By Choi Sung-jin
Now that Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving Day) is over, another "mass migration" is going on, as up to 20 million Koreans head home. At least half the traffic will be to and from the capital city of Seoul.
One in every five Koreans lives in Seoul and the population density of the capital is 182 times higher than that of Gangwon Province, Statistics Korea and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Friday.
According to a population and housing census last year, Seoul's population density was 16,363 people per square kilometer. In 1966, it was 6,024 but surged to 17,532 in 1990.
Seoul accounts for only 0.6 percent of the nation's land but represents 19.4 percent of its population. The unduly dense population is due to the ceaseless stream of provincial people coming to Seoul in search of jobs.
Despite some net outflows, the capital city's population stood at about 9.9 million last year, marking an increase from 9.79 million in the previous census in 2010 and pushing up population density further.
The distant runner-up was Busan with a population density of 4,480 per sq. km, followed by Gwangju (2,999), Daegu (2,791) and Incheon (2,755). The mountainous Gangwon Province was lowest with 90 per sq. km, 182 times less dense than Seoul.
In separate statistics, living costs rose 0.7 percent in Seoul in the second quarter of this year, the highest among 17 metropolises and provinces. The capital city has had the highest rise in living costs for four consecutive quarters.
The living cost index checks price changes in 142 goods and services, ranging from food such as rice, tofu and instant noodles, to cigarettes, water and power charges and various other service rates.
Seoul's living cost rise was more than double that of the two co-runners-up -- Busan and Gyeonggi Province (0.3 percent each) -- and more than three times the national average of 0.2 percent.
Considering living costs fell in other cities and provinces than the three, plus Daegu, Incheon and South Jeolla Province, Seoul was the main culprit for the increase in national living costs, the officials said.
If housing costs, such as monthly rent and jeonse (Korea's unique home-leasing system in which tenants make lump sum deposits with landlords instead of paying rent) are included, Seoul's living costs are even higher.
The growth of living costs, including monthly rent and jeonse key money, was 1.3 percent in Seoul, the only one among the 17 cities and provinces that recorded an increase of the 1-percent range.
The rate was more than twice the national average of 0.6 percent. Particularly, Seoul's 3.4 percent growth rate in housing costs was highest in the nation.
"Consumer price rises remained at a relatively low 0.9 percent in the second quarter but most Seoul citizens might have felt the inflation rate to be far higher than that," said a government statistician wanting to remain anonymous.
Now that Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving Day) is over, another "mass migration" is going on, as up to 20 million Koreans head home. At least half the traffic will be to and from the capital city of Seoul.
One in every five Koreans lives in Seoul and the population density of the capital is 182 times higher than that of Gangwon Province, Statistics Korea and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Friday.
According to a population and housing census last year, Seoul's population density was 16,363 people per square kilometer. In 1966, it was 6,024 but surged to 17,532 in 1990.
Seoul accounts for only 0.6 percent of the nation's land but represents 19.4 percent of its population. The unduly dense population is due to the ceaseless stream of provincial people coming to Seoul in search of jobs.
Despite some net outflows, the capital city's population stood at about 9.9 million last year, marking an increase from 9.79 million in the previous census in 2010 and pushing up population density further.
The distant runner-up was Busan with a population density of 4,480 per sq. km, followed by Gwangju (2,999), Daegu (2,791) and Incheon (2,755). The mountainous Gangwon Province was lowest with 90 per sq. km, 182 times less dense than Seoul.
In separate statistics, living costs rose 0.7 percent in Seoul in the second quarter of this year, the highest among 17 metropolises and provinces. The capital city has had the highest rise in living costs for four consecutive quarters.
The living cost index checks price changes in 142 goods and services, ranging from food such as rice, tofu and instant noodles, to cigarettes, water and power charges and various other service rates.
Seoul's living cost rise was more than double that of the two co-runners-up -- Busan and Gyeonggi Province (0.3 percent each) -- and more than three times the national average of 0.2 percent.
Considering living costs fell in other cities and provinces than the three, plus Daegu, Incheon and South Jeolla Province, Seoul was the main culprit for the increase in national living costs, the officials said.
If housing costs, such as monthly rent and jeonse (Korea's unique home-leasing system in which tenants make lump sum deposits with landlords instead of paying rent) are included, Seoul's living costs are even higher.
The growth of living costs, including monthly rent and jeonse key money, was 1.3 percent in Seoul, the only one among the 17 cities and provinces that recorded an increase of the 1-percent range.
The rate was more than twice the national average of 0.6 percent. Particularly, Seoul's 3.4 percent growth rate in housing costs was highest in the nation.
"Consumer price rises remained at a relatively low 0.9 percent in the second quarter but most Seoul citizens might have felt the inflation rate to be far higher than that," said a government statistician wanting to remain anonymous.
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