Seoul

==History==
{{Main|History of Seoul}}
{{For timeline}}

=== Early history ===
Settlement of the [[Han River (Korea)|Han River]] area, where present-day Seoul is located, began around 4000 BC.<ref name="Britannica">{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/534948/Seoul/24023/Cultural-life#toc24024|title=Seoul|encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]|access-date=7 February 2014|archive-date=22 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222100436/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/534948/Seoul/24023/Cultural-life#toc24024|url-status=live}}</ref>

Seoul is first recorded as Wiryeseong, the capital of [[Baekje]] (founded in 18 BC) in the northeastern area of modern Seoul.<ref name="Britannica"/> There are several city walls remaining in the area that date from this time. [[Pungnaptoseong]], an earthen wall located southeast Seoul, is widely believed to have been at the main Wiryeseong site.<ref name="toseong">{{cite web|url=http://m.visitseoul.net/en/m/article/article.do?_method=view&m&p=02&menu=0004003002017&art_id=535&searchLoca&searchTheme=0002000001003&flag&searchType|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140222005911/http://m.visitseoul.net/en/m/article/article.do?_method=view&m&p=02&menu=0004003002017&art_id=535&searchLoca&searchTheme=0002000001003&flag&searchType|url-status=dead|archive-date=22 February 2014|title=Pungnap-toseong (Earthen Ramparts)|publisher=[[Seoul Metropolitan Government]]|access-date=7 February 2014}}</ref> As the Three Kingdoms competed for this strategic region, control passed from Baekje to [[Goguryeo]] in the 5th century.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LjgsBgAAQBAJ&q=three+kingdoms+korea|title=History Of Korea|date=12 November 2012|isbn=9781136166983|author1=Tennant|publisher=Routledge |archive-date=10 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201010214851/https://books.google.com/books?id=LjgsBgAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=three+kingdoms+korea|url-status=live}}</ref>

However, according to Samguk Sagi, both Baekje and Silla described the land as frontier border of Baekje, not as the capital region.<ref name="Samguk Sagi Silla Jinheung 19">{{Cite web |title=Samguk Sagi Silla Jinheung 19 |url=https://db.history.go.kr/item/oldBookViewer.do?levelId=sg_004_0040_0190 |website=[[National Institute of Korean History]] |access-date=22 January 2023 |archive-date=22 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230122045955/https://db.history.go.kr/item/oldBookViewer.do?levelId=sg_004_0040_0190 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Samguk Sagi Baekje Seong 19">{{Cite web |title=Samguk Sagi Baekje Seong 19 |url=https://db.history.go.kr/item/oldBookViewer.do?levelId=sg_026_0060_0190 |website=[[National Institute of Korean History]] |access-date=22 January 2023 |archive-date=22 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230122045942/https://db.history.go.kr/item/oldBookViewer.do?levelId=sg_026_0060_0190 |url-status=live }}</ref> Moreover, Jinheung Taewang Stele found at current day [[Bukhansan]] tells that the place was underdeveloped as of 6th century AD,<ref name="Jinheung Taewang Stele Seoul">{{Cite web |title=Monument on Bukhansan Mountain Commemorating the Border Inspection by King Jinheung of Silla |url=https://db.history.go.kr/item/compareVerticalViewer.do?levelId=gskh_003_0010_0090_0020&oneLevelId=gskh_003_0010_0090_0020&otherLevelId=gskh_003_0010_0090_0030 |website=[[National Institute of Korean History]] |access-date=22 January 2023 |archive-date=22 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230122050003/https://db.history.go.kr/item/compareVerticalViewer.do?levelId=gskh_003_0010_0090_0020&oneLevelId=gskh_003_0010_0090_0020&otherLevelId=gskh_003_0010_0090_0030 |url-status=live }}</ref> suggesting that the first capital Wiryeseong was not located in or nearby Seoul.

In July or August 553, [[Silla]] took the control of the region from Baekje, and the city became a part of newly established Sin Province ({{Korean|hangul=신주|hanja=新州|labels=no}}).<ref name="Samguk Sagi Silla Jinheung 19"/><ref name="Samguk Sagi Baekje Seong 19"/> Sin (新) has both meaning of "New" and "Silla", thus literally means New Silla Province.

In November 555, Jinheung Taewang made royal visit to Bukhansan, and inspected the borderline.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Samguk Sagi Silla Jinheung 24 |url=https://db.history.go.kr/item/oldBookViewer.do?levelId=sg_004_0040_0240 |website=[[National Institute of Korean History]] |access-date=22 January 2023 |archive-date=22 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230122090207/https://db.history.go.kr/item/oldBookViewer.do?levelId=sg_004_0040_0240 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 557, Silla abolished Sin Province, and established Bukhansan Province ({{Korean|hangul=북한산주|hanja=北漢山州|labels=no}}).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Samguk Sagi Silla Jinheung 28 |url=https://db.history.go.kr/item/oldBookViewer.do?levelId=sg_004_0040_0280 |website=[[National Institute of Korean History]] |access-date=22 January 2023 |archive-date=22 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230122050001/https://db.history.go.kr/item/oldBookViewer.do?levelId=sg_004_0040_0280 |url-status=live }}</ref> The word Hanseong ({{Korean|hangul=한성|hanja=漢城|labels=no|lit=Han Fortress}}) appears on the stone wall of "Pyongyang Fortress", which was presumably built in the mid to late 6th century AD over period of 42 years, located in Pyongyang, while there is no evidence that Seoul had name Hanseong dating the three kingdoms and earlier period.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pyongyang Fortress Stone 1 |url=https://db.history.go.kr/item/compareVerticalViewer.do?levelId=gskh_001_0030_0020_0020&oneLevelId=gskh_001_0030_0020_0020&otherLevelId=gskh_001_0030_0020_0030 |website=[[National Institute of Korean History]] |access-date=22 January 2023 |archive-date=22 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230122074047/https://db.history.go.kr/item/compareVerticalViewer.do?levelId=gskh_001_0030_0020_0020&oneLevelId=gskh_001_0030_0020_0020&otherLevelId=gskh_001_0030_0020_0030 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Pyongyang Fortress Stone 2 |url=https://db.history.go.kr/item/compareVerticalViewer.do?levelId=gskh_001_0030_0050_0030&oneLevelId=gskh_001_0030_0050_0020&otherLevelId=gskh_001_0030_0030_0030 |website=[[National Institute of Korean History]] |access-date=22 January 2023 |archive-date=22 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230122074047/https://db.history.go.kr/item/compareVerticalViewer.do?levelId=gskh_001_0030_0050_0030&oneLevelId=gskh_001_0030_0050_0020&otherLevelId=gskh_001_0030_0030_0030 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Pyongyang Fortress Stone 3 |url=https://db.history.go.kr/item/compareVerticalViewer.do?levelId=gskh_001_0030_0050_0030&oneLevelId=gskh_001_0030_0050_0020&otherLevelId=gskh_001_0030_0040_0030 |website=[[National Institute of Korean History]] |access-date=22 January 2023 |archive-date=22 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230122074045/https://db.history.go.kr/item/compareVerticalViewer.do?levelId=gskh_001_0030_0050_0030&oneLevelId=gskh_001_0030_0050_0020&otherLevelId=gskh_001_0030_0040_0030 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Pyongyang Fortress Stone 4 |url=https://db.history.go.kr/item/compareVerticalViewer.do?levelId=gskh_001_0030_0050_0030&oneLevelId=gskh_001_0030_0050_0020&otherLevelId=gskh_001_0030_0050_0030 |website=[[National Institute of Korean History]] |access-date=22 January 2023 |archive-date=22 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230122033727/https://db.history.go.kr/item/compareVerticalViewer.do?levelId=gskh_001_0030_0050_0030&oneLevelId=gskh_001_0030_0050_0020&otherLevelId=gskh_001_0030_0050_0030 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Pyongyang Fortress Stone 6 |url=https://db.history.go.kr/item/compareVerticalViewer.do?levelId=gskh_001_0030_0070_0030&oneLevelId=gskh_001_0030_0070_0020&otherLevelId=gskh_001_0030_0070_0030 |website=[[National Institute of Korean History]] |access-date=22 January 2023 |archive-date=22 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230122074045/https://db.history.go.kr/item/compareVerticalViewer.do?levelId=gskh_001_0030_0070_0030&oneLevelId=gskh_001_0030_0070_0020&otherLevelId=gskh_001_0030_0070_0030 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 568, Jinheung Taewang made another royal visit to the northern border, visited Hanseong, and stayed in Namcheon on his way back to the capital. During his stay, he set Jinheung Taewang Stele, abolished Bukhansan Province, and established Namcheon Province (남천주; 南川州; South River Province), appointing the city as the provincial capital.<ref name="Jinheung Taewang Stele Seoul"/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Samguk Sagi Silla Jinheung 45 |url=https://db.history.go.kr/item/oldBookViewer.do?levelId=sg_004_0040_0450 |website=[[National Institute of Korean History]] |access-date=22 January 2023 |archive-date=22 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230122045941/https://db.history.go.kr/item/oldBookViewer.do?levelId=sg_004_0040_0450 |url-status=live }}</ref> Based on the naming system, the actual name of Han River during this time was likely Namcheon (Nam River) itself or should have the word ending with "cheon" (천; 川) not "gang" (강; 江) nor "su" (수; 水). In addition, "Bukhansan" Jinheung Stele clearly states that Silla had possession of Hanseong (modern day [[Pyongyang]]), thus Bukhansan has to be located north of Hanseong. Modern day Pyongyang was not Pyongyang, [[Taedong River]] was likely Han River, and Bukhansan was not Bukhansan during the three kingdoms period.<ref name="Jinheung Taewang Stele Seoul"/><ref>{{Cite web |date=22 January 2013 |title="고구려 수도 평양은 북한땅에 없었다" |url=https://shindonga.donga.com/3/all/13/111825/1 |access-date=22 January 2023 |website=신동아 |language=ko |archive-date=22 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230122055048/https://shindonga.donga.com/3/all/13/111825/1 |url-status=live }}</ref> Moreover, Pyongyang was a common noun meaning capital used by Goguryeo and Goryeo dynasties, similar to Seoul.<ref>{{Cite web |date=11 July 2016 |title=고대 평양은 지금의 평양이 아니다 |url=http://www.ikoreanspirit.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=47046 |access-date=22 January 2023 |website=K스피릿 |language=ko |archive-date=22 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230122062318/http://www.ikoreanspirit.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=47046 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 603, Goguryeo attacked Bukhansanseong (북한산성; 北漢山城; Bukhan Mountain Fortress), which Silla ended up winning.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Samguk Sagi Silla Jinpyeong 30 |url=https://db.history.go.kr/item/oldBookViewer.do?levelId=sg_004_0060_0300 |website=[[National Institute of Korean History]] |access-date=22 January 2023 |archive-date=22 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230122101657/https://db.history.go.kr/item/oldBookViewer.do?levelId=sg_004_0060_0300 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Samguk Sagi Goguryeo Yeongyang 15 |url=https://db.history.go.kr/item/oldBookViewer.do?levelId=sg_020_0020_0150 |website=[[National Institute of Korean History]] |access-date=22 January 2023 |archive-date=22 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230122101658/https://db.history.go.kr/item/oldBookViewer.do?levelId=sg_020_0020_0150 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 604, Silla abolished Namcheon Province, and reestablished Bukhansan Province in order to strengthen the northern border. The city lost its provincial capital position and was put under Bukhansan Province once again.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Samguk Sagi Silla Jinpyeong 32 |url=https://db.history.go.kr/item/oldBookViewer.do?levelId=sg_004_0060_0320 |website=[[National Institute of Korean History]] |access-date=22 January 2023 |archive-date=22 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230122051026/https://db.history.go.kr/item/oldBookViewer.do?levelId=sg_004_0060_0320 |url-status=live }}</ref> This further proves that Bukhansan was located in the North of modern-day Pyongyang as changing the provincial name and objective would not be required if Bukhansan was located within Seoul.

In the 11th century [[Goryeo]], which succeeded [[Unified Silla]], built a summer palace in Seoul, which was referred to as the "Southern Capital". It was only from this period that Seoul became a larger settlement.<ref name="Britannica"/>

=== Joseon ===
==== Early and middle period ====
[[File:한양도성낙산구간.jpg|200px|left|thumb|The [[Fortress Wall of Seoul]]]]
{{Further|Downtown Seoul}}
Seoul was [[List of purpose-built national capitals|planned capital]] of the [[Joseon]]. [[Yi Seong-gye]], who was the founding father of the Joseon, enthroned himself to the King [[Taejo of Joseon|Taejo]] at the capital of old [[Goryeo]] in 1392. He changed the name of his Kingdom from Goryeo to Joseon in 1393, and started to looking for the place where Joseon's new capital will be established. Through some sharp debates inside government, King [[Taejo of Joseon|Taejo]] chose Hanyang (Sindo) instead of Muak in September 1394. Hanyang, as the new capital of the Joseon, was planned as geographic embodiment of [[Korean Confucianism]] and its construction started in October 1394. Some early stages of its construction, such as major palaces including the [[Gyeongbokgung]], was finished in 1395. Also the [[Fortress Wall of Seoul|Fortress Wall]] surrounding the Hanyang city was partially finished around 1396.<ref>{{cite book |last1=김 |first1=기호 |last2=김 |first2=웅호 |last3=염 |first3=복규 |last4=김 |first4=영심 |last5=김 |first5=도연 |last6=유 |first6=승희 |last7=박 |first7=준형 |date=2021-11-30 |title=서울도시계획사 1 현대 이전의 도시계획 (서울역사총서 12) |trans-title=History of urban planning in Seoul, Vol. 1., Urban planning before contemporary age |url=https://lib.seoul.go.kr/search/detail/CATTOT000001524017 |language=ko |location=Seoul |publisher=Seoul Historiography Institute |isbn=9791160711301}}</ref>{{rp|96–111}}

The city of Hanyang was governed by {{ill|Hanseongbu|ko|한성부}} ({{Korean|한성부|labels=no}}), an agency of the national government dedicated to affairs on administration of capital city. Hanseongbu divided the Hanyang city into two major category; Areas inside the Fortress Wall, and areas 10 [[Li (unit)|Ri]] (Korean mile) around the Fortress Wall. Former areas were typically named as ''Seong-jung'' ({{Korean|성중|hanja=城中|labels=no}}) or ''Doseong-an'' ({{Korean|도성 안|labels=no|lit=Inside the fortress}}) and latters were named as ''[[Seongjeosimni]]'' ({{Korean|성저십리|hanja=城底十里|lit=10 Ris around the fortress}}). The ''Doseong-an'' area later gained informal but popular name ''Sadaemun-an'' ({{Korean|사대문 안|labels=no}}), which literally means 'areas inside of the [[The Eight Gates of Seoul|Four Great Gates]]', and became the one and only [[Downtown Seoul|downtown (city center) of Hanyang city]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=김 |first1=경록 |last2=유 |first2=승희 |last3=김 |first3=경태 |last4=이 |first4=현진 |last5=정 |first5=은주 |last6=최 |first6=진아 |last7=이 |first7=민우 |last8=진 |first8=윤정 |date=2019-06-03 |title=조선시대 다스림으로 본 성저십리 (서울역사중점연구 5) |trans-title=Seongjeosimni in governance of Joseon (Studies on special topics of Seoul History, Vol. 5.) |url=https://lib.seoul.go.kr/search/detail/CATTOT000001318441 |language=ko |location=Seoul |publisher=Seoul Historiography Institute |isbn=9791160710670}}</ref>{{rp|90–100}}

==== Late period ====
[[File:Korea-Joseon map-Suseon jeondo.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Map of Seoul created 1825–1835 by [[Gim Jeong-ho|Kim Jeong-ho]] and designated National Treasure no 853.]]
In the late 19th century, after hundreds of years of isolation, Seoul opened its gates to foreigners and began to modernize. Seoul became the first city in [[East Asia]] to introduce electricity in the royal palace, built by the [[Edison Illuminating Company]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ieeeghn.org/wiki/images/8/85/Nam-Early_History.pdf|title=Early History of Electrical Engineering in Korea: Edison and First Electric Lighting in the Kingdom of Corea|author=Nam Moon Hyon|work=Promoting the History of EE Jan 23–26, 2000|publisher=Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers|access-date=7 February 2014|archive-date=22 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222020732/http://www.ieeeghn.org/wiki/images/8/85/Nam-Early_History.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> and a decade later Seoul also implemented electrical street lights.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cbRhAQAAQBAJ|title=A History of Korea|author=Kyung Moon Hwang|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|page=142|year=2010|isbn=9780230364523|access-date=9 November 2015|archive-date=25 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160125042515/https://books.google.com/books?id=cbRhAQAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Korean Empire ===
After [[Gojong of Joseon|Gojong]]'s proclamation of Korea as the [[Korean Empire]] in 1897, Seoul was temporarily called Hwangseong ({{Korean|hangul=황성|hanja=皇城|labels=no}}), literally "the imperial city."

Much of modern development around this era was propelled by trade with foreign countries like France and the United States. For example, the [[Seoul Electric Company]], Seoul Electric Trolley Company, and Seoul Fresh Spring Water Company were all joint Korean–U.S. owned enterprises.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/koreaundersiege10000chun|url-access=registration|title=Korea under Siege, 1876–1945 : Capital Formation and Economic Transformation|author=Young-Iob Chung|page=[https://archive.org/details/koreaundersiege10000chun/page/70 70]|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2006|isbn=9780198039662}}</ref> In 1904, an American by the name of Angus Hamilton visited the city and said, "The streets of Seoul are magnificent, spacious, clean, admirably made and well-drained. The narrow, dirty lanes have been widened, gutters have been covered, roadways broadened. Seoul is within measurable distance of becoming the highest, most interesting and cleanest city in the East."<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LR8svgdNOAYC&q=The+streets+of+Seoul+are+magnificent,+spacious,+clean,+admirably+made+and+well-drained&pg=PT123|author=Bruce Cumings|title=Korea's Place in the Sun: A Modern History|publisher=W. W. Norton & Company|year=2005|isbn=9780393347531|author-link=Bruce Cumings|access-date=21 November 2020|archive-date=30 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220930145316/https://books.google.com/books?id=LR8svgdNOAYC&q=The+streets+of+Seoul+are+magnificent,+spacious,+clean,+admirably+made+and+well-drained&pg=PT123|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Japanese annexation of Korea ===
After the [[Japan–Korea Annexation Treaty|annexation treaty]] in 1910, [[Empire of Japan|Japan]] annexed Korea and renamed the city [[Gyeongseong]] ("Kyongsong" in Korean and "[[Keijō]]" in Japanese). The city saw significant transformation under Japanese colonial rule. Imperial Japan removed the city walls, paved roads, and built Western-style buildings.

Seoul was deprived of its special status as the capital city and downsized under imperial Japan, compared to the traditional notion among people of the [[Joseon]] dynasty that Seoul included the area of approximately {{convert|4|km|mile|sp=us|abbr=on}} radius surrounding the [[Fortress Wall of Seoul|Fortress Wall]] (i.e., [[Outer old Seoul]]; {{Korean|hangul=성저십리|hanja=城底十里|labels=no}}). On October 1, 1910, Imperial Japan demoted Seoul as no different than any other city within the [[Gyeonggi]] province. After Imperial Japan's redistricting, Seoul only included the area inside the [[Fortress Wall of Seoul|Fortress Wall]] and present-day [[Yongsan-gu]]. In the 1930s, as part of Imperial Japan's war efforts leading up to the [[Second Sino-Japanese War]], [[Yeongdeungpo-gu]] was annexed into Seoul on April 1, 1936 to function as an industrial complex for steel and other [[metalworking]] factories.

The city was liberated by U.S. forces at the end of [[World War II]].

=== Contemporary history ===
[[File:Seoul City Charter - Cover.jpg|thumb|217x217px|The Charter of the City of Seoul published on August 10, 1946 by the [[U.S. Army Military Government in Korea]]]]
In 1945, following the liberation from Japanese colonial rule, the American military assumed control of Korea, including its capital city, then referred to as Kyeongseongbu in line with Japanese nomenclature. The [[United States Army Military Government in Korea|U.S. military government]] published the Charter of the City of Seoul in the official gazette the following year. The charter declared Seoul as the name of the city and established it as a [[municipal corporation]]. Seoul's status as a municipal corporation mirrored the [[Independent city (United States)|independent cities]] in the United States that do not belong to any county, and Seoul was established as an independent administrative unit, separate from the existing provinces.<ref>{{cite web |title=서울은 어떻게 '특별시'가 됐나…근거 문서 '서울시헌장' 공개 |url=https://history.seoul.go.kr/bbsctt/view.do?bbscttSn=2212200396&key=2210200045 |website=history.seoul.go.kr |publisher=Seoul Historiography Institute}}</ref> The Korean version of the Charter translated "''municipal corporation''" as "''special free city''" ({{lang-ko|특별자유시|label=none}}), which later became [[Special cities of South Korea|special city]] (or special metropolitan city; {{lang-ko|특별시|label=none}}) in the Local Autonomy Act of 1949. Seoul has retained its status as the only special city in South Korea (i.e., {{lang-ko|서울특별시|label=none}}).{{Cn|date=March 2024}}

{{Blockquote|text=The City of Seoul is hereby constituted a municipal corporation to be known as SEOUL. The boundaries of the municipal corporation are the present limits of the City of Seoul consisting of the following eight districts: Chong Koo, Chong No Koo, Sur Tai Moon Koo, Tong Tai Moon Koo, Sung Tong Koo, Ma Po Koo, Yong San Koo, and Yang Doung Po Koo, and as such may be extended as provided by law.|source=''U.S. Army Military Government in Korea'', Charter of the City of Seoul}}

Seoul under the U.S. military government between 1945 and 1948 was much smaller than it is today. It only covered the [[Fortress Wall of Seoul|Fortress Wall]], marked by the [[Eight Gates of Seoul|Eight Gates]], and the districts incorporated during Japanese rule to prosecute imperial Japan's war efforts.<ref>Notably, [[Yeongdeungpo-gu]] was incorporated into Kyeongseong (or Keijō) and developed under imperial Japan as a major industrial complex.</ref>

During the [[Korean War]], Seoul changed hands between the Soviet/Chinese-backed North Korean forces and the American-backed South Korean forces four times: falling to the North Koreans in the June 1950 [[First Battle of Seoul]], recaptured by UN forces in the September 1950 [[Second Battle of Seoul]], falling to a combined Chinese/North Korean force in the January 1951 [[Third Battle of Seoul]], and finally being recaptured once more by UN forces in [[Operation Ripper]] during the spring of 1951.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Korean War Chronology  |url=https://history.army.mil/reference/korea/kw-chrono.htm |access-date=6 September 2023 |website=U.S. Army Center of Military History |archive-date=9 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230909160307/https://history.army.mil/reference/Korea/kw-chrono.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Chapter XXVI: The Capture of Seoul |url=https://history.army.mil/books/korea/20-2-1/sn26.htm |access-date=6 September 2023 |website=U.S. Army Center of Military History |archive-date=7 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230207134826/https://history.army.mil/BOOKS/KOREA/20-2-1/sn26.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The extensive fighting left the city heavily damaged after the war. The capital was temporarily relocated to [[Busan]].<ref name="Britannica"/> One estimate of the extensive damage states that after the war, at least 191,000 buildings, 55,000 houses, and 1,000 factories lay in ruins. In addition, a flood of refugees had entered Seoul during the war, swelling the population of the city and its metropolitan area to an estimated 1.5&nbsp;million by 1955.<ref name="hamnett">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8GSpAgAAQBAJ|title=Planning Asian Cities: Risks and Resilience|page=159|publisher=Routledge|year=2012|editor=Stephen Hamnett, Dean Forbes|isbn=9781136639272|access-date=9 November 2015|archive-date=25 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160125042515/https://books.google.com/books?id=8GSpAgAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>

Following the war, Seoul began to focus on reconstruction and modernization. As [[Miracle on the Han River|South Korea's economy started to grow rapidly]] from the 1960s, [[urbanization]] also accelerated and workers began to move to Seoul and other larger cities.<ref name="hamnett"/> In 1963, Seoul went through two major expansions that established the shape and size of the present-day Seoul—barring minor adjustments to the borders later in 1973 and 2000. In August 1963, Seoul annexed parts of [[Yangju-si|Yangju-gun]], [[Gwangju-si|Gwangju-gun]], [[Siheung|Siheung-gun]], [[Gimpo|Gimpo-gun]], and [[Bucheon|Bucheon-gun]], expanding the northeastern borders of Seoul. In September, Seoul again annexed present-day [[Gangnam]].<ref>{{cite web |title=서울의 역사 |url=https://www.seoul.go.kr/seoul/history.do |website=[[Seoul Metropolitan Government]] |language=ko}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://spp.seoul.go.kr/cms/board/Download.jsp?fileId=IUAjJDMyMTY1LS0kJA==|title=Urban Planning of Seoul|publisher=[[Seoul Metropolitan Government]]|format=PDF|year=2009|access-date=7 February 2014|archive-date=25 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160125042517/http://spp.seoul.go.kr/cms/board/Download.jsp?fileId=IUAjJDMyMTY1LS0kJA==|url-status=live}}</ref> The two consecutive expansions more than doubled the size of Seoul from approximately {{convert|268|km2|mi2|sp=us|abbr=on}} to {{convert|613|km2|mi2|sp=us|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web |title=면적과 인구밀도 |url=https://data.si.re.kr/data/지표로-본-서울-변천-2003/374 |website=data.si.re.kr |publisher=서울연구데이터서비스}}</ref>

After annexation, [[Gangnam]]'s development was spurred by key infrastructure projects: the construction of the [[Hannam Bridge]] (1966–1969) and [[Gyeongbu Expressway]] (1968–1970). As Seoul's population kept growing, [[Park Chung Hee|Park]]'s regime focused its development plans on Gangnam. The main hurdle for Gangnam's development was floods because the area is low-lying and prone to flooding. Then Seoul mayor Kim Hyun-ok ordered construction of an expressway that doubled as [[Embankment (earthworks)|embankment]], which became the present-day [[Gangbyeonbuk-ro|Gangbyeon Expressway]]. The construction started in March 1967 and completed in September of the same year. Similar projects transformed previously flood-prone areas into usable land for development. Such areas include the current [[Ichon-dong]], the [[Banpo-dong|Banpo apartment complex]], [[Apgujeong-dong]] and [[Jamsil-dong]].

Until 1972, Seoul was claimed by North Korea as its ''de jure'' capital, being specified as such in Article 103 of the [[Constitution of North Korea|1948 North Korean constitution]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.hrnk.org/uploads/pdfs/DPRK_Constitution.pdf |title=Constitution of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea |access-date=20 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160914164442/http://www.hrnk.org/uploads/pdfs/DPRK_Constitution.pdf |archive-date=14 September 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[Demographics of South Korea|South Korea's 2019 population]] was estimated at 51.71 million, and according to the 2018 Population and Housing Census, 49.8% of the population resided in the Seoul metropolitan area. This was up by 0.7% from 49.1% in 2010, showing a distinct trend toward the concentration of the population in the capital.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Korean Cultural Centre India New Delhi|url=http://india.korean-culture.org/en/1025/korea/672|access-date=31 October 2021|website=Korean Cultural Centre India New Delhi|language=en|archive-date=20 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200720011803/http://india.korean-culture.org/en/1025/korea/672|url-status=live}}</ref> Seoul has become the economic, political and cultural hub of the country,<ref name="Britannica"/> with several [[Fortune Global 500]] companies, including [[Samsung]], [[SK Holdings]], [[Hyundai Group|Hyundai]], [[POSCO]] and [[LG Group]] headquartered there.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/global500/2012/countries/SouthKorea.html|title=GLOBAL 500|work=CNNMoney|access-date=7 February 2014|date=23 July 2012|archive-date=19 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119093541/https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/global500/2012/countries/SouthKorea.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Seoul was the host city of the [[1986 Asian Games]] and [[1988 Summer Olympics]] as well as one of the venues of the [[2002 FIFA World Cup]].

[[File:View-of-Seoul-from63-Building-2019-7-27.webm|thumb|Various views of Seoul from the [[63 Building]] in July 2019]]