16''x12'' Acrylic on canvas
Seoul is the capital and largest city of South Korea. With over ten million people, and 23 million in the wider metropolitan area, Seoul is one of the world's largest cities proper and metropolitan cities. As a Special City, it is administered directly by the national government.
The city is located on the basin of the Han River in the country's northwest. The North Korean border is about 50 km to the north.
Seoul first appears in history in 18 BC, when the Baekje kingdom established its capital Wiryeseong in what is now around Songpa-gu, southeastern Seoul. Modern Seoul descends from the Goryeo-era city called Namgyeong, which then became the capital of Korea during the Joseon dynasty.
The Seoul National Capital Area - which includes the major port city of Incheon and many satellite towns in Gyeonggi-do - has almost 23 million inhabitants, making it the second most populous metropolitan area in the world. Almost half of South Korea's population lives in the Seoul National Capital Area, and nearly one quarter in Seoul itself, making it the country's political, cultural, and economic centre. As of 2007, Seoul became the third most expensive city in the world and the most expensive in Asia.
In recent years, the metropolitan government has undertaken major environmental projects, including the restoration of Cheonggyecheon.
