Seoul

Seoul ( Korean : 서울) is the more than 600 year old capital of South Korea .   Until 1945 it was the capital of the whole of Korea .   Since the creation of the Republic of Korea, known as South Korea, in 1948, it is the capital of the country, except for a short time during the Korean War .

Seoul is located in the northwest of the country, under the DMZ, on the banks of the Han . The city is the political, cultural, social and economic center of South Korea.

With about 9.7 million people in an area of 605.52 km 2  [2] Seoul City is one of the most populous cities in the world. The entire Seoul metropolitan area (including among others Incheon ) even employs 22.7 million people, making it after Tokyo , Canton , Jabotabek and Shanghai, the largest urban agglomeration in the world .Approximately 48% of all South Koreans live in the Seoul region. There are more than one million registered vehicles, which are the cause of congestion until after midnight.



Contents
*1 History  ==History [  edit ] == For many centuries, Seoul (meaning "capital"), a city of about 200,000 inhabitants. It was King Taejo of Joseon who, after the Goryeodynastie had overthrown, Seoul, the capital of the Joseon Dynasty made. The city was called Hanyang . In 1394 began the construction of the new capital in Seoul. Already in 1395 it was Gyeongbok palace finished and in 1405 the minor Changdeokpaleis . For the first half of the 15th century was the whole new city ready, according to the rules of Feng Shui .
 * 2 City Districts
 * 3 Sights
 * 4 Museums
 * 5 Traffic and transport
 * Metro 5.1
 * 5.2 Railways
 * 5.3 Airport
 * 6 Born
 * 7 Town twinning
 * 8 See also
 * 9 External links

In the period of Japanese colonialism (1910-1945) the city was known as Keijo ( Japanese :京城; Korean : 경성, Gyeongseong). During this period they grew to about 1 million inhabitants. During the Korean War (1950-1953) the city exchanged four times from occupying forces and was largely destroyed. Because of the influx of large numbers of refugees from the north, the population at the end of the war swelled to about 2.5 million, most of which was homeless. Afterwards Seoul was rebuilt as a modern city.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">In Seoul found the Summer Olympics 1988 site. Seoul was also one of the host cities for the World Cup 2002 in South Korea and Japan . Three matches were played in the Seoul World Cup Stadium . ==City Districts <span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[  edit <span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == The 25 city districts of Seoul<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">Seoul is divided into 25 city districts (gu 구). The first seven districts in existence since 1943. The districts are divided into 467 dong, which are subdivided into 12,710 tongand ban it in 98 681. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-seoul1_2-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[2] ==<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[Sights  edit <span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == GyeongbokgungPavilion Buyong-jeon in garden Biwon inChangdeokgung .*Changdeokgung (창경궁;昌慶宮) <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">Temples:
 * Bosingak
 * Cheonggyecheon
 * Changgyeonggung
 * Deoksugung (덕수궁;德壽宮)
 * Gyeongbokgung (경복궁;景福宮)
 * Gyeonghuigung (경희궁;慶熙宮)
 * Unhyeongung (운현궁;雲峴宮)
 * Samjeondo monument
 * Namhansanseong
 * Bukhansanseong
 * Namsan Park
 * Sungjoon Park
 * Sungnyemun, historic wooden gate, destroyed by fire on February 10, 2008

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">Others:
 * Bongeunsa
 * Jongmyo
 * Dongmyo
 * Munmyo
 * Jogyesa
 * Hwagyesa

==Museums <span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[  edit <span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == ==Traffic and transport <span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[  edit <span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == ===Metro <span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[  edit <span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">The subway of Seoul currently has 10 lines and more than 337 stations and a total length of over 500km. With more than 8 million passengers per day, the Seoul metro is one of the busiest in the world. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[3] ===<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[Railways  edit <span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">Seoul is connected by rail with all major cities in South Korea. Seoul is also the most important South Korean cities connected to the KTX . There is a central station but not all long-distance trains stop there. The main stations are:
 * N Seoul Tower, built in 1969, is a communications tower open to the public. With a height of 236.7 m and a height of 479.7 meters above sea level offers views across Seoul.
 * Rodin Museum (Seoul)
 * Ho-Am Art Museum
 * Kimchi Field Museum
 * Seoul Olympic Museum of Art (SOMA)
 * National Palace Museum
 * War Memorial
 * National Museum of Korea
 * Heojun museum
 * Museum of Korean Buddhist art
 * Museum of Korean Embroidery
 * Museum of Korean modern literature
 * Museum of Photography, Seoul
 * Horim museum
 * Hwajeong museum
 * Gahoe museum
 * Seoul History Museum
 * Heojun museum
 * Sema Gyeonghuigung
 * Sema NamSeoul

===<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[Airport  edit <span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">There are two airports in Seoul:
 * Seoul Station , Yongsan-gu : Gyeongbu railway ( KTX / Saemaul / Mugunghwa-ho ) Gyeongui railway
 * Yongsan Station, Yongsan-gu: Honam railway (KTX / Saemaul / Mugunghwa) Jeolla / Janghang railways (Saemaul / Mugunghwa)
 * Yeongdeungpo Station , Yeongdeungpo-gu : Gyeongbu / Honam / Janghang railways (Saemaul / Mugunghwa)
 * Station Cheongnyangni , Dongdaemun-gu : Gyeongchun / Jungang / Yeongdong / Taebaek railways (Mugunghwa)

==Born <span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[  edit <span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == ==City links <span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[  edit <span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">Seoul has 13 sister cities : <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Sister_Cities_4-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[4]
 * Gimpo International Airport in Gimpo (now part of Seoul)
 * Incheon International Airport on the island of Yeongjong near Incheon
 * Yun Seon-do (1587 - 1671), poet and artist
 * Akihiko Hirata (December 26, 1927), Japanese actor
 * Nam June Paik (July 20, 1932 - Miami, January 29, 2006), American artist
 * Chung Mong-koo (19 March 1938), president of the Hyundai Motor Group
 * Lee Jong-wook (April 12, 1945 - Geneva, 22 May 2006), physician and Director General of the World Health Organization
 * Myung-Whun Chung (January 22, 1953), conductor and pianist
 * Woo Bum-kon (February 24, 1955 - Uiryong, April 27, 1982), murderer, amok maker
 * Lee Hee-wan (January 15, 1956 - Leverkusen, May 26, 2011), volleyball player and coach
 * Daniel Chonghan Hong (March 3, 1956), physicist
 * Phillip Rhee (September 7, 1960), Korean-American actor and producer fimregisseur
 * Jim Lee (August 11, 1964), Korean-American comic artist and publisher
 * Chang-Rae Lee (29 July 1965), American writer
 * Hong Myung-bo (12 February 1969), football player
 * Lee Kwang-Keun (1970), opera singer
 * Koh Chang-su (1970), composer
 * Seo Jung-won (17 December 1970), football player
 * Kim Soo-nyung (5 April 1971), archer
 * Bae Yong-jun (August 29, 1972), actor
 * Hur Suk-ho (20 August 1973), golf professional
 * Song Dae-won (19 February 1975), skateboarder
 * Kim Ji-young (20 March 1975), pianist
 * Nicole Bilderback (10 June 1975), actress
 * Ahn Jung-hwan ( January 27 1976 ), football player
 * Hines Ward (8 March 1976), American football player
 * Linda Park (July 9, 1978), American actress
 * Gee Hye Lee (August 2, 1977), jazz pianist
 * Joscelin Yeo (May 2, 1979), Singaporean swimmer
 * Yang Tae-young (8 July 1980), Turner
 * Cathy Shim (18 July 1980), actress and producer
 * Park Ji-sung (25 January 1981), football player
 * Rain (25 June 1982), actor and singer
 * Ryu Seung-min (August 5, 1982), table tennis player
 * Choi Eun-kyung (26 December 1984), short track star
 * Ahn Hyun-soo, also known as Viktor An (November 23, 1985), short tracker
 * Lee Ho-suk (25 June 1986), short tracker
 * Lee Seung-hoon (6 March 1988), speed skater and short tracker
 * Lee Chung-yong (July 2, 1988), football player

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">
 * Ankara (Turkey), since 1971
 * Astana (Kazakhstan), since 2004
 * Athens (Greece), since 2006
 * Bangkok (Thailand), since 2006
 * Bogota (Colombia), since 1982
 * Cairo (Egypt), since 1997
 * Hanoi (Vietnam), since 1996
 * Honolulu (United States), since 1973
 * Jakarta (Indonesia), since 1984
 * Mexico City (Mexico), since 1992
 * Moscow (Russia), since 1991
 * Paris (France), since 1991
 * Beijing (China) since 1993
 * Rome (Italy), since 2000
 * San Francisco (USA) since 1976,
 * Sao Paulo (Brazil), since 1977
 * New South Wales (Australia), since 1991
 * Taipei (Taiwan), since 1968
 * Tashkent (Uzbekistan), since 2010
 * Tokyo (Japan), since 1988
 * Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia), since 1995
 * Warsaw (Poland) since 1996
 * Washington DC (United States), since 2006

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">There are also partnerships with about 20 other cities: <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Sister_Cities_4-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[4]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> ==See also <span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[  edit <span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == ==External links <span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[  edit <span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] ==
 * Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), since 2010
 * Amsterdam (Netherlands), since 1999
 * Barcelona (Spain) since 2012
 * Berlin (Germany), since 1997
 * Budapest (Hungary) since 2005
 * Bucharest (Romania), since 2012
 * Buenos Aires (Argentina), since 2012
 * Hokkaido (Japan) since 2010
 * Istanbul (Turkey), since 2005
 * Jiangsu (China) since 2008
 * Canton (China) since 2008
 * Los Angeles (United States), since 2006
 * Maputo (Mozambique), since 2011
 * Milan (Italy), since 2007
 * Minsk (Belarus), since 2008
 * Ottawa (Canada) since 1997
 * Shenzhen (China), since 2009
 * Shijiazhuang (China) since 2008
 * Zhejiang (China) since 2009
 * Collapse of the Sampoong Department Store
 * Yongsan Electronics Market
 * <span style="border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:rgb(85,85,85);"><span style="font-weight:bold;font-size:11.8999996185303px;cursor:help;color:rgb(85,85,85);" title="Language: English">(S)  http://english.seoul.go.kr/