The largest
cities of South Korea have an autonomous status equivalent to that of provinces.
Seoul, the largest city and capital, is classified as a
teukbyeolsi (
Special City), while the next 6 largest cities (see the list below) are classified as
gwangyeoksi (Metropolitan Cities; see
Special cities of South Korea). Smaller cities are classified as
si ("cities") and are under provincial jurisdiction, at the same level as counties (see
Administrative divisions of South Korea).