Seoul

37.5665°N, 126.9780°E.

Capital of South Korea, founded as the capital of the Joseon dynasty in 1394. The original city was bounded by an 18.6-km wall traversing four mountains: Bugaksan, Naksan, Namsan, and Inwangsan. The wall, designated Seoul Fortress Wall, was completed in 1396 by the labor of 197,000 conscripts in 49 days for the original section. Approximately 12 km of the wall and four of the original eight gates remain. Gyeongbokgung Palace, the principal royal residence, was burned during the Japanese invasion of 1592, restored in 1867, and largely demolished during Japanese colonial occupation (1910–1945) — the palace standing today is the result of a major restoration program completed in stages from 1990 onward. The Han River bisects the city; the north bank holds the historic palace district, the south bank (Gangnam) was rice fields until the 1970s.

A city built in 49 days inside an 18-km wall in 1396 lost its palace to fire, the wall to Japanese demolition, and rice fields to skyscrapers — and rebuilt all of it.