Description : Seoul (/soʊl/, like soul; Korean: 서울 (About this soundlisten); lit. 'Capital'), officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. Seoul has a population of 9.7 million people, and forms the heart of the Seoul Capital Area with the surrounding Incheon metropolis and Gyeonggi province. Seoul was the world's 4th largest metropolitan economy in 2014 after Tokyo, New York City and Los Angeles. In 2017, the cost of living in Seoul was ranked the 6th highest globally. Seoul was the capital of various Korean states, including Baekje, Joseon, the Korean Empire, Goryeo (as a secondary capital), and presently South Korea. Strategically located along the Han River, Seoul's history stretches back over two thousand years, when it was founded in 18 BC by the people of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. The city was later designated the capital of Korea under the Joseon dynasty. Archaeological exploration shows evidence of human settlement since about 4000 BCE along the Han River in the area now occupied by Seoul. The earliest historical mention of Seoul and the surrounding area dates from the 1st century BCE. During the Three Kingdoms period (c. 57 BCE–668 CE) of Silla, Koguryŏ (Koguryeo), and Paekche, the area formed a borderland between the three countries, although during the early part of the period it was most closely associated with the kingdom of Paekche. Historical accounts as well as archaeological records indicate that the original site of Paekche’s capital, Wiryesŏng (Wiryeseong), was in the northeastern part of present-day Seoul. Shortly thereafter the capital was moved south across the Han River; a number of remains, including earthen walls, dwellings, and tombs, have been uncovered at that site. It was not, however, until King Munjong of Koryŏ built a summer palace in 1068 CE that a fairly large settlement existed on the site of the modern city.
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