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Seoul (ko-Seoul.ogg listen (help·info) IPA: [sʌ.ul]) 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 major port city of Incheon and satellite towns in Gyeonggi-do, 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 chief economic, political, and cultural center. As a Special City, Seoul is administered directly by the national government and is divided into 25 major districts.

The city is located on the basin of the Han River in the country's north-west. An important settlement for over two millennia, Seoul's history dates back to 18 BC, when Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, established its capital Wirye-seong in what is now south-east Seoul. Modern Seoul descends from the Goryeo-era city of Namgyeong, which then became the capital of Korea during the Joseon dynasty. The Seoul National Capital Area includes three UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Changdeokgung, Hwaseong Fortress and the Jongmyo Shrine.[4]

Seoul's influence as a leading business, financial, technology and cultural center contributes to its status as a major global city.[5] It has hosted many international events, most notably the 1988 Summer Olympics and the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Seoul is one of the world's top ten financial and commercial cities[6] and is home to some of the world's largest conglomerates[7] such as Samsung, LG and Hyundai-Kia. In 2008, Seoul was named the world's sixth most economically powerful city by Forbes.com, ahead of Paris and Los Angeles.[8] It is also the fifth most expensive city in the world and the second most expensive city in Asia.[9]

Seoul has one of the world's most technologically advanced infrastructures,[10] and the Digital Media City in Mapo is the world's first complex for high-tech technologies and a test-bed for futuristic IT and multimedia applications.[11] Today, 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 a 100Mbits fast fibre-optic broadband network, which is being upgraded to 1Gbps by 2012.[12] Seoul Station houses 300 km/h KTX bullet trains and the Seoul Subway is currently the third largest in the world, with over 2 billion passengers every year