In 1995, 10,229,262 people, or nearly one-fourth South Korea's population, lived in Seoul. Migration from rural to urban areas has increased throughout South Korea since 1945, and Seoul has been the largest recipient of these migrants. From a population of less than 1 million in 1945, Seoul grew rapidly after the Korean War (1950-1953). The population exceeded 2 million by 1960, 5 million by 1970, 8 million by 1980, and 10 million by 1988. In 1995 the city's population density was about 16,900 persons per sq km (about 43,700 per sq mi). Like South Korea as a whole, Seoul has a homogeneous population with only a very small percentage of people of non-Korean descent, mostly foreign visitors and resident Chinese.
Seoul's rapid population growth has created severe strains on its infrastructure and environment, including traffic congestion, housing shortages, and water and air pollution. Seoul has 1.65 million registered vehicles, of which about 70 percent are passenger cars. The subway system, first built in 1974 and greatly expanded in the 1980s, carries 5.32 million passengers every day. Plans to expand the subway system still further show little sign of easing the problem of traffic congestion, which causes air and noise pollution, serious accidents, and many inconveniences in the city.
Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Seoul Information info
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