CITY

Seoul: City Flag, History and Identity

Seoul combines the history of a Korean residence city with a large modern metropolis on Hangang. Mountains frame the city space and appear together with the river also in the colored city symbol. The white flag bears this sign in the middle and thus conveys a different picture than the national flag of South Korea with its red-blue circle.

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Seoul City Flag & Local History · supplied learning collection

Seoul at a glance

Name: Seoul
Country: South Korea
Profile type: City
Main river: Hangang
Autonomous districts: 25
Early settlement proof: Neolithic homes in Amsa-dong
Joseon capital: From 1394
Beginning of the City Wall: 1396
Historical Wall Name: Hanyang City Wall
Inner city mountain: Namsan
Topographical form: Surrounded by mountains basin

The Flag of Seoul

On a white background stand three sweepingly connected colored elements. Green reminds of a mountain, blue of the Hangang and the warm color in the middle of the sun. The drawing looks like a moving figure. It is precisely this free, brush-like shape that distinguishes it from classical heraldic shields of many European cities.

The city administration declares the green with respect for the environment. The blue river stands for history and vitality, the sun for future and hope. These meanings are expressly part of the municipal symbol description. It would therefore be shortening to treat the sign exclusively as a random compilation of three colorful lines.

Seoul: Location and Territorial Role

Seoul is located in the western part of the Central Korean Peninsula and is the capital of the Republic of Korea. The Hangang runs through the urban area and divides it into a northern and a southern part. The names north and south of the river explain here the inner urban geography; they do not mean a state border.

The urban area is divided into 25 autonomous districts. The historically particularly important palace areas are located in the northern part, while the development south of the river forms an important chapter in modern city history. Mountains and rivers are therefore not only a backdrop, but also help with spatial orientation within the metropolis.

Landscape, History and Culture

Archaeological traces of living in Amsa-dong prove a settlement since the Neolithic Age. Seoul thus has a prehistory that is significantly older than the later capital function. In the course of Korean history, the political significance and name of the place changed several times, including during the empires of Baekje, Goryeo and Joseon.

In 1394, the city became the political center of the Joseon dynasty. Palaces, religious complexes and the city walls arranged the then residence room. The Hanyang City Wall was built from 1396 along the inner ridge. Their leadership shows how defense, domination and the terrain worked together in the planning of the historic capital.

Seoul is topographically described as a basin surrounded by mountains. Namsan, Inwangsan and other elevations divide the urban area; between them also run tributaries of the Hangang. The modern building superimposes this structure, but does not remove it. Therefore, the landscape remains well recognizable even in a highly dense urban space.

Hangang

The Hangang is a particularly helpful key to the city map. Anyone who pursues it as an east-west connection understands the location of many districts and the relations between the two shores. In the city emblem, this concrete geographical structure is reduced to a blue movement that at the same time expresses historical vitality.

Hanyang City Wall

The city walls of Hanyang followed the backs of Baegak, Naksan, Namsan and Inwangsan. It was therefore adapted to the terrain forms and not a completely regular geometric figure. From its course, the historical understanding of the city can be traced, which connected the protection of the residence and the visible representation of royal authority.

Amsa-dong

Amsa-dong complements the image of palaces and high-rises with a much earlier time shift. The prehistoric dwellings there refer to people who lived on the river long before the founding of the Joseon capital. A city history that begins only with the kings would omit this archaeologically proven part of Seoul’s past.