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THE SEOUL PORTAL

Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Capital Area, encompassing Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's sixth largest metropolitan economy in 2022, trailing behind Paris, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Tokyo, and New York, and hosts more than half of South Korea's population. Although Seoul's population peaked at slightly over 10 million, it has gradually decreased since 2014, standing at approximately 9.97 million residents as of 2020. Seoul is the seat of the South Korean government.

Seoul's history traces back to 18 BC when it was founded by the people of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. During the Joseon dynasty, Seoul was officially designated as the capital, surrounded by the Fortress Wall of Seoul. In the early 20th century, Seoul was occupied by the Japanese Empire, temporarily renamed "Keijō" ("Gyeongseong" in Korean). The Korean War brought fierce battles, with Seoul changing hands four times and leaving the city mostly in ruins. Nevertheless, the city has since undergone significant reconstruction and rapid urbanization.

Seoul was rated Asia's most livable city, with the second-highest quality of life globally according to Arcadis in 2015 and a GDP per capita (PPP) of approximately $40,000. 15 Fortune Global 500 companies, including industry giants such as Samsung, LG, and Hyundai, are headquartered in the Seoul Capital Area, which has major technology hubs, such as Gangnam and Digital Media City. Seoul is ranked seventh in the Global Power City Index and the Global Financial Centres Index, and is one of the five leading hosts of global conferences. The city has also hosted major events such as the 1986 Asian Games, the 1988 Summer Olympics, and the 2010 G20 Seoul summit, in addition to three matches at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. (Full article...)

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Namsan from the sky (2022)

Namsan (Korean: 남산; lit. South Mountain) is a 270-metre-high (890 ft) peak in Jung District, Seoul, South Korea. It was also known as Mongmyeoksan (목멱산; 木覓山) in the past. It offers some hiking, picnic areas and views of downtown Seoul's skyline. The N Seoul Tower is located at the summit of Namsan.

The mountain and its surrounding area is Namsan Park, a public park maintained by the city government, which has panoramic views of Seoul. It is also the location of a smoke signal station called Mongmyeoksan Beacon Tower (목멱산 봉수대; Mongmyeoksan Bongsudae), which was part of an emergency communication system during much of Seoul's history until 1985. From 1925 to 1945 the Shinto shrine known as Chōsen Shrine was situated on Namsan. (Full article...)

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Olympic Park, Seoul Seoullo 7017

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Gyeongbokgung Palace (Korean: 경복궁) was the main royal palace of the Joseon Dynasty, located north of Seoul, built in 1395. It served as a political center.

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General images

The following are images from various Seoul-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Donggwoldo, Joseon Dynasty painting of main royal palaces of Seoul (from History of Seoul)
Image 2Jibokjae, the Royal Library of Seoul in the late Joseon period (from History of Seoul)
Image 3Seokeodang is a two-storey building of Deoksugung Palace built in the style of a private residence. (from History of Seoul)
Image 4Gyeongjo-obu-do, an old map of Seoul (from History of Seoul)
Image 5A neighborhood of Seoul in the late Joseon Dynasty (from History of Seoul)
Image 6Map of boundary expansion of modern Seoul (from 1914 to 1995) (from History of Seoul)
Image 7Flag of Seoul (1946–1996) (from History of Seoul)
Image 8A street of 19th-century Seoul (from History of Seoul)
Image 9A narrow street of 19th-century Seoul (from History of Seoul)
Image 10Gyeonghungak was an attached two-storied building of Daejojeon Hall of Changdeok Palace. The first story was Gyeonghungak, and the second story was Jinggwangru. (from History of Seoul)
Image 11Hanseong Municipal Government (from History of Seoul)
Image 12Seoul in 1894 (from History of Seoul)
Image 13Seoul, capital city of the Korean Empire, in 1905, showing contrast between tradition and modernity (from History of Seoul)
Image 14Map of Hanseongbu's territory (from History of Seoul)
Image 15Emblem of Keijō, 1925–1945 (from History of Seoul)
Image 16The street in front of Gyeongbokgung palace in the late 19th century (from History of Seoul)
Image 17Gwanghwa Gate, the main gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace (from History of Seoul)
Image 18Waryong-dong, Seoul, in the late Joseon Dynasty (from History of Seoul)

Did you know (auto-generated) - load new batch

... that Sung Min Song, who was an informatics engineer in Seoul until age 26, performed the extreme tenor role of Arnold in Rossini's Guillaume Tell as his debut at the Saarländisches Staatstheater?
... that Binggrae, a South Korean food and beverage company, was the official ice cream supplier of the 1988 Seoul Olympics?
... that after the Seongsu Bridge collapsed in Seoul, radiographic testing found that 110 of the 111 connections in the bridge were filled with defects?
... that The Seoul Press was an English-language newspaper created to justify Japan's colonial rule of Korea?
... that the rapid development of the region of Gangnam in Seoul was spurred by the 1968 North Korean assassination attempt on military dictator Park Chung-hee?