Seoul is a relatively well organized city covering over 600 km² with a population of around 10.5 mil

Seoul (서울) is the capital of South Korea . With a municipal population of over 10.5 million, and a metropolitan population totaling over 20.5 million, Seoul is by far South Korea's largest city and one of East Asia's financial and cultural epicenters. A fascinating blend of ancient traditions and cutting-edge digital technology, home to endless street food vendors and vast nightlife districts, an extraordinarily high-pressure educational system and serene Buddhist temples, a dynamic trend-setting youth culture and often crushing conformism, extraordinary architecture and endless monotonous rows of grey apartment buildings, Seoul is a city filled with stark contrasts, contradictions, and paradoxes.
With over 10 million people, a figure that doubles if you include neighboring cities and suburbs, Seoul is the largest city in South Korea and unquestionably the economic, jameson inn political and cultural hub of the country. By some measures it is the second largest urban agglomeration on the planet, after Greater Tokyo .
In recent years, Seoul has been swamped with tourists from China, Japan, and Southeast Asia, following the success of Korean pop culture. Travelers will frequently overhear Japanese, Mandarin, or Cantonese; many restaurants and stores, especially in the more touristy areas like Myeongdong, will have signs in Japanese and Chinese as well as Korean and English. However, this travel destination, jameson inn long popular among Asians, is still relatively unknown in the West and frequently passed over by Westerners for nearby Shanghai , Tokyo , Beijing , and Hong Kong .
However, the traveler who does visit will not be disappointed. This sprawling metropolis is truly vast - though the casual traveler can see most of the main sites in a few days, a dedicated traveler could spend months exploring all the alleyways and far-off neighborhoods. As the capital of a country that has gone through massive development in the past sixty years, Seoul is constantly changing at a incredible pace, matched jameson inn only by the mainland Chinese cities. This frantic pace of life is reflected everywhere - in Seoul's cutting-edge digital technology, in the millions of commuters rushing to work everyday in the world's third largest subway system, in one of the most vibrant nightlife scenes in the world, and in the thousands of high rises and apartment buildings still under construction.
Considering all of this, one may be forgiven for forgetting that Seoul has a long history stretching far back into Korea's dynastic past. There is evidence for settlement in this area as far as 18 BC but Seoul as the capital city of South Korea has a history back to the 14th century. Originally named Hanseong (한성; 漢城), the city was the capital of the Joseon Dynasty from 1392 to 1910, when Korea was occupied by the Japanese. jameson inn The Joseon Dynasty built most of Seoul's most recognisable landmarks, including the Five Grand Palaces and Namdaemun. After the Japanese surrender in 1945, the city was re-named to its current name, Seoul. Since the establishment of the Republic of Korea in 1948, Seoul has been the capital of South Korea. Occupied twice during the Korean War by Communist forces, the city was extensively rebuilt and today is one of Asia's primary metropolises. Much of Seoul's infrastructure and facilities, such as the buildings, stadiums, and transport jameson inn systems, are exceptionally modern and clean.
Seoul is a relatively well organized jameson inn city covering over 600 km² with a population of around 10.5 million. It is a new modern city built on an ancient and shining history. The city is located in the north-western portion of South Korea approximately 40 km east of the Yellow Sea and 60 km south of the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). The city is roughly bisected by the Han River (한강 Hangang ), which runs east to west across the city. Seoul blurs seamlessly into its surrounding satellite cities, most of which are also served by the Seoul metro. The largest of these is Incheon (to the west) in which Seoul's main Airport, and the area's main seaport, are located. Other satellite cities include jameson inn such as Ilsan (to the north) and Anyang (to the south).
Administratively, Seoul is divided into 25 districts (구 gu ), each with an area and population comparable to a small city. The districts are then further subdivided into 522 sub-districts (동 dong ). The Han river bisects the city, splitting it into two halves: Gangbuk (강북), the northern, more historical half, and and Gangnam jameson inn (강남), the southern, wealthier and more modern half. The sheer size of the city means that travelers to Seoul will find it difficult to locate a true "center" of Seoul; instead, Seoul is almost more like a collection of cities that happen to be bunched together, each with their own central business and commercial districts. The two largest core areas are Jongno/Jung in the north, jameson inn and Gangnam in the south. For travelers with more time, there are many more, smaller centers and districts to be explored, such as the island of Yeoui-do and the college district of Hongdae/Sinchon. For the typical traveler, it would be useful to divide the city into the following areas:
Jongno (종로) The Joseon-era historical core of the city, containing most palaces and government offices. This district, along with Jung (중) district immediately to the south of it, makes up one of the main centers of the city. Here you can find the most famous of the Five Grand Joseon Palaces, Gyeongbokgung , with a long avenue leading up to the main gate. To the east of Gyeongbokgung are clustered Changdeokgung and Changyeonggung , two more of the Five, and Jongmyo Shrine jameson inn , the main Confucian shrine in the dynastic era. Sandwiched between these two areas is Bukchon , a quaint housing area filled with 'hanok', beautiful traditional Korean houses that also date back to the dynastic era. South of Bukchon is Insa-dong which is the largest antiques market street in Seoul, and further south is Cheongyecheon jameson inn , a renovated jameson inn stream and park that runs through the heart of the downtown area.
Jung (중) This district makes up the other half of the historic core, with Cheongyecheon jameson inn stream as its northern border. It holds some of the few remaining European-style government buildings left over from the Japanese era - the City Hall and the Bank of Korea, both in the west, centered around a large plaza often serves as a rallying point for protests and soccer games. Immediately to the southwest of the City Hall is Myeongdong , an large upscale shopping district that gets extremely busy at night and on weekends, and one of the top ten most expensive shopping districts in the world by rent. To the south of the City Hall is Namdaemun Market , another large shopping district that is decidedly cheaper than neighboring Myeongdong. Further south of Namdaemun is Seoul Station and Namsan Mountain, with the Seoul Tower at its summit. Finally, the eastern part holds Dongdaemun , an enormous fashion district with dozens of clothing malls, complexes, wholesalers, and department stores.
Seodaemun/Mapo (서대문/마포) These two districts lie immediately west of Jongro and Jung, and contain dozens of universities and colleges. As such, this area is home to some of Seoul's most active nightlife districts: Hongdae (홍대) and Sinchon (신촌). Sinchon jameson inn is close to Yonsei University, one of the most prestigious in Korea, and has hundreds of restaurants, bars, clubs, and stores that are open well into early morning, packed with throngs of students during the weekend. Hongdae is famous for being the center of Seoul's indie and underground arts scene expect to see street performers, indie rock bands, graffiti, jameson inn and independent stores. During the night, Hongdae really comes alive, even more crowded than Sinchon and absolutely enormous it's easy to get lost inside this huge nightlife district, and has the second highest concentration of foreigners, after Itaewon.
Yongsan (용산) Yongsan is home to the US Army Military jameson inn Base as well as one of the largest electronics markets in the world, Yongsan Electronics Market jameson inn . On the top floor of this market is a Starcraft Arena - and yes, computer-obsessed Korea does, in fact, regularly jameson inn broadcast Starcraft matches on national television. This is also where you'll find Itaewon (이태원), perhaps the most culturally diverse area on the entire peninsula and home to dozens of restaurants featuring cuisine from the world over, numerous shops selling everything from custom-tailored suits to antiques, and several jameson inn Western pubs and bars. Itaewon also has the only mosque in Korea, and as such there are a growing number of Middle Eastern and Pakistani immigrants. Talks are also finalizing on Yongsan International Business District, a $28.8 billion dollar jameson inn project that when completed, will have a 665m centerpiece tower, the second tallest in the world.
Gangnam (강남) Gangnam is the glitzy center of modern Seoul, home to hundreds of glass and steel skyscrapers, neon billboards, and some of the most expensive real estate in the country. The core business district runs along Tehran-ro from Samseong Station to Gangnam Station. Gangnam station is the true center of Gangnam - with dozens of high rises, hundreds of restaurants and bars, and thousands upon thousands of neon signs lining Gangnam street, this area is not only a major commercial and nightlife center for young adults, it is Korea at its futuristic, digital, high-tech best. Samseong station at the other end of Tehran-ro is connected to COEX , a huge underground shopping mall with a movie theater, aquarium, hotels, food courts, and a Hyundai Department Store. To the north of this business district (but still in Gangnam) is Apgujeongdong jameson inn and Cheomdangdong , some of the most affluent areas in Seoul, and home to hundreds of upscale jameson inn luxury brands and department stores.
Songpa a primarily residential district east of Gangnam where you'll find Lotte World, Olympic Park, Seoul (Jamsil) Sports Complex, jameson inn and the Sincheon nightlife district. Lotte World is an un