🇰🇷 South Korea
Seoul
Seoul (서울 — "capital city" in old Korean, the only national capital in the world whose name simply means "capital") is the most technologically advanced city in the world (South Korea has the highest internet speed and smartphone penetration on earth, and Seoul's metro system is considered the world's best) and simultaneously one of the most tradition-deep: the Joseon dynasty palaces (the five grand palace complexes of the 1392–1897 kingdom — Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung, Deoksugung, Gyeonghuigung) are each surrounded by modern skyscrapers, and the Bukchon Hanok Village (a preserved neighborhood of 900 traditional wooden courtyard houses between two palaces) sits minutes from the Samsung corporate towers of Gangnam. Seoul's food culture is the most dynamic in Asia: Korean barbecue (samgyeopsal — thick-cut pork belly grilled at the table, the most convivial meal in the world), bibimbap, tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes — the most beloved street food in Korea), and the extraordinary fermentation culture of kimchi (the UNESCO-inscribed practice of fermenting vegetables in gochugaru chilli, garlic, ginger and saeujeot shrimp paste — made in 200+ varieties) are the pillars of one of the most distinctive national cuisines on earth.