After World War II and Korea's liberation, the city took its present name, which originated from the Korean word meaning "capital city", which is believed to have descended from an ancient word, ''Seorabeol'' (), which originally referred to Gyeongju, the capital of Silla. Ancient Gyeongju was also known in documents by the Chinese-style name ''Geumseong'' (, literally "Gold Castle or City" or "Metal Castle or City"), but it is unclear whether the native Korean-style name ''Seorabeol'' had the same meaning as ''Geumseong''.