F,P,D Univers. Seoul-Inchon

Seoul (Korean pronunciation: [sʌ.ul] ( listen)), officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest city of South Korea. With a population of over 10 million, it is one of the world's largest cities.[1] The Seoul National Capital Area, which includes the Incheon metropolis and most of Gyeonggi province, has 24.5 million inhabitants,[2] and is the world's second largest metropolitan area.[3] Almost half of South Korea's population live in the Seoul National Capital Area, and nearly a quarter in Seoul itself, making it the country's foremost economic, political, and cultural center. It is an important destination for immigrants to South Korea, with a rapidly growing international population of over 255,000.[4]

Seoul is located on the Han River in the center of the Korean Peninsula, and historically was settled in 18 B.C. when Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, established its capital in what is now south-east Seoul. The city then became the capital of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty and the Korean Empire. As the center of Korean history over the past millennia, the Seoul National Capital Area is home to four UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Changdeokgung, Hwaseong Fortress, Jongmyo Shrine and the Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty.[5]

Seoul's influence in business, international trade, politics, technology, education and entertainment all contribute to its role as a prominent global city.[6] It is considered to be an Alpha World City, ranking 9th in the 2008 Global Cities Index. Seoul is the iconic city of the Miracle on the Han River and hosted landmark international events such as the 1988 Summer Olympics and the 2002 FIFA World Cup and will be the host city of the November 2010 G-20 Summit. It is one of the world's top ten financial and commercial centers,[7] home to some of the world's largest conglomerates[8] such as Samsung, LG and Hyundai-Kia. Seoul was Asia's most expensive city to live in 2007, and the third most expensive city worldwide.[9] With a GDP per capita of $32,171 in 2008, Seoul has a living standard comparable to France and Italy.[10][11][12] In 2008, Seoul was named the world's sixth most economically powerful city by Forbes.com, ahead of Paris and Los Angeles.[13]

Seoul is the 2010 World Design Capital and has one of the world's most technologically advanced infrastructures.[14][15] It is ranked first on the Digital Opportunity Index,[16] and its Digital Media City is the world's first complex for high-tech technologies, a test-bed for futuristic IT and multimedia applications, as well as home to the 133-floors, 640m supertall DMC Landmark Building, slated to be the world's second tallest building by 2015.[17] Seoul is the only city in the world featuring DMB, a digital mobile TV technology and WiBro, a wireless high-speed mobile internet service, as well as the world's fastest, most penetrated 100Mbps fibre-optic broadband network, which is being upgraded to 1Gbps by 2012.[18] Seoul Station houses the 350 km/h KTX high-speed rail and the Seoul Subway is the third largest in the world, with over 2 billion passengers every year.[19] Seoul is connected to Incheon International Airport via AREX, which is rated as the world's best airport by ACI since 2005.[20]

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Incheon, officially the Incheon Metropolitan City, is South Korea's third largest metropolis, after Seoul and Busan. As the largest seaport on the west coast and home to the country's largest airport, Incheon International Airport, Incheon is South Korea's most important transport hub. In the 21st century, Incheon has transformed into a global business hub centered around the high-tech and futuristic Songdo International City, which is home to South Korea's tallest building, the 305m supertall Northeast Asia Trade Tower.

Human settlement at the location goes back to the Neolithic. In modern times Incheon became important because its location on an estuary made it a good harbor; when the port was founded in 1883, the city, called Jemulpo at the time (hangul: 제물포, hanja: 濟物浦), had a population of only 4,700. Incheon is now home to over 2.5 million people and under the control of one of the two free economic zone authorities in Korea, aimed at attracting foreign investment; the city aims to turn itself into a financial and corporate hub along with the Busan-Jinhae Free Economic Zone Authority.

Incheon is regarded as part of the greater Seoul metropolitan area due to part of it bordering the capital, and the fact that the Seoul Metropolitan Subway and the Incheon Subway systems are linked. Incheon is, however, a major city in its own right and is a separate jurisdiction from Seoul.


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