Here is Seoul, the vast city with clear and fresh mornings, the fourth most populous metropolis in the world.

27 million inhabitants live here, on the banks of the Han River, in a capital city with a history that dates back over 2000 years. The Korean Peninsula covers the equivalent of one-third of France, with a humid continental climate, variations between mountains, forests, and temperate plains..
Even its geography is refined.

Founded in the 1st century BCE, Seoul became the capital of the Joseon Dynasty by the 14th century. In the Middle Ages, the city became a major center in Asia, at the crossroads of the Chinese and Japanese empires.

But in the late 19th century, Korea was invaded and occupied by the Japanese Empire for nearly 35 years. Freed from this occupation in 1948, it became the stage for a brutal war between the South and the North, supported by the Americans in the South and the Sino-Russians in the North.
Unlike Vietnam, the country is still divided in two.

Oppressed for a century, South Korean culture reasserted itself under American soft power. MTV in Korea became the cradle of Asian pop, a blend of Western sensibilities and the Far East. Its cinema drew heavily from Hollywood’s imagination.
After the war, Seoul experienced rapid growth, eventually becoming the world’s fourth megacity.

Today, its downtown blends tradition and high-tech.
A wide range of historical sites, as well as nightlife, shopping districts, and delicious cuisine. Gangnam, its upscale district, was immortalized by a global hit.

But many consider that this growth has been too rapid.
Half of the country now lives in Seoul.

Air pollution poses serious issues. The city, surrounded by mountains, has implemented strong measures such as expanding public transportation and promoting electric vehicles.

However, rivers and streams are highly polluted due to industrial and agricultural runoff.
Rising temperatures, sea level rise, and extreme weather events compel it to reconsider the terms of its urban development. Korea is among the global leaders in decarbonization.

But it’s primarily its natural heritage that is threatened.
Some of Korea’s endemic species, such as pine, cherry, bamboo, or ginseng, are almost extinct in their natural habitat.

No, Seoul’s mornings are no longer clear.

However, fauna and flora hold such an important place in Korean cosmology that the will for regeneration is powerful.

The passion, even obsession, for high-tech is phenomenal in the land of Samsung.
Will it be enough?