History behind the name

Seoul is the Korean word for 'Capital City' but it has not always been known by this name. When Imperial Japan annexed the Korean Empire in 1910 Seoul was the colonial capital and the city was named Gyeongseong. After Japan's defeat in World War II and Korea's liberation, the city took its present name of Seoul. 

In 1950, the Korean War broke out and Seoul changed hands between the North Korean forces and South Korean forces no less than four times, leaving the city largely destroyed at the end of the war. One estimate of the extensive damage states that at least 191,000 buildings, 55,000 houses, and 1,000 factories lay in ruins. The Korean War also had a dramatic influence on New Zealand’s economy. A wool boom brought great prosperity but also provided a backdrop to the bitter waterfront dispute of 1951. 

The involvement of New Zealand in the Korean War was significant. The Royal New Zealand Navy deployed six frigates. These vessels served under the command of a British flag officer performing shore raids and inland bombardment. New Zealand also provided an army volunteer force that was known as 'Kayforce'. The 1056 man force arrived at Pusan on New Year's Eve 1950 and was in action three weeks later. Thereafter it took part in the operations which led the UN forces back to and over the 38th Parallel, recapturing Seoul in the process. A total of 3,794 New Zealand soldiers served in Kayforce and 1,300 in the RNZN deployment. 33 were killed in action, 79 wounded and 1 soldier was taken prisoner. That prisoner was held in North Korea for eighteen months and repatriated after the armistices. 

It always seems right to me for history to be overtaken by progress and perhaps, after all, this, more than anything else, echoes the strength of Seoul. Walking the city's streets today I had difficulty locating any reminders of its occupation and war history. This part of its history has been well and truly subdued by modern towering monuments to Korea's global economic strength and the exercise of individual freedom.