Travel Thursday on Empty Streets: Seoul, Korea

There is a place that I have been craving to visit and am hoping to get a sponsor to go someday hehe :) Seoul, Korea is that place. I found it quite interesting and appealing since I got exposed to teaching Korean students. They have so many stories and pictures of their home land that it intrigued me so much to research about it.

Seoul 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. The Seoul National Capital Area - which includes the major port city of Incheon and satellite towns in Gyeonggi-do, has 24.5 million inhabitants and is the world's second largest metropolitan area. 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 northwest. The North Korean border lies about 50 km to the north. Seoul first appears in history in 18 BC, when the Baekje, one of the Three Korean Kingdoms, 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 World Heritage sites: Changdeokgung, Hwaseong Fortress and the Jongmyo Shrine.
Seoul's influence as a leading business, financial, technology and cultural center contributes to its status as a major global city, and it is one of the world's top ten financial and commercial cities. In 2008, Forbes.com named Seoul the world's sixth most economically powerful city, ahead of Paris and Los Angeles. Due to its large size and rapid growth, it is projected to become a richer city by GDP than Atlanta, San Francisco, Houston and Miami by 2020. It is also the fifth most expensive city in the world and the second most expensive city in Asia.

Seoul has hosted many international events, most notably the 1988 Summer Olympics and the 2002 FIFA World Cup. The Seoul Subway is currently the third largest in the world, with over 2 billion passengers every year. In recent years, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has undertaken major environmental projects, including the nearly $1 billion restoration of Cheonggyecheon. At the same time, the city has promoted the Seoul Digital Media City, the world's first complex for high-tech digital technologies in IT, multimedia and entertainment.

Here is a video of what one can expect to find once they get to this amazing place. :)