Gyeongseong
Gyeongseong (
경성;
京城) is the
Korean form of
Keijo (京城), the former
Japanese name of
Seoul used during the Japanese Occupation of Korea.
Gyeong (경; 京) means "capital" and
seong (성; 城) refers to
Hanseong (한성; 漢城), the name of Seoul during the
Joseon Dynasty. The name survives today in the names of various railway lines and freeways, including:
- Gyeongbu Line (Gyeongbuseon (경부선; 京釜線) in Korean) and Gyeongbu Expressway (Gyeongbu Gosok Doro; 경부 고속 도로) between Seoul and Busan (부산; 釜山);
- Gyeongin Line (Gyeonginseon; 경인선; 京仁線) and Gyeongin Expressway (Gyeongin Gosok Doro; 경인 고속 도로) between Seoul and Incheon (인천; 仁川);
- Gyeongui Line (Gyeonguiseon; 경의선) between Seoul and Dorasan (the ui comes from Sinuiju, the Revised Romanized spelling of Shinŭiju (신의주) in North Korea, the line's original terminus on the Chinese border--see the article on the Gyeongui Line for details);
- Gyeongwon Line (Gyeongwonseon; 경원선) between Seoul and Shintanni (originally the line went to Wonsan (원산) in what is now North Korea); and
- Gyeongchun Line (Gyeongchunseon; 경춘선) between Seoul and Chuncheon (춘천) in Gangwon Province.