Seoul Book of Everything: Everything You Wanted to Know About Seoul and Were Going to Ask Anyway
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Seoul Book of Everything: Everything You Wanted to Know About Seoul and Were Going to Ask Anyway
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Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781927097595 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Nimbus Publishing |
| Publication date: | 11/17/2021 |
| Series: | Book of Everything |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 233 |
| File size: | 2 MB |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
Seoul Book of Everything
Everything you Wanted to Know about Seoul and were Going to Ask Anyway
By Tim Lehnert
MacIntyre Purcell Publishing Inc.
Copyright © 2014 MacIntyre Purcell Publishing Inc.All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-927097-59-5
CHAPTER 1
Seoul:
A Timeline
6,000 years ago: Settlements along the Han River in what is now the city of Seoul.
57 BCE: Beginning of the Three Kingdoms period. Silla (57 BCE to 935 CE) in the southeastern part of the Korean Peninsula, Goguryeo (37 BCE to 668 CE) in the north, and Baekje (18 BCE to 660 CE) in the west form the building blocks of Korean civilization. Present-day Seoul lies roughly at the intersection of these kingdoms.
372: Buddhism introduced to Korea from China.
392-551: Battles amongst the kingdoms for control of the Han River Valley and Seoul. The Seoul area is, at different points, under the possession of all three kingdoms, and after 551 is under Silla rule.
618: Tang Dynasty comes to power in China and allies with Silla Kingdom in helping defeat Baekje and Goguryeo Kingdoms.
668-935: Unified Silla Period in which Baekje and Goguryeo are subsumed under the Silla Kingdom. Buddhism expands, many temples are built and the arts flourish. The Chinese, who wish to control the entire Korean Peninsula, are rebuffed by Silla whose domain is roughly that of the current Republic of Korea (South Korea) and Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea).
918: Goryeo Kingdom is established with a capital at Gaeseong, about 60 kilometers (40 miles) north of Seoul. Buddhism continues to be dominant, but Confucianism is also a powerful force.
935: Goryeo Kingdom replaces Silla Kingdom.
1067: Seoul is designated one of three sub-capitals. It grows as a city and palaces are built.
1105: A palace is erected on the site of what would later become Cheongwadae, the official residence of the South Korean president.
1231: Mongols invade Korea, occupy Seoul, and remain a presence in Korea for a century and a half.
1392: Joseon Kingdom is founded by General Yi Seong-gye who overthrows the failing Goryeo Kingdom. Joseon lasts until 1910, and emphasizes Confucian precepts and practices.
1394: The capital of the Joseon Kingdom is established in Seoul. The city, traditionally known as Hanyang, is renamed Hanseong. In the following decade, Seoul's walls and gates are erected and Gyeongbokgung Palace is constructed.
1418: King Sejong the Great takes the throne; his 32-year reign results in numerous advances for Korea and its capital. Seoul's population tops 100,000.
1592-98: Japanese invasions produce major damage, and Gyeongbokgung Palace, among other Seoul monuments, palaces, shrines and government buildings, is destroyed.
1627, 1636: Manchurians invade from the north, again destroying much of Seoul (which had been rebuilt following previous invasions).
1790s: Catholicism establishes a foot-hold in Korea.
1867: Gyeongbokgung Palace is reconstructed.
1876: A forced treaty opens Korea up to trade with Japan, ending Korea's isolation.
1897: The Korean Empire is proclaimed to assert Korean sovereignty in light of Japan's increased military power, and to differentiate Korea from a weakening China.
1898: Construction completed on Seoul's Myeongdong Cathedral, whose French Gothic style would become the standard for Korean Catholic churches. Myeongdong Cathedral served as a safe house for political protests in the 1980s, notably the June 1987 pro-democracy rallies.
1904-05: Japan triumphs in its war with Russia; this victory, coupled with its 1895 defeat of China in the Sino-Japanese war, establishes Japan as the preeminent Asian power. A 1905 treaty between Japan and Korea renders Korea a protectorate of Japan.
1910: Japan annexes Korea and designates Seoul (which is renamed Keijo or Gyeongseong in Korean) the colonial capital. (See "Then and Now" chapter for details).
1919: On March 1 members of the Korean independence movement Samil Undong read a declaration in Seoul's Tapgol (Pagoda) Park, as well as at over 1,500 other locations around Korea.
1926: The Japanese administration completes construction on Seoul City Hall.
1938: The Samsung Group is founded. Samsung today is Korea's largest conglomerate and one of the world's biggest producers of computer chips, display panels, electronic goods, cell phones and ships.
1945: The occupation ends with Japan's surrender to the Allies. Korea is partitioned into North and South, with the U.S. occupying the southern sector and the Soviets the north. Seoul finally receives the name "Seoul."
1946: Seoul National University, Korea's most prestigious institution of higher learning, opens.
1948: The Republic of Korea (South Korea) is founded, as is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea).
1950-53: Korean War. Massive destruction and many deaths in Seoul. Over one million people leave the city, although many return at war's end. (See "Then and Now" chapter for details).
1956: First television broadcast in Korea. Five years later, the television arm of the Korean Broadcast System debuts and provides the nation's first large-scale TV service.
1958: Gimpo in western Seoul becomes an international airport. Following the 2001 opening of Incheon International Airport, Gimpo is used chiefly for domestic flights.
1962: Namdaemun is designated Korea's first national treasure. Namdaemun, or South Gate, was completed in 1398 and survived both the Japanese occupation and the Korean War. Mapo, Seoul's first large scale high-rise apartment complex, is completed.
1966-70: Kim Hyeon-ok is elected mayor of Seoul and a period of rapid development and modernization begins. Streetcars are removed and new highways, overpasses, underpasses and tunnels are built. Cheonggyecheon Stream is paved over and an elevated highway built over it. Substandard housing is removed or renovated.
1967: Hyundai Motor Car Company founded. It now produces nearly four million vehicles annually, and South Korea is the world's fifth largest vehicle maker.
1968: Development begins on Yeouido, technically an island in the Han River. Yeouido contains apartment high-rises as well as the National Assembly building (opened in 1975), the 63 City building, the Korea Stock Exchange, and the headquarters of broadcasting studios, banks and insurance companies.
1968: A team of North Korean commandos reaches the foot of Mount Bugaksan behind the presidential residence, Cheongwadae ("the Blue House"), in an attempt to assassinate then President Park Chung-hee.
1969: Construction completed on the Hannam Bridge signaling the beginning of major development south of the Han River. The area is now a populous and powerful business, retail and residential district. Gyeongbu Expressway linking Seoul and Busan (South Korea's second-largest city) is completed the following year. Namsan Tower, now known as N Seoul Tower, is erected.
1970s: The South Korean economy exhibits spectacular growth and becomes known as "the Miracle on the Han River."
1970-1975: Seoul's population mushrooms, increasing by over 300,000 yearly and causing housing shortages. Rapid development continues, particularly south of the Han River.
1972: President Park Chung-hee establishes the Fourth Republic and bans political demonstrations and other acts of opposition to the government.
1973: 400,000 Christians gather in what is now Yeouido Park to listen to American preacher Billy Graham. In 1984 Pope John Paul II also attracts a major Yeouido audience.
1974: Seoul's first subway line begins operation. Line number nine debuted in 2009, and the system now records more than ten million passenger trips daily.
1978: Opening of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, the capital's leading venue for arts and culture.
1979: President Park Chung-hee is assassinated. KOEX (later renamed COEX) exhibition center opens. It later becomes a major complex featuring a convention center, hotels, mall and office tower.
1980: Anti-martial law and pro-democracy protests in May. In the southwestern city of Gwangju, the Gwangju Uprising is put down. N Seoul Tower on Namsan Mountain is opened to the public and becomes a major tourist attraction.
1981: Seoul is awarded the 1988 Summer Olympics. Sanbo Engineering develops the first Korean computer, and by decade's end Korea is a major computer exporter.
1984: Seoul Grand Park (now home to a zoo, amusement park and the National Museum of Contemporary Art) opens; one million people visit on the first day.
Late-1980s: Government initiates the "Two Million Home Construction Plan" and constructs five new satellite towns around Seoul to deal with congestion, lack of housing and soaring prices in the capital city. Continued subway construction spurs development and the creation of "sub-downtowns" further from the city center.
1986, 1987: Seoul hosts the 1986 Asian Games and nearly 5,000 athletes from 27 countries participate. Pro-democracy student protests and labor unrest occur in Seoul and other Korean cities.
1988: Seoul hosts the Summer Olympics and welcomes 8,400 athletes from 159 nations. Korea finishes fourth in the medal count. Seoul's population surpasses 10 million.
1989: Lotte World, the world's largest indoor theme park, opens in Jamsil.
1990s: The Republic of Korea solidifies its reputation as a democracy with fair elections, a free press, a full range of personal and political liberties and civilian control over the military.
1994: Seoul celebrates its six hundredth anniversary as Korea's capital. A time capsule containing 600 cultural properties on film and CD is buried in a specially designed square in Namsangol Hanok Village. The capsule is to be opened in 2394.
1995: The Internet comes to Korea. The country goes on to become one of the world's most wired countries and develop a powerful IT industry. In 1999, Cyworld (Korea's largest online social networking site) is launched, beating MySpace and Facebook to the punch.
1996: South Korea becomes a member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), signaling its status as an advanced, industrialized economy. Korea is only the second Asian nation (after Japan) to be accorded membership.
The Olympics and World Cup The 1988 Seoul Olympics represented the arrival of Seoul on the world stage, and the event was both cause and effect of South Korea's steady post-Korean War march toward modernity, prosperity and democracy.
The idea of hosting the Olympics was proposed in the late 1970s by then- President Park Chung-hee and pursued by his successor, Chun Doo-hwan.
The Seoul Olympics were the second ever held in Asia (Tokyo hosted in 1964) and were an enormous success. There had been widespread boycotts of the previous three Olympics (held in Montreal, Moscow and Los Angeles) and the world community was hungry for an Olympic success; Seoul delivered on all counts. The 1988 Games welcomed 159 nations and nearly 8,400 athletes. Only a handful of countries stayed home, North Korea amongst them.
The Games had a touching and dramatic opening when 76-year-old Sohn Kee- chung carried the torch into the Olympic Stadium. Sohn had been the first Korean ever awarded an Olympic medal when he won the marathon at the 1936 Games in Berlin. He had been forced, however, to compete as a member of the Japanese delegation because Korea was at that time under Japanese rule.
South Korea put on an excellent showing at the Games, finishing fourth in medals behind the USSR, East Germany and the U.S. The Korean delegation was particularly strong in archery, capturing a total of six medals. Other standout performers in Seoul included U.S. swimmer Matt Biondi and sprinter Florence Griffith Joyner.
The Olympic bid and the Games themselves, which came to fruition under President Roh Tae-woo's administration, brought global attention to South Korea. The event served as a catalyst for democratization as worldwide scrutiny made political compromise with reformers a necessity.
The 1988 Olympics remain a source of pride for Koreans, but there is also a very tangible legacy to the games. The Seoul subway system was expanded and other infrastructure upgraded. The 70,000-seat Olympic Stadium and Jamsil Sports Complex are still in use. The expansive Olympic Park, with its many walking trails and outdoor sculptures, remains a sanctuary for Seoulites in need of a respite from the pressures of city life.
Fourteen years after the Olympics, Seoul was the site of another big party - the 2002 World Cup. The tournament was organized jointly by South Korea and Japan, and over 27 million fans attended matches held at stadiums in ten cities in each country.
Seoul's World Cup Stadium hosted three games, including a semi-final match between Germany and South Korea. This game electrified the city, and the South Korean squad's dedicated fans became known as the "Red Devils." In downtown Seoul, City Hall Plaza became a sea of red as roughly two million fans donned red jerseys and packed the area to cheer on the South Korean side.
South Korea finished a strong fourth (behind Brazil, Germany and Turkey) in the 32-team tournament and received the award for most entertaining team. Star player and team captain Hong Myung-bo was named the third most outstanding player of the tournament.
Pride in South Korea's 2002 accomplishments on the soccer field endures, but so does Seoul World Cup Stadium, the 66,000-seat high-tech venue constructed for the event. Shaped like a traditional Korean kite, the stadium is still used by the FC Seoul Soccer team, and the stadium complex includes a mall, wedding hall and cinema. Visitors can relive memories of the 2002 semifinal match at the on- site World Cup Gallery.
World Cup Stadium also forms part of a series of five connected parks in western Seoul that include a nine-hole golf course and other athletic facilities. The stadium and parks were constructed in an area that used to serve as Seoul's principal landfill, an example of turning trash into treasure.
1997: Kim Dae-jung is elected president and inaugurates the "Sunshine Policy" to develop more open relations with North Korea. In December, fall-out from the Asian financial crisis results in the government agreeing to IMF measures to stabilize South Korea's currency, the won. After decades of spectacular growth, the South Korean economy hits a speed bump.
2000: President Kim Dae-jung and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il meet in the North Korean capital of Pyeongyang. The summit represents the first meeting between heads of the two countries in 50 years. Kim becomes Korea's first Nobel laureate when he is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
2001: Incheon International Airport opens. Incheon is ninth in the world in international passenger volume, and is second (behind Singapore) in Skytrax's ranking of the "World's Top 100 Airports."
Early 2000s: Korean popular culture wave crests and television dramas such as Winter Sonata became huge hits abroad. The wave spreads to music, film and other areas and Korea becomes a major entertainment exporter.
2002: Seoul serves as one of the host cities for the 2002 World Cup. The opening game of the tournament is played at World Cup Stadium and South Korea's boisterous fans earn the nickname the "Red Devils."
2004: President Roh Moo-hyun vows to move the capital from Seoul to South Chungcheong Province, 120 kilometers (75 miles) away. The move was expected to be fully executed by 2030, but the courts rule the move unconstitutional.
2005: A renovated Cheonggyecheon Stream reopens decades after being subsumed under concrete. Seoul Forest, located on the site of the former Ttukseom Sports Park, also opens, as does the new National Museum of Korea building.
2008: Namdaemun Gate, National Treasure No. 1, is badly damaged by an arsonist and is not fully restored and reopened to the public until 2013.
2009: Former President Roh Moo-hyun commits suicide, and thousands pay their respects in a funeral in downtown Seoul. The 19,000-square- meter (4.7 acre) Gwanghwamun Square, on the site of what was the main thoroughfare during the Joseon Kingdom, opens. Former president and Nobel Prize winner Kim Dae-jung dies.
2010: Seoul serves as "World Design Capital" and hosts the G-20 Economic Summit.
2011: Heavy late-July rains cause flooding and landslides, killing 49 people in the Seoul area. Pyeongchang, which lies 175 kilometers east of Seoul, wins its bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.
2012: Seoul singer/producer/rapper Psy releases the song "Gangnam Style," which becomes a global sensation. Seoul's new city hall opens on Seoul Plaza in front of the old gray stone city hall building, which is converted to a library. The new eco-friendly structure has a wave theme, plentiful natural light, and a seven-story tall interior "Green Wall" made of plants.
2014: Dongdaemun Design Park & Plaza opens. The 85,000 square meter mega-project uniting culture, history, commerce and leisure was designed by Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid, and stands on the site of the former Dongdaemun Stadium. It incorporates parts of Seoul's ancient city walls and features plentiful green spaces.
Essentials Seoul is the capital of the Republic of Korea. It is also the country's most populous and economically powerful city, and its educational and cultural center. It is divided administratively into 25 districts or "gu," and 522 neighborhoods or "dong." Seoul has served as capital since 1394.
Name: Seoul has gone by many names in its long history including Hanyang and Hanseong. It has been known as Seoul ("capital" in Korean) since 1945.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Seoul Book of Everything by Tim Lehnert. Copyright © 2014 MacIntyre Purcell Publishing Inc.. Excerpted by permission of MacIntyre Purcell Publishing Inc..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Contents
INTRODUCTION,TIMELINE,
ESSENTIALS,
WEATHER,
URBAN GEOGRAPHY,
FOOD,
LANGUAGE AND BELIEFS,
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT,
ECONOMY,
THEN AND NOW,
POLITICS,
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS,