South Korea building a new capital city

South Korea is following Brazil and Australia’s example by planning to build itself a new capital city. Construction started in 2007 and by 2012 the first government departments would be operating in the new city. The final replacement of Seoul as the South Korea’s seat of parliament and government is not expected before 2020.

The Yeongi-Gongju region, which was chosen from a list of four finalists, won on transport and environmental grounds. The site is close to existing high-speed railway lines and express-ways. The Cheongui airport is also nearby.

South Korea, with some 48 million people, is a densely populated country. The land per capita is 2,310 m2, smaller than that of France (12,540 m2), the United Kingdom (4,290 m2), and Japan (3,102 m2). South Korea, with its population density at 460 persons per km2, has the fourth highest population density in the world, coming after Bangladesh, Germany, and Taiwan, excluding the city states of Singapore and Hong Kong. The actual population density is higher than its estimate due to the uninhabitable mountainous areas.

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