History of Seoul

The first documents about Seoul say that it was founded in 18 BC as the capital of the Baekje dynasty.  Seoul then was called Wiryeseong and it has been the capital of the Korean peninsula ever since, although various rulers gave the city different names. Today architectures of that period can still be found as various city walls.

The importance of Seoul as a city really started during the Joseon Dynasty. Former General Yi Seong-gye chose Seoul to be the capital of his empire in 1392. During the next 10 years Seoul grew into a real city, with 100.000 inhabitants. In that period Seoul was a city lead by the Neo-Confucianism philosophy of the Joseon Dynasty. Buddhism and Catholicism were banned into the mountains and the countryside.

It was in the late 19th century Seoul first opened its doors to the foreigners. That was the time Seoul was moving towards modernization after hundreds of years of isolation. Seoul developed as the first city in East Asia to have access to electricity, trolley cars, water, telephone, and telegraph systems simultaneously. The trade with the USA helped in the development of the country to a great extent.

Till 1910 Seoul was controlled by this feudal system of kings, aristocrats, peasants, slaves and outcasts. The country once served as a colony to Japan during the years of 1910-1945. Seoul still remained the capital, although palaces were destroyed and the culture seemed to fade away.

In the recent history Seoul has hosted some major sports events. In 1988 the Olympics took place here. And in 2002 the opening of the FIFA world cup was in Seoul. This event was hosted along with Japan.

Seoul has become a major financial hub, as the headquaters of Samsung, LG and Hyundai are located here.

Demography

According to data of 2007 the population of Seoul crossed 10.4 million. The majority of the population are Koreans. A small section belong to the Japanese and Chinese community. There are also some Vietnamese and Indians in the city.

Buddhism and Christianity are the two major religons that are followed by  Seoul population. Other religions/ philosophies followed are Shamanism and Confucianism.

Geography

Seoul is located in the north-west of Korea. The area is 605.25 km2, from east to west it is 36.78 km and from north to south 30.30 km. Seoul is divided into 25 districts (gu). Each gu is divided into dongs or neighborhoods.