Yo Kass answered
Seoul is the capital city of South Korea, and its name actually means exactly that: Capital city!
The city was also previously known by the names Hanseong or Hanyang.
The city was also previously known by the names Hanseong or Hanyang.
Origin of the word Seoul
The name Seoul is thought to derive from the name Seorabeol, which is ancient Sillan in origin.
Sillan (on Silla) refers to one of the three 'kingdoms' of Korea that existed for nearly 1000 years and which represents one of the longest standing dynasties in Asian history.
One suggestion is that the name Seorabeol would have been applied to the capital city and therefore led to the use of the Syeobeul in the linguistic period known as the Late Middle Korean. This would have,in turn, developed into Syeoul which is not far removed from the name Seoul that we use in in modern times.
Sillan (on Silla) refers to one of the three 'kingdoms' of Korea that existed for nearly 1000 years and which represents one of the longest standing dynasties in Asian history.
One suggestion is that the name Seorabeol would have been applied to the capital city and therefore led to the use of the Syeobeul in the linguistic period known as the Late Middle Korean. This would have,in turn, developed into Syeoul which is not far removed from the name Seoul that we use in in modern times.
Seoul: A special city
The reason you may hear Koreans referring to Seoul as a 'special city' isn't just out of pride for their breathtaking capital, but rather because the term is used in both North and South Korea to denote a city which operates like an independent province - with its own mayor and local government.
In Korea, the administrative divisions of the country rank in this order:
In Korea, the administrative divisions of the country rank in this order:
- Province (do)
- Special Self-Governing Province (teukbyeoljachi-do)
- Special city (teukbyeol-si)
- Special autonomous city (teukbyeol-jachisi)
- Metropolitan city (gwangyeok-si)
- City (si)
- County (gun)
- District (gu)
- Town (eup)
- Township (myeon)
- Neighbourhood (dong)
- Village (ri)
Although Seoul is the only 'special city' in South Korea, the development of Sejong City was created in 2007 as a 'Special Autonomous City' intended to be the seat of several national ministries and government buildings.
The other major Korean cities are known as 'metropolitan cities', and are bustling hubs dotted around the country which include: Busan, Incheon, Daegu, Gwangju, Daejeon and Ulsan.
The other major Korean cities are known as 'metropolitan cities', and are bustling hubs dotted around the country which include: Busan, Incheon, Daegu, Gwangju, Daejeon and Ulsan.
