Star architects bid to build new center for Seoul

An all-star group of international architects bidding for the chance to design a new urban center for the South Korean capital said on Tuesday the vast site offered a rare chance to create a model for 21st century cities.

Five top architecture firms behind many of the world's recent iconic structures are being given $1 million each to propose a master plan for the 28 trillion won ($27 billion) Yongsan business district.

Covering 566,800 sq m near the bank of the Han River, the site is nearly nine times as large as New York's World Trade Center site, which is being rebuilt after the Sept 11 attacks.