Korean history dates back some 4000 years, and Seoul's beginnings have been attributed to its existence as a small village named Buckhan Song. However, the selection and planning of Seoul as the capital site for the kingdom was an offical and researched process.
After political and military seizure by General Yi Song-gye in 1389, the Koryo Kingdom was renamed Choson, and the Yi Dynasty established Seoul as the capital in 1394. The new king chose Seoul (then called Hanyang) under the traditional principles of geomancy. Other site charcteristics that made it desirable were: 1)its location in the middle of the kingdom, 2)surrounded by mountains for military fortification, 3)the Hangang (Han) River flowing through east to west.
The Yi Dynasty lasted for about 500 years, and in that time Hanyang
experienced slow but limited population growth. It is estimated that the
population within the city fluctuated between 100,000 and 200,000 people.
Reasons for this limited growth:
After a 7 year long invasion by the Japanese that ended in
1598, Korea experienced a social and economic transformation characterized
by a rise in commerical agriculture, private merchants and mercantile activity,
and philosophical and literary writings. Korea resisted numerous demands
to open for trade, however in 1876 with the signing of the Kanghwa Treaty,
the nation and city of Seoul became exposed to Western culture, thought,
and technology. Japanese colonial rule came soon
after, lasting for 36 years, (1909-1945).
Korea gained independence with the Japanese surrender in 1945, however former Soviet Union and United States occupation left the country divided along political ideologies, the Korea divided into the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea). Accompanying this unrest was a large rural to urban migration and in-migration of expatriates from Japan, Manchuria, and China into Seoul, whose population at this time was around 1.6 million. Another population surge occurred after the Korean War (1950-1953) and Seoul, recuperating after having 47% of its buildings destroyed, was left to cope with shortages in finance, housing, and public services. Most planning was done abruptly and for short term effect only.
After a military coup in 1961, the national government launched an industrial policy emphasizing an export-oriented economy. New manufacturing and industry encouraged more rural to urban migration to a city which again, could not provide adequate housing or services. This switch from a traditional agrarian labor force caused the population to escalate to almost 5 million, and the rapid growth spurred development to extend south of the Han River.
Seoul government instated decentralization policies in the
70's to account for the steady influx of rural migrants, shortage of services,
and environmental concerns. Seoul hosted the 1988 Summer Olympics, which
called for a general tightening of the city's infrastructure. New satellite
towns were developed, Olympic Stadium and Village were built, as well as
new subway lines and expressways. The population reached near its current
state of nearly 11 million.