1.
Rapid transit
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Rapid transit, also known as heavy rail, metro, subway, tube, or underground, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. The stations typically have high platforms, without steps inside the trains and they are typically integrated with other public transport and often operated by the same public transport authorities. However, some transit systems have at-grade intersections between a rapid transit line and a road or between two rapid transit lines. It is unchallenged in its ability to transport large numbers of people quickly over short distances with little use of land, variations of rapid transit include people movers, small-scale light metro, and the commuter rail hybrid S-Bahn. The worlds first rapid-transit system was the partially underground Metropolitan Railway which opened as a railway in 1863. In 1868, New York opened the elevated West Side and Yonkers Patent Railway, china has the largest number of rapid transit systems in the world. The worlds longest single-operator rapid transit system by length is the Shanghai Metro. The worlds largest single rapid transit service provider by both length of revenue track (665 miles and number of stations is the New York City Subway. The busiest rapid transit systems in the world by annual ridership are the Tokyo subway system, the Seoul Metropolitan Subway, the Moscow Metro, the Beijing Subway, Metro is the most common term for underground rapid transit systems used by non-native English speakers. One of these terms may apply to a system, even if a large part of the network runs at ground level. In Scotland, however, the Glasgow Subway underground rapid transit system is known as the Subway, in the US, underground mass transit systems are primarily known as subways, whereas the term metro is a shortened reference to a metropolitan area. In that vein, Chicagos commuter rail system, serving the area, is called Metra. Exceptions in naming rapid transit systems are Washington DCs subway system the Washington Metro, Los Angeles Metro Rail, and the Miami Metrorail, the opening of Londons steam-hauled Metropolitan Railway in 1863 marked the beginning of rapid transit. Initial experiences with steam engines, despite ventilation, were unpleasant, experiments with pneumatic railways failed in their extended adoption by cities. Electric traction was more efficient, faster and cleaner than steam, in 1890 the City & South London Railway was the first electric-traction rapid transit railway, which was also fully underground. Both railways were merged into London Underground. The 1893 Liverpool Overhead Railway was designed to use electric traction from the outset, budapest in Hungary and Glasgow, Chicago and New York all converted or purpose-designed and built electric rail services. Advancements in technology have allowed new automated services, hybrid solutions have also evolved, such as tram-train and premetro, which incorporate some of the features of rapid transit systems
2.
Seoul Capital Area
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The Seoul Capital Area is the metropolitan area centered on Seoul located in the north-west of South Korea. It is referred to as Sudogwon or Gyeonggi region in Korean, the Seoul Capital Area has a population of 24 million and is ranked as the fourth largest metropolitan area in the world. Its area is about 11,704 km2 and it forms the cultural, commercial, financial, industrial, and residential center of South Korea. The largest city is Seoul, with a population of approximately 10 million people, followed by Incheon, the Capital Area occupies a plain in the Han River valley. It contains some of the most fertile land on the Korean peninsula, the Gimpo Plain, one of the countrys larger expanses of level arable land, covers much of the area of the cities of Gimpo and Bucheon. The Capital Area has been home to a Korean capital for around 2,000 years and its central location and relatively gentle landscape have given it a central role in the countrys affairs. The first capital to be constructed in the region was that of Baekje, the countrys first capital was built in 19 BC and was named Wiryeseong. This is believed to have been constructed near the boundary of Seoul. However, Baekje was unable to hold territory, and surrendered the Han River valley to Goguryeo in the 5th century. The land was taken over by Silla in the 6th century. After the fall of Silla, Taejo of Goryeo established the capital of his kingdom in Kaesŏng, after the fall of Goryeo Dynasty in 1392, the newly founded Joeson Dynasty had its capital, less than 100 km south of the old dynastys capital, Kaesŏng. During the new rule, extensive road systems, administrative buildings, royal palaces. During the Korean Empire period, Hanseongs public transportation was improved with the installation of streetcars, horse carriage systems similar to the ones in Europe were also established. Following the Japanese annexation of Korea in 1910, Hanseong was renamed Keijo, upon Koreas liberation from Japan in 1945, the former colonial capital was renamed Seoul and became capital of South Korea. In the Korean War, the Capital Area became the focus of battles so destructive that most of Seoul, Seoul was especially hit hard, since it exchanged hands four times during the course of the war. During the latter half of the 20th century, the Capital Area began to develop as South Koreas economic wealth expanded. Population expanded fourfold since the Korean War, in 2001, the new Incheon International Airport took over all international flights to Seoul. Covering only about 12% of the area, the Seoul Capital Area is home to more than 48. 2% of the national population
3.
Seoul Subway Line 1
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The central underground portion of this rail line is the oldest subway section in the Seoul Metropolitan Subway system, the entire rail line covers a large part of the Seoul Capital Area. The underground section between Seoul Station and Cheongnyangni Station, which is referred to as Seoul Metro Line 1, is operated by Seoul Metro. The line first opened in 1974 as the Korean National Railroad of Seoul with through services to overground national railroad tracks from Seongbuk Station to Incheon and Suwon Stations. At the time, the 7.8 km underground portion was run by Seoul Metro was called Line 1, on the other hand, the remaining sections of the rail line run by Korail were labeled either blue or gray on maps, and the express lines were red. In 2000, the adjacent through-running Korail lines were officially bundled together as part of a greater Line 1, commuter railway service was extended to Sinchang in December 2008. Frequent service is provided between Soyosan, Dongducheon, Uijeongbu, Cheongnyangni, Seoul, Yongsan, and Guro, where trains split between Incheon in the west and Byeongjeom and Cheonan in the south, express trains operate from Yongsan and Seoul Stations to Dongincheon and Cheonan stations. Trains travel along Gyeongbu, Gyeongin, Janghang and Gyeongwon, in June 2006, Jinwi and Jije Stations opened on the Gyeongbu Line. In January 2010 Dangjeong Station opened, between Gunpo and Uiwang Stations, part of the Gyeongwon Line from Dongducheon to Uijeongbu was merged into Line 1 in December 2006. The line runs on the side of the track, as opposed to the right-hand side of the track like all of the other Seoul Metropolitan Subway lines do. Korail operates a variety of rapid trains for long distance commuter services on Line 1. These services include, Gyeongin line express services from Yongsan to Dongincheon and this service was introduced on January 29,1999. Jemulpo Station and Gaebong Station have begun serving express trains on February 1,2016, Gyeongwon line express services from Dongducheon to Incheon, operating express between Dongducheon and Kwangwoon University and run local train between Incheon and Kwangwoon University. Gyeongbu line express services, including, Yongsan-Cheonan, with B express services making fewer stops than the A services and this service was introduced on October 20,1982. Yeongdeungpo-Byeongjeom, skipping all stations between Yeongdeungpo and Anyang and then following the A express service pattern until Byeongjeom and this service was introduced on August 25,2014. Korail is named Korean National Railroad, with Line 1 just referring to the Seoul–Cheongnyangni section,1978 December 9, The Gyeongwon Line from Yongsan to Seongbuk opens as a new branch, with Ichon and Seongsu. 1979 February 1, Yuljeon Station is opened,1980 January 5, Sinimun Station is opened. April 1, Seobinggo, Hannam and Hoegi are opened, July 10, Seongsu is renamed Eungbong Station 1982 August 2, Seoksu Station is opened. 1984 January 1, Yuljeon Station is renamed Seongdae-ap Station, may 22, Sindorim Station is opened
4.
Jung District, Seoul
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Jung District, literally meaning Central District, is one of the 25 gu which make up the city of Seoul, South Korea. It is located on the side of the Han River. Located in the heart of Seoul, Jung District is an area with a variety of old, located here is the Gwangtonggwan, the oldest continuously-operating bank building in Korea. It was registered as one of protected monuments on March 5,2001. In addition, together with sites as Myeongdong Cathedral and the Bank of Korea Museum. And Myeongdong is one of the most famous shopping areas in South Korea, Jung District is one of the most significant business cores of Seoul. Major newspapers such as The Chosun Ilbo and JoongAng Ilbo, The Dong-a Ilbo are also based in Jung District, the headquarters of South Korean food company CJ Cheil Jedang is in the CJ Cheiljedang Building in Ssangnim-dong, near the Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station. Air France operates an office on the 11th floor of the Korean Air Building in Jung District. Air China has an office on the 1st and 2nd floors of the Hansuang Building in Seosomun-dong in Jung District, all Nippon Airways operates the Seoul Office in Room 1501 on the 15th floor of the Center Building in Sogong-dong, Jung District. Hainan Airlines operates its South Korea office in Suite 1501 of the Samyoung Building in Sogong-dong, MIAT Mongolian Airlines has its Seoul Branch Office in the Soonhwa Building in Sunhwa-dong. In the 1980s Korean Air had its headquarters in Jung District, color, Green Tree, Pine tree Flower, Rose Bird, Korean magpie Jung District is the center of Seoul. Because this, historically it was a place for many scholars who stayed in Seoul to discuss. Han Myeong Hoe, scholar and tactician in the early Joseon Dynasty Park Ji won, namgung Uk, activist for the Korean independence movement The National Human Rights Commission of Korea has its headquarters in the Gumsegi Building in Jung District. The Korean Maritime Safety Tribunal formerly had its headquarters in the S1 Building in Sunhwa-dong, Jung District, the offices of the KMST are now in Sejong City. Jung District, Seoul travel guide from Wikivoyage Jung-gu Official site in English Resident offices and maps of Jung-gu
5.
Chungmuro Station
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Chungmuro Station is a station on the Seoul Subway Line 3, the orange line, and Line 4, the sky-blue line. Both the Line 3 and 4 platforms are located in Chungmuro-4-ga, Jung-gu and this station is named after the road under which it passes, in honor of the Chosun general Yi Sunsin, who was also known by the title of Chungmugong. Chungmuro is considered the best place to view Korean movies, just outside the exit by the rear entrance to Dongguk University is Daehan Cinema, where Chungmuro Film Festival in Seoul was first held
6.
Seoul Station
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Seoul Station is a major railway station in Seoul, the capital of South Korea. The station is served by the Gyeongbu Line, its counterpart and the Gyeongui Line, with frequent high-speed, express. The station is the terminus for the KTX and express services to Busan. The station is served by about a dozen trains per day on the Honam Line and its express Gwangju Station. AREX express trains provide service to Gimpo Airport and Incheon International Airport, Seoul Subway serves the station with Line 1 and Line 4, and an hourly train on the Gyeongui Line. Around 2015, a bus transfer center was built in front of the stations main entrance. It has about nine platforms that services different bus routes in Seoul and it is separated from the main roads with a barrier around the platforms. Yet having a complicated structure with many bus platforms, the transfer center is built in a simple manner as it is not a separate terminal building. The Gyeongbu Line opened in 1905, and the Gyeongui Line opened in 1921 – both lines connecting to the station, the construction of the current Old Seoul Station began on June 1,1922, and was finished on September 30,1925. In 1923, the station reverted to the name Gyeongseong Station, the station was renamed Seoul Station on November 1,1947. The station was expanded throughout the post-Korean War era, the Southern Annex of Seoul station was completed on December 30,1957, in 1975, the Korea National Railroads office moved from Seoul Station to the new West Annex Office. A raised walkway connecting the Seoul Station and the West Annex was completed on 1977, in 2004, a new terminal adjacent to the existing one was completed to coincide with the introduction of KTX high-speed rail service. The Old Seoul Station, originally named Keijo Station and designed by Tsukamoto Yasushi of Tokyo Imperial University, was finished on November 1925 and this red brick building, designed in an eclectic style, features a Byzantine-style central dome and a centralized and symmetrical layout. The floor of the Central Hall on the floor was covered with granite. The wooden floor inside the buildings VIP Lounge was covered with birch wood, on September 25,1981, the old station was designated as Historic Site 284. On the same year, the management was transferred from the Cultural Heritage Administration to the Ministry of Culture, Sports, after the design for former Seoul Stations remodeling was developed in 2009, the remodeling construction began. On April 2,2012, Culture Seoul Station 284 was officially launched as a space for artistic and cultural creation. The official name, which combines the historic, spatial
7.
AREX
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AREX, spelled AREX as a brand name, is a South Korean commuter rail line that links Seoul with Gimpo Airport and Incheon International Airport. The section between the two opened on March 23,2007, the extension to Seoul Station opened December 29,2010. Korea Train Express high speed trains started to use the line in June 30,2014, the line was initially announced in July 1998 as the Incheon International Airport Railroad, abbreviated IREX. The project was launched as South Koreas first build-operate-transfer franchise, the concession was won by a consortium of 11 Korean companies, which incorporated as the Incheon International Airport Railroad Company in March 2001. The original main shareholders were Hyundai, POSCO, Daelim, Dongbu, after significant delays, construction of the line started in 2001, after the opening of Incheon Airport. About 60% of the line is underground, and reaches Yeongjong Island, which hosts Incheon International Airport, on the deck of Yeongjong Bridge. The line and the company was renamed AREX in June 2006. The first 37.6 km segment from Incheon International Airport Station to Gimpo International Airport Station opened on March 23,2007, in March 2009, Korail acquired an 88. 8% share of the company. Upon the acquisition, the company changed its name to Korail Airport Railroad as of November 30,2009. Phase 2 of the line is from Gimpo International Airport Station to Seoul Station, including a depot section, the full length of the line is 61.7 km. At Gimpo Airport the line is underground and heads north-east and rises to the surface to cross the Han River on the Magok Railway Bridge, the line descends into a tunnel and curves to the east. The city of Incheon requested that AREX add three new stations, tentatively named Cheongna International City, Yeongjong and Yongyu. The stations were planned to open with the second phase of the line. Cheongna International City Station, located west of Geomam was opened on June 21,2014, Yeongjong station, located near the eastern part of the airport island, opened on March 26,2016. The station was constructed as a shell with two side platforms only, but underwent a conversion to fit in two outer tracks on each platform to allow for bypass moves. Earlier plans to link Yongsan Station have been dropped, however, KTX service began to run to Incheon International Airport on June 30,2014. The trains stops 2 stations on the line, Geomam & Incheon International Airport, on September 1,2010, the South Korean government announced a strategic plan to reduce travel times from Seoul to 95% of the country to under 2 hours by 2020. As part of the plan, the AREX line is to be upgraded for 230 km/h
8.
Seoul
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The Seoul Capital Area houses up to half of the countrys population of 50.22 million people with 678,102 international residents. Situated on the Han River, Seouls history stretches back more than two years when it was founded in 18 BCE by Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. It continued as the capital of Korea under the Joseon Dynasty, the Seoul Capital Area contains five UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Changdeok Palace, Hwaseong Fortress, Jongmyo Shrine, Namhansanseong and the Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty. Seoul is surrounded by mountains, the tallest being Mt. Bukhan, in 2015, it was rated Asias most livable city with the second highest quality of life globally by Arcadis. In 2014, the citys GDP per capita of $39,786 was comparable to that of France and Finland. Ranked sixth in the Global Power City Index and Global Financial Centres Index, Seoul is the worlds most wired city and ranked first in technology readiness by PwCs Cities of Opportunity report. It is served by the KTX high-speed rail and the Seoul Subway, providing 4G LTE, WiFi, Seoul is connected via AREX to Incheon International Airport, rated the worlds best airport nine years in a row by Airports Council International. Lotte World Tower, a 556-metre supertall skyscraper with 123 floors, has built in Seoul and become the OECDs tallest in 2016. Its Lotte Cinema houses the worlds largest cinema screen, Seouls COEX Mall is the worlds largest underground shopping mall. Seoul hosted the 1986 Asian Games,1988 Summer Olympics,2002 FIFA World Cup, the Miss Universe 1980 pageant, a UNESCO City of Design, Seoul was named the 2010 World Design Capital. The city has known in the past by the names Wirye-seong, Hanju. During Japans annexation in Korea, Hanseong was renamed to Keijō by the Imperial authorities to prevent confusion with the hanja 漢, in reality, the ancient name of Seoul, Hanseong, originally had the meaning of big or vast. Its current name originated from the Korean word meaning city, which is believed to be derived from the word Seorabeol, which originally referred to Gyeongju. Unlike most place names in Korea, Seoul has no corresponding hanja, on January 18,2005, Seoul government officially changed its official Chinese language name to Shouer from the historic Hancheng, of which use is becoming less common. Settlement of the Han River area, where present-day Seoul is located, Seoul is first recorded as Wiryeseong, the capital of Baekje in the northeastern Seoul area. There are several city walls remaining in the area date from this time. Pungnaptoseong, a wall just outside Seoul, is widely believed to have been at the main Wiryeseong site. As the Three Kingdoms competed for this region, control passed from Baekje to Goguryeo in the 5th century
9.
National Assembly (South Korea)
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The National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, often shortened to the National Assembly in domestic English-language media, is the 300-member unicameral national legislature of South Korea. The latest legislative elections were held on 13 April 2016, single-member constituencies comprise 253 of the assemblys seats, while the remaining 47 are allocated by proportional representation. The unicameral assembly consists of at least 200 members according to the South Korean constitution, in 1990 the assembly had 299 seats,224 of which were directly elected from single-member districts in the general elections of April 1988. Under applicable laws, the remaining seventy-five representatives were elected from party lists, by law, candidates for election to the assembly must be at least thirty years of age. The National Assemblys term is four years, in a change from the more authoritarian Fourth Republic and Fifth Republic, under the Sixth Republic, the assembly cannot be dissolved by the president. The constitution stipulates that the assembly is presided over by a Speaker, the Speaker and Deputy Speakers are elected in a secret ballot by the members of the Assembly, and their term in office is restricted to two years. The Speaker is independent of party affiliation, and the Speaker, parties that hold at least 20 seats in the assembly form floor negotiation groups, which are entitled to a variety of rights that are denied to smaller parties. These include a greater amount of funding and participation in the leaders summits that determine the assemblys legislative agenda. To introduce a bill, a legislator must present the initiative to the Speaker with the signatures of at least ten members of the assembly. The bill must then be edited by a committee to ensure that the bill contains correct and it can then be approved or rejected by the Assembly. There are 16 standing committees which examine bills and petitions falling under their respective jurisdictions, as of 2012,246 members represent constituencies, while 54 were elected from PR lists. In contrast to elections to the Assembly, presidential elections occur every five years. A proposal to lower the number of required to form a negotiation group to 15 was passed on 24 July 2000. In order to meet the quorum, the United Liberal Democrats, the legislators returned to the MDP after the collapse of the ULD–MDP coalition in September 2001. From 2004 to 2009, the assembly gained notoriety as a frequent site for legislative violence, the Assembly first came to the worlds attention during a violent dispute on impeachment proceedings for then President Roh Moo-hyun, when open physical combat took place in the assembly. Since then, it has been interrupted by periodic conflagrations, piquing the worlds curiosity once again in 2009 when members battled each other with sledgehammers, images of the melee were broadcast around the world. Elections for the assembly were held under UN supervision on 10 May 1948, the First Republic of South Korea was established on 17 July 1948 when the constitution of the First Republic was established by the Assembly. The Assembly also had the job of electing the President, under the first constitution, the National Assembly was unicameral
10.
Hangul
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The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul in South Korea and as Chosŏngŭl/Chosŏn Muntcha in North Korea is the alphabet that has been used to write the Korean language since the 15th century. It was created during the Joseon Dynasty in 1443 by King Sejong the Great, in South Korea, Hangul is used primarily to write the Korean language as using Hanja in typical Korean writing had fallen out of common usage during the late 1990s. In its classical and modern forms, the alphabet has 19 consonant and 21 vowel letters, however, instead of being written sequentially like the letters of the Latin alphabet, Hangul letters are grouped into blocks, such as 한 han, each of which transcribes a syllable. That is, although the syllable 한 han may look like a single character, each syllabic block consists of two to six letters, including at least one consonant and one vowel. These blocks are arranged horizontally from left to right or vertically from top to bottom. Each Korean word consists of one or more syllables, hence one or more blocks, of the 11,172 possible Hangul syllables, the most frequent 256 have a cumulative frequency of 88. 2%, with the top 512, it reaches 99. 9%. The modern name Hangul was coined by Ju Sigyeong in 1912, han meant great in archaic Korean, and geul is the native Korean word for script. Taken together, then, the meaning is great script, as the word han had also become one way of indicating Korea as a whole the name could also potentially be interpreted as Korean script. Korean 한글 is pronounced, and in English as /ˈhɑːn. ɡʊl/ or /ˈhɑːŋɡʊl/, when used as an English word, it is often rendered without the diacritics, hangul, and it is often capitalized as Hangul, as it appears in many English dictionaries. Hankul in the Yale romanization, a system recommended for technical linguistic studies, North Koreans call it Chosŏngŭl, after Chosŏn, the North Korean name for Korea. Because of objections to the names Hangeul, Chosŏngŭl, and urigeul by Koreans in China, until the early 20th century, Hangul was denigrated as vulgar by the literate elite, who preferred the traditional hanja writing system. They gave it such names as these, Achimgeul, in the original Hanja, it is rendered as 故智者不終朝而會，愚者可浹旬而學。 Gugmun Eonmun Amgeul. Am is a prefix that signifies a noun is feminine Ahaetgeul or Ahaegeul Hangul was promulgated by Sejong the Great, the Hall of Worthies, a group of scholars who worked with Sejong to develop and refine the new alphabet, is often credited for the work. The project was completed in late December 1443 or January 1444, the publication date of the Hunmin Jeong-eum, October 9, became Hangul Day in South Korea. Its North Korean equivalent, Chosongul Day, is on January 15, various speculations about the creation process were put to rest by the discovery in 1940 of the 1446 Hunmin Jeong-eum Haerye. This document explains the design of the consonant letters according to articulatory phonetics, to assuage this problem, King Sejong created the unique alphabet known as Hangul to promote literacy among the common people. However, it entered popular culture as Sejong had intended, being used especially by women, the late 16th century, however, saw a revival of Hangul, with gasa literature and later sijo flourishing. In the 17th century, Hangul novels became a major genre, by this point spelling had become quite irregular
11.
Jongno District
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Jongno District is a gu, or district, in central Seoul, South Korea. It takes its name from a local street, Jongno. Jongno District has been the center of the city for 600 years, Jongno District is commonly referred to as the face and heart of Korea because of its important roles in the politics, economics, culture, and history as the capital city. Jongno District is home to palaces in which the kings used to reside and work, such as Gyeongbok Palace, Changdeok Palace, Changgyeong Palace, the South Korean presidents current residence, the Cheongwadae, is also located in Jongno District. With the historical value and cultural properties, Jongno District attracts visitors attention and these include the restored Cheonggyecheon stream, the traditional neighborhood of Insa-dong, and the Jongmyo shrine. Art Center Nabi and Gahoe Museum, a museum is also located in the district. A number of colleges and universities are located here, these include the main campuses of Sungkyunkwan University, Jongno District is also home to Jogyesa, the chief temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. It is also of historical significant as the location for administrative buildings and features statues of the Admiral Yi Sun-sin of Joseon Dynasty. As the traditional heart of Seoul, Jongno is still an important business center, notable companies based in Jongno include Kumho Asiana Group, Kyobo Life. Lotte Group, SK Group, Hyundai Engineering & Construction, Daewoo E&C, Daelim Group, East Asia Daily, the headquarters of South Korean skincare retailer The Face Shop is located in the LG Gwanghwamun Building on sinmunno 2-ga. The head office of Air Seoul is in the Kumho Asiana Main Tower in Sinmunno 1-ga, the headquarters of the Ministry of Security and Public Administration is located in the Seoul Government Complex in Jongno District. The third and fourth floors of the building house the Ministry of Unification. The headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is located in the MOFA Building in Jongno District, previously the Ministry of Education had its headquarters in the Central Government Complex in Jongno District. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism also had its headquarters in Jongno District, the Ministry of Health and Welfare had its headquarters in the Hyundai Building. The offices of those ministries have moved to Sejong City, before merged into another ministry in 2008, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries was located in Jongro-gu. It was re-established in Sejong City and those are some of the district administrative dongs. For a complete list, see here, the current mayor of Jong-no district is Kim Yeong-jong
