History of Seoul
The historical development of Seoul from early settlement through its centuries as Korea’s capital to its growth into a modern metropolis.
Wirye: The Baekje kingdom’s early capital, traditionally identified with an area near present-day Seoul. Baekje’s early capital established a major political center in the Seoul region.
Seoul City Wall: A defensive wall built around the Joseon capital, following the ridges surrounding its historic center. Its gates and mountain route defined the limits of the early capital.
Taejo of Joseon: The founder and first king of the Joseon dynasty, who ruled from 1392 to 1398. He selected Hanyang as the dynasty’s capital in 1394.
Korean Empire: An independent Korean empire proclaimed in 1897 and annexed by Japan in 1910. Its reforms and ceremonial architecture marked Seoul’s brief era as an imperial capital.
Gyeongbokgung: The largest royal palace of the Joseon dynasty, built in Seoul in 1395. Its changing fortunes track the capital’s dynastic, colonial, and modern histories.
Hanseong: The walled capital established by the Joseon dynasty at the site of modern Seoul. Joseon made Hanseong its capital in 1394, shaping the city’s historic core.
Japanese occupation of Korea: Japan’s colonial rule over Korea from 1910 to 1945. Colonial authorities reshaped Seoul’s administration, street plan, and built environment.
King Sejong the Great: The fourth king of Joseon, remembered for reforms and the creation of the Korean alphabet. His reign strengthened the institutions and cultural life of the capital.
March 1st Movement: A nationwide Korean independence movement launched against Japanese rule on March 1, 1919. Seoul was a focal point of demonstrations that challenged colonial authority.
Jongmyo: A Confucian shrine in Seoul where ancestral tablets of Joseon kings and queens are enshrined. Its continued ritual use preserves a distinctive institution of the former capital.