Convergent flux : contemporary architecture and urbanism in Korea This book illustrates the contemporary architectural and urban planning developments in South Korea in the context of the countrys considerable urban density. In recent years South Korea which long stood in the shadow of the superpowers Japan and China has surged in economic terms. That said industrialization and the population explosion connected with it have created enormous challenges for the country at the interface between globalization and cultural identity. Some 10.5 million inhabitants live in the center of the capital Seoul while the metropolitan area includes around 25 million residents making it the second largest conurbation in the world after Tokyo. The result is high urban density which spells an enormous demand for the more efficient use of space and encourages verticalization in architecture