Q 01/05

Seoul's history traces back to 18 BC, when it was founded by which of Korea's Three Kingdoms?

A) Baekje

B) Goguryeo

C) Silla

D) Gaya

Answer · why

A) Baekje

Baekje's capital Wiryeseong is thought to have stood inside the earthen ramparts of Pungnap Toseong in southeastern Seoul.

Q 02/05

The word 'seoul' is a native Korean common noun meaning what?

A) River city

B) Capital city

C) Southern fortress

D) Great house

Answer · why

B) Capital city

'Seoul' is simply the native Korean word for capital city; unlike most Korean place names it has no Chinese characters, so Chinese speakers long calle...

Q 03/05

Under Japanese colonial rule from 1910, the city was renamed what?

A) Hanyang

B) Hanseong

C) Keijō

D) Namgyeong

Answer · why

C) Keijō

Japan renamed the city Keijō (Gyeongseong in Korean) in 1910 and demoted it to a municipality of Gyeonggi Province; much of the old wall was torn down...

Q 04/05

Which founder of the Joseon dynasty chose Hanyang, today's Seoul, as his new capital in 1394?

A) Sejong the Great

B) Taejong

C) Gojong

D) Yi Seong-gye

Answer · why

D) Yi Seong-gye

Yi Seong-gye, enthroned as King Taejo in 1392, moved the court from Gaegyeong to Hanyang, laying the city out on Confucian principles with the palace ...

Q 05/05

During the Korean War, Seoul changed hands between the two sides how often?

A) Twice

B) Three times

C) Four times

D) Six times

Answer · why

C) Four times

Seoul changed hands four times: it fell to the North in June 1950, was retaken by UN forces that September, fell to Chinese and North Korean troops in...