History of Seoul

The History of Seoul can be traced back as far as 18 BC. Counting from now, it has a history of over 2,000 years. It has been the capital of numerous kingdoms on the Korean Peninsula since it was established.

Prehistoric and early Baekje era

Amsa-dong Preshistoric Settlement Site in Amsa-dong, Gangdong-gu, Seoul

It is believed that humans were living in the area that is now Seoul along the lower reaches of the Han River during the Paleolithic Age and archaeological research shows that people began to lead settled lives starting in the Neolithic Age. Prehistoric remains that are unearthed in the Amsa Prehistoric Site (암사선사유적지, Amsa Seonsa Yujeokji), located in Amsa-dong, Gangdong-gu, date back to about 3,000 to 7,000 years ago. With the introduction of bronze ware from about 700 BC, settlements gradually began to spread from the river basin toward inland areas.

In 18 BC, the kingdom of Baekje founded its capital city, Wiryeseong (위례성), which is believed to be inside modern-day Seoul. Baekje subsequently developed from a member state of the Mahan confederacy into one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. There are several city wall remains in the Seoul area dating from this time. Among them, Pungnap Toseong (풍납토성), an earthen wall in the southeastern part of modern-day Seoul, (in Pungnap-dong, just near Jamsil area) is widely believed to be the main Wiryeseong site. Yet another earthen wall, Mongchon Toseong (몽촌토성), located nearby, is also dated from the early Baekje era.

It should be noted that all of these sites are in the south of the Han River, and do not belong to the historic Seoul district (centered in modern-day Jongno), which is well in the north of the river.

Three kingdoms era

As the Three Kingdoms competed for this strategic region of the Korean Peninsula, control passed from Baekje to Goguryeo in 392 and from Goguryeo to the Silla-Baekje alliance in 551.

Silla soon gained full control of the city and then the peninsula, and during the Unified Silla period, Hanyang (한양; 漢陽) first referred to a district in the city, and later the city itself.

Goryeo era

It was thought that the kingdom that controlled the Han River valley would also have strategic control of the whole peninsula, because it was a center of transportation. In 1104, King Sukjong of the Goryeo Dynasty built a palace in Seoul, which was then referred to as Namgyeong (남경; 南京) or "Southern Capital". Seoul grew into a full-scale city with political significance during this time.

Joseon era

The street in front of Gyeongbokgung palace in the late 19^th century.

At the beginning of the Joseon Dynasty in 1394, the capital was moved to Seoul, also known as Hanyang and later as Hanseong (한성; 漢城, "Fortress city [on] the Han [River]"), where it remained until the fall of the dynasty.

Originally entirely surrounded by a massive circular wall (a 20-foot (6.1 m)-high circular stone fortress) (Hangul : 서울 성곽) to provide its citizens security from wild animals such as the tiger, thieves and attacks. The city has grown beyond those walls and although the wall no longer stands (except in the mountains north of the downtown area), the gates remain near the downtown district of Seoul, including most notably Sungnyemun (commonly known as Namdaemun, or South Gate) and Honginjimun (commonly known as Dongdaemun, or East Gate) but also Sookjungmun (commonly know as Bukdaemun, or North Gate) and two smaller gates called Changwimun and Hyehwamun . During the Joseon dynasty, the gates were opened and closed each day, accompanied by the ringing of large bells.

Modernization

In the late 19th century, after hundreds of years of isolation, Seoul opened its gates to foreigners and began to modernize. Seoul became the first city in East Asia to have electricity, trolley cars, water, telephone, and telegraph systems all at the same time. Much of this was due to trade with the United States. For example, the Seoul Electric Company, Seoul Electric Trolley Company, and Seoul Fresh Spring Water Company were all American-owned enterprises. In 1904, an American by the name of Angus Hamilton visited the city and said, "The streets of Seoul are magnificent, spacious, clean, admirably made and well-drained. The narrow, dirty lanes have been widened, gutters have been covered, roadways broadened. Seoul is within measurable distance of becoming the highest, most interesting and cleanest city in the East.”

This modernization came too late, however, as Japan soon overtook Korea, making Seoul its colonial capital. While under Japanese occupation (1910-1945), the city was called Gyeongseong (경성; 京城; Japanese: Keijō). The Japanese General Government Building (torn down in 1995) served as the seat of the Japanese colonial government. After World War II and Korea's liberation, the city took its present name of Seoul. When the Republic of Korea (South Korea) was declared, the new state adopted the city as its capital.

In 1950, the Korean War broke out and Seoul changed hands between the Chinese-backed North Korean forces and the UN-backed South Korean forces several times, leaving the city heavily damaged at the end of the war. One estimate of the extensive damage states that at least 191,000 buildings, 55,000 houses, and 1,000 factories lay in ruins. In addition, there were a flood of refugees from the North, swelling the city's population to an estimated 2.5 million persons. More than half of them were homeless.

With the help of U.S. aid, Seoul became the focus of an immense reconstruction and modernization effort. Rapid economic growth achieved during the industrialization of the 1960s and 1970s raised living standards of residents considerably. High-rise office buildings and apartments began sprouting throughout the city during the construction boom of the 1980s. Pollution and traffic jams became major issues as urbanization in the country accelerated and more and more people began moving to Seoul and its surrounding areas. Despite a green belt established around the city to prevent urban sprawl, the Seoul metropolitan area soon became the third largest in the world in terms of population and one of the most crowded.

Modern era

Over the Han River at night.

Following the war, Seoul was the focus of an immense reconstruction and modernization effort due mainly to necessity, but also due in part to the symbolic nature of Seoul as the political and economic center of Korea. Today, the population of the Seoul area comprises 24% of the total population of South Korea, and Seoul ranks seventh in the world in terms of the number of Fortune 500 transnational companies headquartered there. [1]

Seoul was the host city of the 1988 Summer Olympics as well as one of the venues of the FIFA World Cup 2002.

During the 1990s, the city began to attract many workers from other countries, changing demographics. Previously, nearly all of Seoul's residents were Korean, with the exception of a small Chinese minority. Today, there are an estimated 200,000 foreign nationals living in Seoul. These include laborers from Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Mongolia, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.

In addition, there are many language instructors from English-speaking countries such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, United States, and the U.K. As a major business and financial center, Seoul also has many executives and analysts from North America, Europe, and Japan. Seoul ranks seventh in the world in terms of the number of Fortune 500 transnational companies headquartered there . It is also the world's second most expensive city, ahead of Tokyo and Hong Kong (ranked 3rd and 4th, respectively) .

Relocation of the capital

Gyeongbokgung

On August 11, 2004, the South Korean Government announced that the capital city would be located in the Gongju area as of 2007, to ease the population pressure on Seoul and to get the government to a safer distance from North Korea [2]. Gongju is approximately 120 kilometers south of Seoul. The Government estimated that the move would probably not be completed before 2012 [3]. Although part of the election manifesto, this plan ignited nationwide controversy. On October 21, 2004, the Constitutional Court ruled that mostly based on custom law, the special law for the relocation of the capital is unconstitutional since the relocation is a serious national matter requiring national referendum or revision of the constitution, thus effectively ending the dispute.

In late 2004, however, the South Korean Government announced plans to move almost all national government branches, except the Executive Branch, to Gongju, thus evading violation of the Constitutional Court ruling and still allow Seoul to be a National Capital in name only. The plan has yet to go forward and no new announcements have arisen since then.

See also

• History of Korea
• http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/seoul_city_plans_1946.jpg
• http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/seoul_1946.jpg