What is Seoul, in 2023?

Enduring appeal: Seoul is not only a glamorous city full of Instagramable landmarks like the Gyeongbokgung Palace but also a city that offers a steadily improving quality of life, says the writer. — AFP

READING articles about cities around the world almost always invites comparisons with Seoul because it’s the city I know best.

I lived in Seoul for 12 years at different times starting in the mid-1980s and ending in the mid-2010s. In the years I didn’t live in Seoul, I visited the city at least once a year, except for the first two years of the Covid-19 pandemic.