This paper discusses the Korean urban space by focusing on capital cities and how they structure the Korean “meta-nation”, i.e. this very unique cultural space, attached to the locus of the Korean peninsula and coherent over the historical longue durée, currently split into two States and fragmented into great diasporic communities, which positions are determined by political polarization. It is based on the analysis of geographical discourse on Korean “capital cities”, and “capitalness”, as the quality of some cities able to take on the power that comes with a central political role, even if they are not or no longer the current capital, in various secondary sources in English and Korean. Next to the great capitals of Korean geo-history (hyper-capitals of the present States, Pyongyang and Seoul, or legitimizing historical capital cities such as Kaesong and Kyŏngju), de-capitalized cities such as Suwŏn, forgotten or marginalized capitals, such as Puyo, or Kongju) form an archipelago of capitals. This archipelago of “hyper-capitals” and “shadow capitals” is scattered not only across the peninsula itself, but is also connected to many capital cities of the Korean diaspora: from the North American diaspora’s Koreatown in Los Angeles to the Central Asian diaspora’s Almaty in Kazakhstan.

Abstract
1. Introduction - Seoul, Seoul, Seoul: Sŏrabŏl and Capital City
    a) Capital City and Capitals of a “Meta-nation”
    b) Capital and Capitalness Here and Elsewhere
    c) Capitals in Motion
2. Predominant Capital cities of Korea’s Geo-history:“Hypercapital” and Legitimising Capital Cities
3. “Shadow Capitals” in Korean Geo-History: From ForgottenCapitals to ‘Adjacent’ Capitals under Construction
4. Capital City or Cities for the Future of Korea?
5. Conclusion - Issues Raised by this Archipelago of KoreanCapital Cities
References

• Valérie Gelézeau(l′École des hautes études en sciences sociales, EHESS)