CHUNCHEON

'Chuncheon' (''Chuncheon-si'') is the capital of Gangwon Province, South Korea. The city lies in the north of the country, located in a basin formed by the Soyang River and Han River. There are some large lakes around the city, most notably Lake Soyang and Lake Uiam. The area is renowned for its small river islands, such as Sangjungdo, Ha-Jungdo, Bungeo Island, or Wido.

Contents

History

Culture

Food

Economy

Education

Transportation

Climate

Sister cities

See also

References

External links

History

The area now occupied by the city was first settled about 1000 years ago by tribal communities. In 637 the city was called ''Usooju''. In 757 it was renamed ''Saku'' and again in 940 as ''Chunju'' (春州) before receiving its current name in 1413. In 1896, Chuncheon became the capital city of Gangwon province. The city was largely destroyed during the Korean War, but has since been reconstructed.
In 1995 Chuncheon city merged politically with the government of the surrounding Chuncheon county.

Culture

In the spring, the Chuncheon International Mime Festival is organized, as well as the Spring Season Art Festival. In the summer, the Chuncheon Puppet Festival takes place. There is also a festival for Makguksu, a food that Chuncheon is famous for. Also celebrated in the summer, is the International Animation Festival. Every autumn, Chuncheon Marathontakes place. In winter, snow and ice festivals are organized.

Food

Chuncheon is famous for its "dak-galbi" (Hangul: 닭갈비), or chicken ribs. The city was historically known as a centre for chicken farms. There is even a street in the city dedicated to restaurants serving the dish, with some 25 restaurants populating the area.^[2]
The other major dish famous in Chuncheon is makguksu.

Economy

Chuncheon is the market centre for agricultural produce from the surrounding lands. The main products are rice and soybeans. Since the 1960s light industry has become dominant in the city. However, after its huge success of airing TV drama called ''Winter Sonata'', this city has become a major "Korean Wave" (''Han-ryu'', 한류) tour destination. Most of tourists from the Northeast Asia come to visit.^[3]
There are hydroelectric powerplants in the area around Chuncheon. The ''Soyang River Dam'' is the largest sand gravel dam in East Asia.^[4]

Education

Chuncheon is home to three universities: Chuncheon National University of Education, established in 1939, Kangwon National University, founded 1947, and Hallym University, established in 1982.

Transportation

Chuncheon is at the end of the Gyeongchun Railway Line. This is mostly single track connecting the city to Cheongnyangni Station in Seoul. At present (April 2007) a new realigned twin track electrified line is under construction, several new stations are being constructed to replace the existing halts. It is also the northern terminus of the Jungang Expressway, and various highways connect it to the outlying regions of Gangwon. There are also river transport facilities in Soyangho(Lake Soyang), which connects Yanggu and Cheongpyeongsa (청평사, buddist) temple.^[5]

Climate

The average temperature in the city is 11°C. The lowest measured temperature was −17.5°C, and the highest was 35.2°C. There is an average of 1,296 mm of annual rainfall, and 210.9 days of sunshine.

Sister cities

★ Higashichikuma District, Nagano, Japan

★ Kakamigahara, Gifu, Japan

See also

★ List of Korea-related topics

★ List of cities in South Korea

References

1. Population(As of July, 2007)(Korean), Chuncheon Shibo(city news), Chuncheon City, Retrieved on August 27, 2007
2. Chuncheon's Dakgalbi (spicy stir-fried chicken with vegetables), Tour2Korea.com, Retrieved on April 14, 2006
3. A promo page of Gangwon Drama Gallery, Chuncheon City, 2005
4. Lake Soyang (Gangwon province)
5. Ibid.

External links

★ Official Homepage of Chuncheon City

★ Open Directory category

★ Galbijim wiki page on Chuncheon