Seoul

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to navigationJump to search
This article is about the capital city of South Korea. For other uses, see Seoul
(disambiguation).

Seoul

서울시

Special city

Seoul Special City

서울특별시
 Clockwise from top: Skyline from Inwangsan
Mountain, Sungryemun, Gyeongbokgung Palace, Cheonggyecheon,
and Lotte World Tower.

Flag

Seal

Coat of arms

Wordmark

Motto(s): 

"I  • Seoul  • U"[1]

Anthem: "S.E.O.U.L"
Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap

Seoul

Show map of South Korea Show map of Asia Show

map of Earth Show all

Coordinates:  37°34′N 126°58′ECoordinates:  37°34′N 126°58′E

Country South Korea

Area Seoul Capital

Districts
25[show]

Government
 • Type Mayor–council
 • Mayor Seo Jung-hyup (acting)
 • Body Seoul Metropolitan Government
Seoul Metropolitan Council
 • National 49 / 300
Representation 16.3% (total seats)
 - National Assembly 49 / 253
19.4% (constituency seats)
 List[show]

Area
[2]

 • Total 605.21 km2 (233.67 sq mi)

Elevation 38 m (125 ft)

Population
 (2020[3])
 • Total 9,733,509
 • Density 16,000/km2 (42,000/sq mi)
 • Demonym Seoulite

Bird Korean magpie

Color Seoul Red[4]
Flower Forsythia
Font Seoul fonts (Seoul Hangang and
Seoul Namsan)[5]
Mascot Haechi
Tree Ginkgo

Nominal GDP US$384 billion[6]

(Special City)
Nominal GDP per capita US$39,558[6]
(Special City)

Website seoul.go.kr

Various views of Seoul from the 63 Building in July, 2019

Seoul
 "Seoul" in hangul

Korean name

Hangul 서울

Revised Romanization Seoul

McCune–Reischauer Sŏul

Seoul Special Metropolitan City

Hangul 서울특별시

Hanja 서울特別市

Revised Romanization Seoul Teukbyeolsi

McCune–Reischauer Sŏul T'ŭkpyŏlsi

Seoul (/soʊl/, like soul; Korean: 서울 [sʌ.ul] ( listen); lit. 'Capital'), officially the Seoul

Special City, is the capital[7] and largest metropolis of South Korea.[8] Seoul has a
population of 9.7 million people, and forms the heart of the Seoul Capital Area with the
surrounding Incheon metropolis and Gyeonggi province. Considered to be a global
city and rated as an Alpha - City by GaWC[9], Seoul was the world's 4th largest
metropolitan economy with a GDP of US$635 billion[10] in 2014 after Tokyo, New York
City and Los Angeles. International visitors generally reach Seoul via AREX from
the Incheon International Airport, notable for having been rated the best airport for nine
consecutive years (2005–2013) by the Airports Council International. In 2015, it was
rated Asia's most livable city with the second highest quality of life globally by Arcadis,
with the GDP per capita (PPP) in Seoul being around $40,000. In 2017, the cost of
living in Seoul was ranked 6th globally. [11][12] In 2020, Seoul's real estate market was
ranked 3rd in the world for the price of apartments in the downtown center. [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 metropolis exerts a major influence in
global affairs as one of the five leading hosts of global conferences.[16] Seoul has hosted
the 1986 Asian Games, 1988 Summer Olympics, 2002 FIFA World Cup, and more
recently the 2010 G-20 Seoul summit.
Seoul was the capital of various 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 later designated the capital of Korea under the Joseon dynasty.
Seoul is surrounded by a mountainous and hilly landscape, with Bukhan
Mountain located on the northern edge of the city. As with its long history, 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. As
the birthplace of K-pop and the Korean Wave, Seoul received over 10 million
international visitors in 2014,[18] making it the world's 9th most visited city and 4th largest
earner in tourism.[19]

Contents

 1Etymology
 2History
 3Geography
o 3.1Climate
o 3.2Air quality
 4Government
 5Administrative districts
 6Demographics
 7Economy
o 7.1Manufacturing
o 7.2Finance
o 7.3Commerce
o 7.4Technology
 8Architecture
o 8.1Historical architecture
o 8.2Modern architecture
 9Culture
 o 9.1Museums
o 9.2Religious monuments
o 9.3Festivals
o 9.4Parks
o 9.5Media
 10Sports
o 10.1International competition
o 10.2Domestic sports clubs
 10.2.1Football
 10.2.2Baseball
 10.2.3Basketball
 10.2.4Volleyball
 10.2.5Handball
 11Transportation
o 11.1Bus
o 11.2Urban rail
o 11.3Train
o 11.4Airports
o 11.5Cycling
 12Education
o 12.1Universities
o 12.2Secondary education
 13International relations
o 13.1Sister cities
 14See also
 15References
 16External links
o 16.1Official sites
o 16.2Tourism and living information
 16.2.1Maps
o 16.3Photos