Seoul is a city with a history that dates back millennia. For the last 600 years, the city has served as Korea's capital. From ancient palaces with centuries of history to high-tech skyscraper of steel and glass, from ancient texts dating back millennia to the highest rate of broadband Internet access in the world, Seoul is a place where the old and new exist in harmony. With one foot in the past and another in the future, Seoul is a city that never ceases to amaze.

Seoul is also the center of the so-called “Korean Wave” sweeping Asia. As Korean dramas, film and music reach a wider audience abroad, more and more visitors are coming to Seoul to experience first-hand the city’s rich culture and make use of its extensive cultural facilities. Due to the division of the nation and the proximity of the DMZ with North Korea just an hour’s drive away, some might think Seoul to be a somewhat risky place to visit. Foreign news reports aside, nothing could be further from the truth---Seoul is one of the safest places in the world for foreign travelers, with low levels of crime, a hospitable population, cutting-edge medical facilities and capable police and security authorities. Seoul’s security situation, in fact, has never been better.

The Hangang (River) bisects the city into two parts: northern part ( Gangbuk ) and southern one (Gangnam). The total length of the Han River is 514 km. Although it is not a long river, the lower Han is remarkably broad for such a relatively short river. Within Seoul city limits, the river is more than 1 km wide. The Han River and its surrounding area played an important role in Korean history. The Three Kingdoms of Korea strove to take control of this land, where the river was used as a trade route to China (via the Yellow Sea). However, the river is no longer actively used for navigation, because its estuary is located at the borders of the two Koreas, barred for entrance by any civilian.