The newly revealed model of Seoul depicts the city in a scale of 1/1,500. / Korea Times Photos by Shim Hyun-chul

By Shim Hyun-chul
Staff Reporter

Seoul has become smaller ― like the miniature land in ``Gulliver's Travels.'' The expansive Han River can be crossed in a single stride, and the towering mountain peaks and skyscrapers now look up from below.

The Seoul Museum of History opened Tuesday a new wing showcasing a model of the capital scaled down to 1/1500 of its original size. The 605.25 square kilometer metropolis has shrunk into a 317.29 square meter model.

The multimedia installation features finely crafted details and the latest IT technology. Visitors can stand over a transparent deck overlooking southern, eastern and western Seoul while an elevated bridge provides a panoramic view of the entire city.

The installation provides an accurate depiction of Seoul and its urban jungle of some 700,000 buildings, surrounding mountains and forests and clutters of houses. The latest aerial photographs of the city as well as scaled graphs complete the urban portrait.

State of the art technology heightens the dimensionality and realism of the model and enables visitors to locate their favorite spot in Seoul. Some 200,000 LED (light emitting diode) sources light up the model to simulate the nightscape of Seoul.

The installation, completed over a period of 19 months, also showcases the ``future'' of Seoul ― urban developments that are to take place in the near future such as the 620-meter-high skyscraper that will rise in Yongsan, the design plaza-park that will replace the old Dongdaemun Stadium and Sangam Digital Media City.

The new wing is intended for not only tourism but also educational, business and other purposes. The installation can house up to 200 visitors at a time, and potential foreign investors can learn all they want to know about Seoul's infrastructure.

For more information, visit www.museum.seoul.kr or call (02) 724-0146.

shim@koreatimes.co.kr3