Cities and the Urban Settlement System of the Republic of Korea

The first cities on the Korean peninsula were formed over a thousand years ago. This publication examines the development of cities and the urban settlement system of the Republic of Korea after the end of the Korean Civil War in 1953. This is due to the dramatic changes in the social and economic landscape of the country in the subsequent period. During this period, South Korean cities transformed from small settlements to enormous urbanized agglomerations and became an integral part of the global economy. At the same time, the national capital firmly established itself as a world city. The country's settlement system has undergone enormous changes. Thanks to intensive industrial development, it has been transformed and its functions have become more complex. This publication explores the economic and geographical features of urban development and the urban settlement system of the Republic of Korea.