Seoul, the smart city that never sleeps, is home to a staggering quarter of South Korea’s population. This progressive East Asian megacity, sprawled along the banks of the Han River, is the largest in the developed world. Its history may date back over more than 2000 years to 18BC, but Seoul’s eyes are fixed firmly on the future. Here, more than 95% of households have broadband, smart apartments are remotely controlled from cell phones and central keypads, and handheld free-call Internet phones (think Skype) are the norm. "Seoul is for service"; here, you don’t just get a (genuine) smile with the service, you’ll more than likely get a host of freebies as well. To top it off, no tip is expected in return. Seoul’s citizens work longer hours than any other city's, and it is the norm for families to spend 15% of the household income on after-school tutoring. This is one of few cities where you can find an abundance of 24-hour study rooms for hire by the hour. This incredibly strong work ethic has given rise to enormous demand for play time, a release from the stress of school and office. The city lets off its steam in a plethora of bang (rooms). Teens can do their best PSY impression at a norae bang (karaoke lounge), hang out and watch movies in a DVD bang, play poker at a board game bang or play runescape at a PC bang (internet café). For adults, saunas, markets, malls, convenience stores, cinemas, Internet cafés and restaurants stay open all night, and it is not uncommon to see business men staggering out of bars and nightclubs at dawn. You can’t help but dive into Korean culture; the local cuisine is incredibly healthy, remarkably appetizing (though perhaps pass on the live octopus) and reasonably priced. The city’s local and international art scene is currently flourishing and it is fast becoming a regional fashion mecca. Seoul has steadily grown in international importance; Forbes magazine recently ranked it 6th among the world’s most economically powerful cities, while PricewaterhouseCoopers projects that by 2020, it will surpass Atlanta, San Francisco, Houston and Miami in GDP.