| Notes | 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 From top, left to right: Skyline from Inwangsan, Deoksugung, Gangnam District, skyline at night, Gyeongdong Market, Cheonggyecheon, Gyeongbokgung Palace. Flag of Seoul Flag Official seal of Seoul Seal Coat of arms of Seoul Coat of arms Official logo of Seoul Wordmark Motto(s): "I • Seoul • U"[1] Anthem: "S.E.O.U.L" Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap Seoul is located in South KoreaSeoulSeoul Show map of South Korea Show map of Asia Show map of Earth Show all Coordinates: 37°33′36″N 126°59′24″ECoordinates: 37°33′36″N 126°59′24″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 Representation - National Assembly 49 / 300 16.3% (total seats) 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 • Dialect Gyeonggi Bird Korean magpie Color Seoul Red[4] Flower Forsythia Font Seoul fonts (Seoul Hangang and Seoul Namsan)[5] Mascot Haechi Tree Ginkgo Nominal GDP (Special City) US$384 billion[6] Nominal GDP per capita (Special City) US$39,558[6] Website seoul.go.kr File:View-of-Seoul-from63-Building-2019-7-27.webm Various views of Seoul from the 63 Building in July, 2019 Seoul Seoul in Hangul (RS).svg "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] (About this soundlisten); 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, Seoul was the world's 4th largest metropolitan economy in 2014 after Tokyo, New York City and Los Angeles.[9] In 2017, the cost of living in Seoul was ranked 6th globally.[10][11] With major technology hubs centered in Gangnam and Digital Media City,[12] the Seoul Capital Area is home to the headquarters of 14 Fortune Global 500 companies, including Samsung,[13] LG, and Hyundai. The metropolis exerts a major influence in global affairs as one of the five leading hosts of global conferences.[14] Seoul has hosted the 1986 Asian Games, 1988 Summer Olympics, 2002 FIFA World Cup (with Japan), and 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.[15] Seoul received over 10 million international visitors in 2014,[16][needs update] making it the world's 9th most visited city and 4th largest earner in tourism.[17] |