Seoul

Seoul, formally the Seoul Special City, is the capital and biggest city of South Korea, as well as the country's economic and financial centre. Seoul has a population of 9.7 million people and is the geographic centre of the Seoul Capital Area, which includes the adjacent Incheon city and Gyeonggi province. Seoul is the capital of South Korea. According to the Globalization and World Cities Research Network (GaWC), Seoul is a global city and is ranked as an Alpha – City. In 2014, Seoul was the world's fourth biggest metropolitan economy, behind only Tokyo, New York City, and Los Angeles in terms of GDP. From Incheon International Airport, which has been awarded the world's finest airport for nine straight years (2005–2013) by the Airports Council International, most international tourists arrive in Seoul through AREX. In 2015, it was named Asia's most livable city by Arcadis, and it has the second greatest quality of life in the world. Seoul's GDP per capita (PPP) is around $45,000, making it the second most prosperous city in the world. In 2017, the cost of living in Seoul was rated sixth highest in the world, according to the World Bank. Seoul's real estate market was rated third in the world in 2020 for the price of flats in the city's central business district. When the 2002 FIFA World Cup was co-hosted by South Korea and Japan, Seoul was one of the cities that played host to the official competition of the event.

Due to the presence of significant technological centres in Gangnam and Digital Media City, the Seoul Capital Area is home to the headquarters of 15 Fortune Global 500 firms, among them Samsung, LG, and Hyundai, as well as several smaller enterprises. According to the Global Power City Index and Global Financial Centres indexes, the metropolis is the seventh most powerful city in the world and one of the top five conference hosts in the world, giving it a significant effect on global affairs. Seoul has hosted a number of major events, including the Asian Games in 1986, the Summer Olympics in 1988, and the G20 Summit in 2010.

South Korea has had a number of different capitals, including Baekje, Joseon, the Korean Empire, Goryeo (as a subsidiary capital), and the current state of Baekje, South Korea. Seoul, which is strategically placed along the Han River, has a history that dates back more than two thousand years, when it was built by the people of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, in the year 18 BC. After that, during the Joseon dynasty, the city was elevated to the status of the nation's capital. Seoul is bordered by a rugged and hilly scenery, with Bukhan Mountain, which is situated on the city's northern outskirts, serving as a natural barrier. There are five World Heritage Sites in the Seoul Capital Area: Changdeok Palace, Hwaseong Fortress, Jongmyo Shrine, Namhansanseong and the Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty. The Changdeok Palace is the most visited of these sites. Since the 1990s, Seoul has been a prominent site of contemporary architecture building, with notable modern monuments including the N Seoul Tower, the 63 Building, the Lotte World Tower, the Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Lotte World, Trade Tower, COEX, and the International Finance Center (IFC) Seoul. Seoul has been designated as the World Design Capital for 2010. It is regarded as the birthplace of K-pop and the origin of the Korean wave.