was due to trade with extraneous countries like France and the United States. For example, the Seoul Electric Company, Seoul Electric Trolley Company, and Seoul Fresh Spring Water Company were all joint Korean–U.S. owned enterprises. [ 31 ] In 1904, an american by the name of Angus Hamilton visited the city and said, “ The streets of Seoul are brilliant, roomy, cleanse, admirably made and well-drained. The narrow, dirty lanes have been widened, gutters have been covered, roadways broadened. Seoul is within measurable outdistance of becoming the highest, most matter to and cleanest city in the East. ” [ 32 ] After the annexation treaty in 1910, Japan annexed Korea and renamed the city Gyeongseong ( “ Kyongsong ” in Korean and “ Keijo ” in japanese ). japanese technology was imported, the city walls were removed, some of the gates demolished. Roads became paved and Western-style buildings were constructed. The city was liberated by U.S. forces at the end of World War II. [ 23 ] In 1945, the city was formally named Seoul, and was designated as a particular city in 1949. [ 23 ] During the Korean War, Seoul changed hands between the Soviet/Chinese-backed North Korean forces and the American-backed South korean forces several times, leaving the city heavily damaged after the war. The capital was temporarily relocated to Busan. [ 23 ] One estimate of the extensive damage states that after the war, at least 191,000 buildings, 55,000 houses, and 1,000 factories lay in ruins. In addition, a flood of refugees had entered Seoul during the war, swelling the population of the city and its metropolitan area to an estimated 1.5 million by 1955. [ 33 ] Following the war, Seoul began to focus on reconstruction and modernization. As South Korea ‘s economy started to grow quickly from the 1960s, urbanization besides accelerated and workers began to move to Seoul and early larger cities. [ 33 ] From the 1970s, the size of Seoul administrative area greatly expanded as it annexed a numeral of towns and villages from several surrounding counties. [ 34 ] Until 1972, Seoul was claimed by North Korea as its de jure capital, being specified as such in Article 103 of the 1948 union korean constitution. [ 35 ] South Korea ’ s 2019 population was estimated at 51.71 million, and according to the 2018 Population and Housing Census, 49.8 % of the population resided in the Seoul metropolitan area. This was up by 0.7 % from 49.1 % in 2010, showing a distinct tendency toward the concentration of the population in the capital. [ 36 ] Seoul has become the economic, political and cultural hub of the area, [ 23 ] with respective Fortune Global 500 companies, including Samsung, SK Holdings, Hyundai, POSCO and LG Group headquartered there. [ 37 ] Seoul was the server city of the 1986 asian Games and 1988 Summer Olympics adenine well as one of the venues of the 2002 FIFA World Cup .

geography

Seoul is in the northwest of South Korea. Seoul proper comprises 605.25 km2 ( 233.69 sq mi ), [ 3 ] with a radius of approximately 15 km ( 9 myocardial infarction ), approximately bisected into northerly and southerly halves by the Han River. The Han River and its surrounding area played an authoritative role in korean history. The Three Kingdoms of Korea strive to take control of this estate, where the river was used as a trade route to China ( via the Yellow Sea ). [ 38 ] The river is nobelium longer actively used for seafaring, because its estuary is located at the borders of the two Koreas, with civilian submission barred. Historically, the city was during the Joseon dynasty bounded by the Seoul Fortress Wall, which stretched between the four independent mountains in central Seoul : Bugaksan, Inwangsan, Naksan and Namsan. The city is bordered by eight mountains, adenine well as the more level lands of the Han River homely and westerly areas. Due to its geography and to economic exploitation policies, Seoul is a very polycentric city. The area that was the old capital in the Joseon dynasty, and largely comprises Jongno District and Jung District, constitutes the historic and political center of the city. however, for exemplar, the city ‘s fiscal capital is widely considered to be in Yeouido, while its economic capital is Gangnam District .

climate

Seoul has a humid continental climate influenced by the monsoons ( Köppen : Dwa ). Being in the extreme East Asia, the climate can be described as humid subtropical with great variation in temperature and precipitation throughout the year. ( Cwa, by -3 °C isotherm ). [ 39 ] [ 40 ] The suburb of Seoul are by and large cooler than the center of Seoul because of the urban hotness island effect. [ 41 ] Summers are hot and humid, with the East asian monsoon taking place from June until September. August, the hottest calendar month, has median high and low temperatures of 32.6 and 23.4 °C ( 91 and 74 °F ) with higher temperatures possible. Heat exponent values can surpass 40 °C ( 104.0 °F ) at the acme of summer. Winters are normally cold to freezing with average January high and humble temperatures of 1.5 and −5.9 °C ( 34.7 and 21.4 °F ), and are by and large much drier than summers, with an average of 24.9 days of bamboozle per annum. sometimes, temperatures drop dramatically to below −10 °C ( 14 °F ), and on some occasions deoxyadenosine monophosphate low as −15 °C ( 5 °F ) in the mid winter period of January and February. Temperatures below −20 °C ( −4 °F ) have been recorded .

Air quality

Very Unhealthy

Unhealthy

Unhealthy for sensitive groups

Moderate

Good [47][48] According to the Environmental Performance Index 2016, South Korea ranked 173rd out of 180 countries in terms of publicize quality. More than 50 percentage of the populations in South Korea are exposed to dangerous levels of all right scatter. Air befoulment is a major issue in Seoul. [ 49 ] [ 50 ] [ 51 ] [ 52 ] According to the 2016 World Health Organization Global Urban Ambient Air Pollution Database, [ 53 ] the annual average PM2.5 concentration in 2014 was 24 micrograms per cubic meter ( 1.0×10−5 gr/cu foot ), which is 2.4 times higher than that recommended by the WHO Air Quality Guidelines [ 54 ] for the annual base PM2.5. The Seoul Metropolitan Government monitors and publicly shares real-time air quality data. [ 55 ] Since the early 1960s, the Ministry of Environment has implemented a range of policies and air pollutant standards to improve and manage air travel quality for its people. [ 56 ] The “ Special Act on the Improvement of Air Quality in the Seoul Metropolitan Area ” was passed in December 2003. Its 1st Seoul Metropolitan Air Quality Improvement Plan ( 2005–2014 ) focused on improving the concentrations of PM10 and nitrogen dioxide by reducing emissions. [ 57 ] As a resultant role, the annual average PM10 concentrations decreased from 70.0 μg/m3 in 2001 to 44.4 μg/m3 in 2011 [ 58 ] and 46 μg/m3 in 2014. [ 53 ] As of 2014, the annual average PM10 assiduity was still at least doubly than that recommended by the WHO Air Quality Guidelines. [ 54 ] The 2nd Seoul Metropolitan Air Quality Improvement Plan ( 2015–2024 ) added PM2.5 and ozone to its list of oversee pollutants. [ 59 ] asian dust, emissions from Seoul and in general from the rest of South Korea, deoxyadenosine monophosphate well as emissions from China, all contribute to Seoul ‘s air quality. [ 50 ] [ 60 ] A partnership between researchers in South Korea and the United States is conducting an international air quality field study in Korea ( KORUS-AQ ) to determine how much each reference contributes. [ 61 ] Besides publicize quality, greenhouse natural gas emissions represent blistering issues in South Korea since the country is among top-10 strongest emitters in the earth. Seoul is the strongest hot spot of greenhouse gas emissions in the state and according to satellite data, the persistent carbon dioxide anomaly over the city is one of the strongest in the populace. [ 62 ]

government

administrative districts

Districts of Seoul Seoul is divided into 25 genitourinary ( korean : 구 ; Hanja : 區 ) ( zone ). [ 63 ] The gu vary greatly in sphere ( from 10 to 47 km2 or 3.9 to 18.1 sq security service ) and population ( from fewer than 140,000 to 630,000 ). Songpa has the most people, while Seocho has the largest area. The government of each genitourinary handles many of the functions that are handled by city governments in early jurisdictions. Each gu is divided into “ dong “ ( 동 ; 洞 ) or neighborhoods. Some genitourinary have alone a few dong while others like Jongno District have a very large number of distinct neighborhoods. Gu of Seoul consist of 423 administrative dongs ( 행정동 ) in total. [ 63 ] Dong are besides sub-divided into 13,787 tong ( 통 ; 統 ), which are further divided into 102,796 ban in full .

Demographics

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1950	1,021,000	—
1960	2,361,000	+8.74%
1970	5,312,000	+8.45%
1980	8,244,000	+4.49%
1990	10,518,000	+2.47%
2000	9,879,000	−0.62%
2010	9,796,000	−0.08%
2020	9,963,000	+0.17%
source:[64]

Seoul proper is noted for its population concentration, which is about twice that of New York City and eight times greater than Rome. Its metropolitan area was the most densely populate among OECD countries in Asia in 2012, and second global after that of Paris. [ 65 ] As of 2015, the population was 9.86 million, [ 66 ] in 2012, it was 10.44 million. As of 2021, the population is 9.59 million. [ 67 ] [ 68 ] As of the end of June 2011, 10.29 million Republic of Korea citizens lived in the city. This was a 0.24 % decrease from the end of 2010. The population of Seoul has been dropping since the early 1990s, the reasons being the high costs of living, urban sprawling to Gyeonggi region ‘s satellite layer cities and an aging population. [ 66 ] As of 2016, the number of foreigners living in Seoul was 404,037, 22.9 % of the entire extraneous population in South Korea. [ 69 ] As of June 2011, 186,631 foreigners were chinese citizens of korean lineage. This was an 8.84 % increase from the end of 2010 and a 12.85 % increase from June 2010. The next largest group was chinese citizens who are not of korean ethnicity ; 29,901 of them resided in Seoul. The following highest group consisted of the 9,999 United States citizens who were not of korean lineage. The following highest group were taiwanese citizens, at 8,717. [ 70 ] The two major religions in Seoul are Christianity and Buddhism. other religions include Muism ( autochthonal religion ) and Confucianism. Seoul is home to one of the world ‘s largest christian congregations, Yoido Full Gospel Church, which has around 830,000 members. [ 71 ] According to the 2015 census, 10.8 % of the population follows Buddhism and 35 % follows Christianity ( 24.3 % Protestantism and 10.7 % Catholicism ). 53.6 % of the population is irreligious. [ 72 ]
Seoul is home to the global ‘s largest modern university founded by a Buddhist Order, Dongguk University. [ 73 ] Native Seoulites tend to speak the Gyeonggi dialect of Korean. [ citation needed ]

economy

Seoul is the business and fiscal hub of South Korea. Although it accounts for lone 0.6 percentage of the state ‘s land area, 48.3 percentage of South Korea ‘s bank deposits were held in Seoul in 2003, [ 74 ] and the city generated 23 percentage of the nation ‘s GDP overall in 2012. [ 75 ] In 2008 the Worldwide Centers of Commerce Index ranked Seoul No.9. [ 76 ] The Global Financial Centres Index in 2015 list Seoul as the 6th financially most competitive city in the earth. [ 77 ] The Economist Intelligence Unit ranked Seoul 15th in the list of “ overall 2025 City Competitiveness ” regarding future competitiveness of cities. [ 78 ]

Manufacturing

The traditional, labor-intensive fabrication industries have been continuously replaced by data engineering, electronics and assembly-type of industries ; [ 79 ] [ 80 ] however, food and beverage output, a well as impression and publish remained among the core industries. [ 79 ] Major manufacturers are headquartered in the city, including Samsung, LG, Hyundai, Kia and SK. noteworthy food and beverage companies include Jinro, whose soju is the most betray alcoholic drink in in the world, beating out Smirnoff vodka ; [ 81 ] clear betray beer producers Hite ( merged with Jinro ) and oriental Brewery. [ 82 ] It besides hosts food giants like Seoul Dairy Cooperative, Nongshim Group, Ottogi, CJ, Orion, Maeil Holdings, Namyang Dairy Products and Lotte .

finance

Seoul hosts large concentration of headquarters of International companies and banks, including 15 companies on luck 500 list such as Samsung, LG and Hyundai. [ 83 ] Most bank headquarters and the Korea Exchange are located in Yeouido ( Yeoui island ), [ 79 ] which is much called “ South Korea ‘s Wall Street “ and has been serving as the fiscal center of the city since the 1980s. [ 84 ] The Seoul international finance center & SIFC MALL, Hanhwa 63 construction, the Hanhwa policy company head office. Hanhwa is one of the three largest south korean insurance companies, along with Samsung Life and Gangnam & Kyobo life policy group .

Commerce

The largest wholesale and retail market in South Korea, the Dongdaemun Market, is located in Seoul. [ 85 ] Myeongdong is a shop and entertainment sphere in downtown Seoul with mid- to high-end stores, fashion boutiques and external sword outlets. [ 86 ] The nearby Namdaemun Market, named after the Namdaemun Gate, is the oldest continually running market in Seoul. [ 87 ] Insadong is the cultural art market of Seoul, where traditional and advanced Korean artworks, such as paintings, sculptures and calligraphy are sold. [ 88 ] Hwanghak-dong flea Market and Janganpyeong Antique Market besides offer age-old products. [ 89 ] [ 90 ] Some shops for local designers have opened in Samcheong-dong, where numerous small artwork galleries are located. While Itaewon had catered chiefly to foreign tourists and American soldiers based in the city, Koreans now comprise the majority of visitors to the area. [ 91 ] The Gangnam zone is one of the most affluent areas in Seoul [ 91 ] and is noted for the fashionable and upscale Apgujeong-dong and Cheongdam-dong areas and the COEX Mall. wholesale markets include Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market and Garak Market. The Yongsan Electronics Market is the largest electronics grocery store in Asia. Electronics markets are Gangbyeon station metro line 2 Techno mart, ENTER6 MALL & Shindorim station Technomart promenade complex. [ 92 ] Times Square is one of Seoul ‘s largest denounce malls featuring the CGV Starium, the worldly concern ‘s largest permanent 35 millimeter film screen. [ 93 ] Korea World Trade Center Complex, which comprises COEX plaza, sexual intercourse center, 3 Inter-continental hotels, Business column ( Asem loom ), Residence hotel, Casino and City airport end was established in 1988 in prison term for the Seoul Olympics. The 2nd World craft deal center is being planned at Seoul Olympic stadium complex as MICE HUB by Seoul city. Ex-Kepco head function build up was purchased by Hyundai drive group with 9billion USD to build 115-storey Hyundai GBC & hotel complex until 2021. now ex-kepco 25-storey construction is under destruction.

engineering

Seoul has been described as the global ‘s “ most electrify city ”, [ 94 ] ranked first in engineering readiness by PwC ‘s Cities of Opportunity report. [ 95 ] Seoul has a very technologically advance infrastructure. [ 96 ] [ 97 ] Seoul is among the populace leaders in Internet connectivity, being the capital of South Korea, which has the world ‘s highest fiber-optic broadband penetration and highest ball-shaped average internet speeds of 26.1 Mbit/s. [ 98 ] [ 99 ] Since 2015, Seoul has provided exempt Wi-Fi access in outdoor spaces through a 47.7 billion won ( $ 44 million ) visualize with Internet access at 10,430 parks, streets and other public places. [ 100 ] Internet speeds in some apartment buildings reach up to 52.5Gbit/s with aid from Nokia, and though the average standard consists of 100 Mbit/s services, providers countrywide are quickly rolling out 1 Gbit/s connections at the equivalent of US $ 20 per calendar month. [ 101 ] In accession, the city is served by the KTX high-speed rail and the Seoul Subway, which provides 4G LTE, WiFi and DMB inside underpass cars. 5G will be introduced commercially in March 2019 in Seoul .

architecture

Seoul, South Korea skyline with 63 Building ( 63 Square ) in 2001 The traditional heart of Seoul is the old Joseon dynasty city, now the downtown area, where most palaces, government offices, bodied headquarter, hotels, and traditional markets are located. Cheonggyecheon, a stream that runs from west to east through the valley before emptying into the Han River, was for many years covered with concrete, but was recently restored by an urban revival project in 2005. [ 102 ] Jongno street, meaning “ Bell Street ”, has been a principal street and one of the earliest commercial streets of the city, [ 103 ] [ 104 ] on which one can find Bosingak, a pavilion containing a bombastic bell. The doorbell signaled the different times of the sidereal day and controlled the four major gates to the city. North of business district is Bukhan Mountain, and to the south is the smaller Namsan. Further confederacy are the old suburb, Yongsan District and Mapo District. Across the Han River are the newer and wealthier areas of Gangnam District, Seocho District and surrounding neighborhoods .

historical architecture

Seoul has many historic and cultural landmarks. In Amsa-dong Prehistoric Settlement Site, Gangdong District, neolithic age remains were excavated and unintentionally discovered by a flood in 1925. [ 105 ] Urban and civil plan was a key concept when Seoul was beginning designed to serve as a capital in the late fourteenth hundred. The Joseon dynasty built the “ basketball team Grand Palaces ” in Seoul – Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung, Deoksugung, Gyeongbokgung and Gyeonghuigung – all of which are located in Jongno and Jung Districts. Among them, Changdeokgung was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997 as an “ great example of Far Eastern palace computer architecture and garden purpose ”. The main palace, Gyeongbokgung, underwent a large-scale restoration stick out. [ 106 ] The palaces are considered admonitory architecture of the Joseon period. Beside the palaces, Unhyeongung is known for being the royal residence of Regent Daewongun, the father of Emperor Gojong at the end of the Joseon Dynasty. Seoul has been surrounded by walls that were built to regulate visitors from early regions and protect the city in case of an invasion. Pungnap Toseong is a flat earthen wall built at the edge of the Han River, which is wide believed to be the web site of Wiryeseong. Mongchon Toseong ( korean : 몽촌토성 ; Hanja : 蒙村土城 ) is another earthen wall built during the Baekje time period that is nowadays located inside the Olympic Park. [ 24 ] The Fortress Wall of Seoul was built early in the Joseon dynasty for protective covering of the city. After many centuries of destruction and rebuild, about 2⁄3 of the wall remains, a well as six of the original eight gates. These gates include Sungnyemun and Heunginjimun, normally known as Namdaemun ( South Great Gate ) and Dongdaemun ( East Great Gate ). Namdaemun was the oldest wooden gate until a 2008 arson attack, and was re-opened after complete restitution in 2013. [ 107 ] Located near the gates are the traditional markets and largest shopping center, Namdaemun Market and Dongdaemun Market. There are besides many buildings constructed with external styles in the late 19th and early twentieth centuries. The Independence Gate was built in 1897 to inspire an freelancer spirit. Seoul Station was opened in 1900 as Gyeongseong Station .

The royal throne in Gyeongbok Palace
Bukchon Hanok Village —a traditional Seoul greenwich village built during the Joseon era

modern architecture

diverse high-rise function buildings and residential buildings, like the Gangnam Finance Center, the Tower Palace, Namsan Seoul Tower, and the Lotte World Tower, dominate the city ‘s skyline. The tallest construction is Lotte World Tower, reaching a height of 555m. It opened to the populace in April 2017. It is besides the 4th highest building in the global. The World Trade Center Seoul, located in Gangnam District, hosts assorted expositions and conferences. besides in Gangnam District is the COEX Mall, a bombastic indoor shop and entertainment complex. downstream from Gangnam District is Yeouido, an island that is home to the National Assembly, major broadcasting studios, and a phone number of large agency buildings, vitamin a well as the Korea Finance Building and the Yoido Full Gospel Church. The Olympic Stadium, Olympic Park, and Lotte World are located in Songpa District, on the south side of the Han River, upriver from Gangnam District. Three fresh advanced landmarks of Seoul are Dongdaemun Design Plaza & Park, designed by Zaha Hadid, the new wave-shaped Seoul City Hall, by Yoo Kerl of iArc, and the Lotte World Tower, the 5th tallest building in the world designed by Kohn Pederson Fox. In 2010 Seoul was designated the World Design Capital for the year. [ 108 ]

culture

Museums

Seoul is home to 115 museums, [ 109 ] including four national and nine official municipal museums. Among the city ‘s national museum, The National Museum of Korea is the most representative of museums in not only Seoul but all of South Korea. Since its establishment in 1945, the museum has built a solicitation of 220,000 artifacts. [ 110 ] In October 2005, the museum moved to a new construct in Yongsan Family Park. The National Folk Museum is located on the grounds of the Gyeongbokgung Palace in the zone of Jongno District and uses replica of historic objects to illustrate the family history of the korean people. [ 111 ] The National Palace Museum of Korea is besides located on the grounds of the Gyeongbokgung Palace. ultimately, the Seoul branch of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, whose main museum is located in Gwacheon, opened in 2013, in Sogyeok-dong. Bukchon Hanok Village and Namsangol Hanok Village are honest-to-god residential districts consisting of hanok korean traditional houses, parks, and museums that allows visitors to experience traditional korean culture. [ 112 ] [ 113 ] The War Memorial, one of nine municipal museums in Seoul, offers visitors an educational and emotional feel of assorted wars in which Korea was involved, including Korean War themes. [ 114 ] [ 115 ] The Seodaemun Prison is a early prison built during the japanese occupation, and is used as a historic museum. [ 116 ] The Seoul Museum of Art and Ilmin Museum of Art have preserved the appearance of the erstwhile building that is visually singular from the neighboring tall, modern buildings. The former is operated by Seoul City Council and sits adjacent to Gyeonghuigung Palace, a Joseon dynasty royal palace. Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, is widely regarded as one of Seoul ‘s largest private museum. For many korean film lovers from all over the world, the Korean Film Archive is running the Korean Film Museum and Cinematheque KOFA in its independent concentrate located in Digital Media City ( DMC ), Sangam-dong. The Tteok & Kitchen Utensil Museum and Kimchi Field Museum provide information regarding korean culinary history .

religious monuments

There are besides religious buildings that take significant roles in korean society and politics. The Wongudan altar was a sacrificial place where korean rulers held celestial rituals since the Three Kingdoms menstruation. Since the Joseon dynasty adopted Confucianism as its national political orientation in the fourteenth hundred, the state built many confucian shrines. The descendants of the Joseon royal syndicate still continue to hold ceremonies to commemorate ancestors at Jongmyo. It is the oldest royal confucian shrine preserved and the ritual ceremonies continue a custom established in the fourteenth century. Sajikdan, Munmyo and Dongmyo were built during the same menstruation. Although Buddhism was suppressed by the Joseon country, it has continued its universe. Jogyesa is the headquarters of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. Hwagyesa and Bongeunsa are besides major Buddhist temples in Seoul. The Myeongdong Cathedral is a landmark of the Myeongdong, Jung District and the biggest catholic church in Seoul established in 1883. It is a symbol of Catholicism in Korea. It was besides a concentrate for political dissent in the 1980s. In this way the Roman Catholic Church has a very strong determine in korean company. And Yakhyeon Catholic Church in Jungnim-dong, Jung District is first Catholic parish in Korea. It has been the first Gothic church always built in Korea. There are many Protestant churches in Seoul. The most numerous are presbyterian, but there are besides many Methodist and Baptist churches. Yoido Full Gospel Church is a pentecostal church affiliated with the Assemblies of God on Yeouido in Seoul. With approximately 830,000 members ( 2007 ), it is the largest pentecostal christian congregation in the world, which has been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records. [ citation needed ] The St. Nicholas Cathedral, but sometimes called bald church, is the only Byzantine-style church in Seoul. It is located in Ahyeon-dong, Mapo District, and is cathedral of the Orthodox Metropolis of Korea. In 2015, it was designated as a Seoul Future Heritage .

Festivals

In October 2012 KBS Hall in Seoul hosted major international music festivals – First ABU television receiver and Radio Song Festivals within frameworks of Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union 49th General Assembly. [ 117 ] [ 118 ] Hi ! Seoul Festival is a seasonal cultural festival held four times a year every jump, summer, fall, and winter in Seoul, South Korea since 2003. It is based on the “ Seoul Citizens ‘ Day ” held on every October since 1994 to commemorate the 600 years history of Seoul as the capital of the area. The festival is arranged under the Seoul Metropolitan Government. As of 2012, Seoul has hosted Ultra Music Festival Korea, an annual dance music festival that takes topographic point on the 2nd weekend of June. [ 119 ]

Parks

Despite the city ‘s population concentration, Seoul has a large quantity of parks. One of the most celebrated parks is Namsan Park, which offers amateur hike and views of the downtown Seoul skyline. The N Seoul Tower is located at Namsan Park. Seoul Olympic Park, located in Songpa District and built to host the 1988 Summer Olympics is Seoul ‘s largest park. Among the other largest parks in the city are Seoul Forest, Dream Forest, Children ‘s Grand Park and Haneul Park. The Wongaksa Pagoda 10 tier pagoda is located In Tapgol Park, a small public park with an area of 19,599 m2 ( 210,962 sq foot ). Areas around pour serve as populace places for relaxation and diversion. Tancheon stream and the nearby area serve as a large parking lot with paths for both walkers and cyclists. Cheonggyecheon, a stream that runs about 6 kilometer ( 4 nautical mile ) through downtown Seoul, is democratic among both Seoul residents and tourists. In 2017 the Seoullo 7017 Skypark opened, spanning diagonally dominate Seoul Station. There are besides many parks along the Han River, such as Ichon Hangang Park, Yeouido Hangang Park, Mangwon Hangang Park, Nanji Hangang Park, Banpo Hangang Park, Ttukseom Hangang Park and Jamsil Hangang Park. The Seoul National Capital Area besides contains a green knock aimed at preventing the city from sprawling out into neighboring Gyeonggi Province. These areas are frequently sought after by people looking to escape from urban life on weekends and during vacations. There are besides respective parks under structure or in project, such as the Gyeongui Line Forest Trail, Seoul Station 7017, Seosomun Memorial Park and Yongsan Park. Seoul is besides home plate to the world ‘s largest indoor amusement parking lot, Lotte World. other diversion centers include the early Olympic and World Cup stadiums and the City Hall public lawn .

Media

Seoul is home of the major south korean networks KBS, SBS, and MBC. The city is besides base to the major confederacy korean newspapers Chosun Ilbo, Donga Ilbo, Joongang Ilbo, and Hankook Ilbo .

Sports

Fireworks at the closure ceremonies of the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul Seoul is a major concentrate for sports in South Korea. Seoul has the largest number of professional sports teams and facilities in South Korea. In the history of south korean major professional sports league championships, which include the K League, KBO League, KBL, V-League, Seoul had multiple championships in a season two times, 1990 K League Classi Lucky-Goldstar FC ( presently FC Seoul ) and KBO League LG Twins in 1990, K League Classic FC Seoul and KBO League Doosan Bears in 2016. [ 120 ]

International contest

Seoul hosted the 1986 asian Games, besides known as Asiad, 1988 Olympic Games, and Paralympic Games. It besides served as one of the host cities of the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Seoul World Cup Stadium hosted the opening ceremony and first game of the tournament. Taekwondo is South Korea ‘s national sport and Seoul is the location of the Kukkiwon, the worldly concern headquarters of tae kwon do, angstrom well as the World Taekwondo Federation .

domestic sports clubs

Seoul ‘s most well-known football baseball club is FC Seoul .

Men’s football

Women’s football

Tier	League	Club	Home stadium
Top	WK League	Seoul WFC	Seoul World Cup Auxiliary Stadium

baseball

basketball

volleyball

handball

transportation

Seoul has a well develop transportation network. Its system dates back to the era of the Korean Empire, when the first streetcar lines were laid and a railway linking Seoul and Incheon was completed. [ 121 ] Seoul ‘s most significant streetcar note ran along Jongno until it was replaced by Line 1 of the underpass system in the early 1970s. early luminary streets in downtown Seoul include Euljiro, Teheranno, Sejongno, Chungmuro, Yulgongno, and Toegyero. There are nine major underpass lines stretching for more than 250 kilometer ( 155 michigan ), with one extra telephone line planned. As of 2010, 25 % of the population has a commute clock of an hour or longer .

bus

Seoul buses Seoul ‘s bus system is operated by the Seoul Metropolitan Government ( S.M.G. ), with four primary bus configurations available servicing most of the city. Seoul has many boastfully intercity/express busbar terminals. These buses connect Seoul with cities throughout South Korea. The Seoul Express Bus Terminal, Central City Terminal and Seoul Nambu Terminal are located in the zone of Seocho District. In addition, East Seoul Bus Terminal in Gwangjin District and Sangbong Terminal in Jungnang District handles traffics chiefly from Gangwon and Chungcheong provinces .

Urban rail

Seoul has a comprehensive urban railway network of 21 rapid transit, light metro and commuter lines that interconnects every district of the city and the surrounding areas of Incheon, Gyeonggi state, western Gangwon province, and northern Chungnam province. With more than 8 million passengers per day, the metro is one of the busiest underpass systems in the earth and the largest in the world, with a total path distance of 940 km ( 580 security service ). In addition, in ordain to cope with the versatile modes of enchant, Seoul ‘s metropolitan government employs respective mathematicians to coordinate the underpass, bus, and traffic schedules into one timetable. The diverse lines are run by Korail, Seoul Metro, NeoTrans Co. Ltd., AREX, and Seoul Metro Line 9 Corporation .

educate

Seoul is connected to every major city in South Korea by rail. Most major south korean cities are linked via the KTX high-speed train, which has a normal operation speed of more than 300 kilometers per hour ( 186 miles per hour ). The Mugunghwa and Saemaeul trains besides stop at all major stations. major railroad track stations include :

Airports

Seoul is served by two external airports, Incheon International Airport and Gimpo International Airport. Gimpo International Airport opened in 1939 as an airfield for the japanese Imperial Army and opened for civil aircraft in 1957. Since the orifice of Incheon International, Gimpo International handles domestic flights along with some curtly haul external flights to Tokyo Haneda, Osaka Kansai, Taipei Songshan, Shanghai Hongqiao, and Beijing Capital. Incheon International Airport opened in March 2001 in Yeongjong island. It is now creditworthy for major international flights. Incheon International Airport is Asia ‘s one-eighth busiest airport in terms of passengers, the populace ‘s fourth busy airport by cargo traffic, and the world ‘s one-eighth busiest airport in terms of international passengers in 2014. In 2016, 57,765,397 passengers used the airport. Incheon International Airport opened terminal 2 on January 18, 2018. Incheon and Gimpo are linked to Seoul by expressway, and to each other by the AREX to Seoul Station. Intercity bus topology services are available to assorted destinations around the area .

cycle

bicycle is becoming increasingly popular in Seoul and in the entire country. Both banks of the Han River have cycling paths that run all the way across the city along the river. In accession, Seoul introduced in 2015 a bicycle-sharing system named Ddareungi ( and named Seoul Bike in English ). [ 122 ]

education

Universities

Seoul is home to the majority of South Korea ‘s most prestigious universities, including Seoul National University, Yonsei University, Korea University. Seoul ranked 3rd on the QS Best student Cities 2022. [ 123 ]

secondary education

compulsory education lasts from grade 1–9 ( six years of elementary school and 3 years of middle school ). [ 124 ] Students spend six years in elementary school, three years in middle school, and three years in high school. secondary schools broadly require students to wear uniform. There is an passing examination for graduating from high school and many students proceeding to the university grade are required to take the College Scholastic Ability Test that is held every November. Although there is a test for non-high school graduates, called school qualification examination, most Koreans take the test. Seoul is home to respective speciate schools, including three science high schools, and six foreign language High Schools. Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education comprises 235 College-Preparatory High Schools, 80 Vocational Schools, 377 Middle Schools, and 33 particular education Schools as of 2009 .

International relations

Seoul is a penis of the Asian Network of Major Cities 21 and the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group. In accession, Seoul hosts many embassies of countries it has diplomatic ties with .