Header: Courtesy of Malink_78. "Seoul Cityscape". Flickr. Web
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Early DevelopmentSeoul's region was inhabited as early as the Neolithic period. According to geomantic principles, the city was planned out strategically and carefully. This means that there is a proper placement of man-made structures around natural surroundings. At one point, the city had an 18 kilometer wall erected to surround the capital, but in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries the city was attacked by the Hideyoshi and Manchu. The wall was gradually rebuilt in the eighteenth century.
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The Korean War cAfter World War II, Korea divided into a Communist northern half and an American-occupied southern half. The country divided at the 38th parallel (line of latitude) prior to the Korean War. The Korean War began when North Korea crossed the 38th parallel and invaded South Korea. After the war, which ended in 1953, many refugees from the north as well as those living in the countryside in the south settled in Seoul.
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Current Day Development
Seoul has transformed from a third-world impoverished city to a huge export economy with wealth and a massive population. In the nineteenth century the city grew rapidly. During this time modern transportation as well as communication systems were introduced. The urban planners from decades ago played a big role in developing the city into what it is today. When Seoul held the Olympic Games in 1988, a new wave of construction started to build the city upwards.