Background: The Korean peninsula borders China and Russia in the north, faces China in the west across the Yellow Sea (West Sea to Koreans) and Japan to the east and south across Sea of Japan (East Sea to Koreans). The peninsula is divided roughly in half, separating North and South Korea.*
Seoul (pronounced Seo-ul by the locals) is the capital and largest city of South Korea. It consists of 25 urban districts (gu) that centers around the Han River (Hangang). The population is over 10 million, way bigger than Kuala Lumpur or Jakarta. About a quarter of the country's population live in Seoul, and the number grows to around 35% if the nearby suburbs are included.* The population density is almost twice as concentrated as New York.**
