23 interesting facts about Seoul

The Korean capital Seoul is sometimes called the pearl of Asia. The Koreans themselves are very proud of their city, safe, high-tech and beautiful. A huge number of people live here, and Seoul is one of the leading metropolitan areas in the world. True, Korean culture is very peculiar for Europeans, as is the Korean mentality, so the pace of life in this city may seem rather unusual to some.

Facts about the city of Seoul

1. This city is part of the ten most populous cities in the world.
2. Seoul is home to about 20% of the population of all of South Korea.
3. Seoul has a population of 9.7 million.
4. The word «Seoul» translated from Korean as «capital». The only city whose name is translated in the same way is Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan (interesting facts about Kazakhstan).
5. There are about the same number of people living in Seoul as in all of Sweden.
6. Founded back in in the mid-40s of the last century, the National Museum of Korea in the capital is one of the most visited museums in the world.
7. In the past, it was called Vireson, Hanseong and Hanyang.
8. A long time ago, Seoul managed to to be the capital of several ancient Korean states.
9. Although it is officially believed to have been founded in the 14th century, the first surviving mention of Seoul, albeit under a different name, is about 2400 years old.
10. Despite the inexpensive food sold on every corner, in this city it is difficult to meet people who are conspicuously overweight.
11. Once upon a time, Seoul was surrounded by a fortress wall 7 meters high, but now only a few gates have survived from it, not far from the city center.
12. Most locals carry toothbrushes and toothpaste with them, brushing their teeth thoroughly after each meal.
13. The most popular drink in Seoul is coffee. Coffee houses are really everywhere here, but there are almost no tea houses.
14. One of the 9 lines of the Seoul subway is the longest among all subways in the world, from among the branches, completely underground.
15. Plastic surgery is very popular among the fair sex in Seoul. The same picture can be observed, for example, in Hong Kong or Bangkok, the capital of Thailand (interesting facts about Thailand).
16. Since Korean tradition forbids young people from bringing their girlfriends to their parental home before marriage, Seoul has a lot of hotels and hotels.
17. On average, Seoulians sleep less than residents of any other metropolitan area in the world.
18. The Han River flows through the Korean capital, which is interesting in that a whole artificial floating island with restaurants has been built on it.
19. Seoul is home to one of the largest amusement parks in the world, «Lotte World». More than 6 million people visit it every year.
20. All passengers on Seoul public transport ride with their hands on their phones. Nobody ever talks to anyone.
21. There are no stray dogs in Seoul. At the same time, dogs of decorative breeds are very popular here as pets.
22. Seoul’s Panhpo Fountain Bridge is the longest fountain in the world. Its length reaches 1140 meters.
23. Life in Seoul is quite expensive. It has long and firmly established itself in the top 10 most expensive cities in the world.