In the late 19th century, after hundreds of years of isolation, Seoul opened its gates to foreigners and began to modernize. Seoul became the first city in East Asia to have electricity, trolley cars, water, telephone, and telegraph systems all at the same time. Much of this was due to trade with foreign countries like France and United States. For example, the Seoul Electric Company, Seoul Electric Trolley Company, and Seoul Fresh Spring Water Company were all joint Korean-American owned enterprises.
In 1904, an American by the name of Angus Hamilton visited the city and said, “The streets of Seoul are magnificent, spacious, clean, admirably made and well-drained. The narrow, dirty lanes have been widened, gutters have been covered, roadways broadened. Seoul is within measurable distance of becoming the highest, most interesting and cleanest city in the East.”
When the Empire of Japan annexed the Korean Empire, it utilized Seoul as the colonial capital. While under colonial rule (1910–1945), the city was called Keijo. Keijo was an urban city that had 2 wards: Keijo itself and Ryusan-ku. Gyeongseong was part of Gyeonggi Province, instead of being an independent city or prefecture as in Joseon and present days.
In 1914, several outer districts of the prefecture were annexed to neighboring Goyang County (now Goyang City, reducing the administrative size of the prefecture. In 1936, Gyeongseong expanded itself as it annexed Yeongdeungpo from Siehung County (Now Siehung City) and recombined some parts of former Gyeongseong districts (Sungin, Yeonghee, etc.) from Goyang County (now Goyang City). The Government-General Building served as the seat of the colonial government of Colonial Korea but was torn down in 1995.
These amazing photographs show what everyday life of Korea in general and Seoul in particular looked like in the early 20th century.
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| A restaurant in Seoul, ca. 1900 |
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| A rustic road near Seoul, 1904 |
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| American electric trolley at the South Gate of Seoul, 1903 |
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| Charcoal carriers, Seoul, ca. 1900 |
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| Chowing down at an old 'greasy spoon' where the food tastes great, Seoul, ca. 1900 |
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| First class transportation, Seoul, ca. 1900 |
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| Four peace-loving Korean gentlemen at the temple of the god of war, Seoul, 1903 |
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| Happy kids with grandma and the water boy, Seoul, ca. 1900 |
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| High class dandies on a nature hike, Seoul, ca. 1900 |
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| High class family, ca. 1900s |
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| Junks along the Han River at Yongsan, a logging town near Seoul, 1903 |
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| Kids on the City Wall, Seoul, 1904 |
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| Korean girls testing a new 'short drop' parachute design, ca. 1900s |
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| Officials of the Imperial Department of Communications, Seoul, 1903 |
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| On the road in the suburb of Seoul to Beijing, 1903 |
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| Pack train on a city street in Seoul, 1903 |
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| Pottery packing mountain men, near Seoul, ca. 1900 |
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| Public school with a holding cell under the floor reserved for kids, Seoul, 1903 |
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| Ready to roll, a high-class girl rides, her servant walks, Seoul, ca. 1900 |
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| Shoeing a horse at the blacksmith's home, Seoul, 1903 |
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| Smoking, gambling, and gossiping, ca. 1900 |
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| The bean grinder, Seoul, ca. 1900 |
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| The Chicken Seller, Seoul, ca. 1900 |
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| The flying see-saw Korean girls, ca. 1900-05 |
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| The hay carrier, ca. 1900 |
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| The human back-hoe laying the foundation for a new post office in Seoul, 1903 |
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| The rice pounders, Seoul, 1903 |
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| The wedding party, Seoul, ca. 1900 |
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| Tiger hunters in the hills outside of Seoul, ca. 1900 |
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| Two high-class gentlemen killing time, Seoul, 1903 |
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| Two kinds of loads on the streets of Seoul, ca. 1900 |
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| View from the City Wall, Seoul, Korea, 1904 |
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| View from the City Wall, Seoul, Korea, 1904 |
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| A happy couple visiting relatives in Seoul, 1903 |
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| A Korean drum and bugle corps escorts the grand-master of the emperor's royal stable through Seoul in 1903 |
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