Seoul city has a new Chinese name.

The capital city will be called "Shouer" instead of "Hancheng" as is the case currently.

In announcing the new name, a city official said the municipal government had decided to change the capital's Chinese name since the current name "Hancheng" caused confusion, as its pronunciation is markedly different from the Korean word "Seoul".

The official said the new name, which means "the first city", suits the capital city and imparts a feeling of softness with simple syllables.

Following the adoption of the capital city's new name, the Seoul city government plans to change the Chinese name of Seoul on its Internet Web site and in other Chinese-language promotional materials.

The city government also plans to make an official request to the Chinese government to use "Shouer" to refer to Seoul.