Gangnam (), sometimes referred to as the Greater Gangnam Area, is a geographic and cultural region in Seoul, South Korea. Although the term Gangnam literally means south of the Han River, the region of Gangnam is generally defined as being made up by the affluent Gangnam, Seocho, and Songpa districts of Seoul. Historically, the region was also called Yeongdong () and remained undeveloped prior to the state-led urban development of the 1960s. Gangnam can also refer to the commercial districts developed around Gangnam Highway and Gangnam station, which are considered one of the most expensive retail markets in the world. History Prior to the incorporation of Gangnam into the city of Seoul in 1963, Seoul was considered to be made up of the area north of the Han River, with the Gangnam region being considered part of outer Seoul (). The swampy region was originally home to various poor farming households living in traditional thatched roof Korean homes, with most land use being used for paddy fields and other low-value agriculture. In addition, the region's lowland geographical features made it vulnerable to flooding, thus excluding Gangnam from prior development plans. Military dictator Park Chung-hee favored development south of the river to counteract housing shortages and urban sprawl north of the river. By the late 1960s, migration from the countryside into Seoul had overwhelmed the city's existing infrastructure and various proposals were made to expand the city to the south. Following the 1968 assassination attempt on Park Chung-hee by North Korean soldiers, Park announced plans to build a "second Seoul" south of the river to disperse the population away from the DMZ. At the time, Gangnam was distanced from the traditional central business districts of Jongro to the north and Yeouido to the west. Between 1963 and 1979, land prices in Gangnam would increase nearly 1000 times, while land prices in Gangbuk increased 25 times in the same period. In the early 1980s, the Park government enacted the Gangbuk Suppression Policies which restricted the new construction of businesses, entertainment venues, factories, and department stores north of the river. New construction in the Gangnam area were sold off by the government through a lottery program that sold the homes to the winners at below market rates. These lotteries were highly competitive and restricted to middle-class Koreans as a result of their strict financial restrictions. During this time, intense media attention was brought