By Foreign Policy has just recently ranked the 75 Most Dynamic Cities of 2025 and Seoul came in at number 37 on their list behind just about every Chinese city you can think of and Tokyo which was ranked number 10:
Although it was established more than 2,000 years ago, Seoul seems built to be the city of the future. Residents travel by bullet trains and subways and have near-constant access to high-speed Internet. Still, Seoul’s electricity grid has struggled to cope with a recent heat wave, and the city’s development has left it with a $16 billion debt. Leading the pack of Asian Tigers, South Korea has nonetheless weathered the global financial crisis relatively well; Seoul-based companies — including the cabal of influential industrial giants sometimes collectively called chaebol – are doing brisk international business in automobiles and cell phones, and the construction arm of Seoul-based Samsung built the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. [Foreign Policy]
You can view the complete list at the link, but Shanghai was ranked as the top city of 2025.
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10:23 am on September 13th, 2012 1
I love these “City of the Future” things because 5 years later it’s completely wrong…
Chinese cities are going to hit a real estate bubble…
4:50 pm on September 13th, 2012 2
OMG, prepare for mass demonstrations in the streets of Seoul.
5:51 pm on September 13th, 2012 3
“Dynamic Korea-Hub of Asia”, the ads used to say, a clear reflection of the then government approach to globalization (regionalism and nationalism). But, 37th place still isn’t bad. Clearly, the globalization of Korea occurred in spite of government policy.
5:56 pm on September 13th, 2012 4
Teadrinker, prediction rankings are biased at best.
7:48 pm on September 13th, 2012 5
There’s a pretty big real estate bubble here too, and it’s probably closer to crashing than the Chinese cities are. Probably could’ve been ranked higher, but Korea is big now – China is the future. And if you look at it like that in 2025, a lot of things will have changed.
10:27 pm on September 13th, 2012 6
Chris, its only happening in several affluent neighborhoods in Seoul, not to worry though. Japan had their nationwide bubble back then, China is next in future.
5:06 am on September 14th, 2012 7
Look at filth ridden Chicago.
One rank above a city in India.
8:12 am on September 14th, 2012 8
Chicago is doing pretty good Tom, considering how young of a city it is.
Seoul being 2000 yrs old on the other hand is only ranked 37th! Really, really pathetic, 2000 yrs old and that’s the best Korea can do?!
Korea has gone as far as it will go.
8:58 am on September 14th, 2012 9
#5,
We don’t even bother looking at Seoul. We invest in places where the bubble is just taking off. We’ve made a couple hundred million won so far this year with our investments in real estate.
9:01 am on September 14th, 2012 10
So, yes, now you know why I’m a smug mofo.
2:53 pm on September 14th, 2012 11
#9, you don’t have to lie to make friends.