Cheongju is the capital
city||South Korea is divided into 8 provinces , 1 special autonomous province , 6 metropolitan cities , and 1 special city...
of
Chungcheongbuk-doChungcheongbuk-do is a province in the centre of South Korea. It was formed in 1896 from the northeastern half of the former Chungcheong province...
(province),
South KoreaSouth Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often simply referred to as Korea, is a country in East Asia, located on the southern half of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by China to the west, Japan to the east, and North Korea to the north. Its capital is Seoul, the second largest...
. The city is divided into two wards ("
GuGU, Gu or gu may refer to:* Gu , Gu , several rare surnames of the Han Chinese people* Gu , a sports nutrition product* Gu , the Dahomey god of war* Gu , Chinese poison sorcery...
"), Heungdeok-gu (western part of the city) and Sangdang-gu (eastern part of the city).
History
Cheongju has been an important provincial town since ancient times.
During
Hideyoshi's Invasions of KoreaTwo Japanese invasions of Korea and subsequent battles on the Korean peninsula took place from 1592 to 1598. Toyotomi Hideyoshi led the newly unified Japan into the first invasion with the professed goal of conquering Korea, the Jurchens, Ming Dynasty China and India. The second invasion was...
, Cheongju was the site of the
Battle of ChongjuNot to be confused with the Battle of ChungjuThe Battle of Chongju was one of the first Korean victories on land during the Imjin War. Also, it was won by the Korean irregular volunteers that included Buddhist warrior monks as well.-Prelude:...
, during which the Korean forces re-took the city from the Japanese forces in an important early victory.
The government of the province relocated here from
ChungjuChungju is a city in North Chungcheong province, South Korea. Namsan is a mountain located on the outskirts of the city.The city is famous for the annual martial arts festival held in October. Also of note, UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon grew up here....
in 1908.
The opening of the Chungbuk-line in 1926 sparked regional development. In 1946, Cheongju and Cheongwon-gun were separated, and in 1949, Cheongju was upgraded to Cheongju City. Afterwards, it went through the separation of administrative dong and their transfer to Cheongwon-gun, with 2 branch offices (East and West)established in July 1989 that were upgraded to Sangdang-gu and Heungdeok-gu in January.
Geography
Geum RiverThe Geum-gang River is located in South Korea. It is a major river that originates in Jangsu-eub, North Jeolla Province. It flows northward through North Jeolla and North Chungcheong Provinces and then changes direction in the vicinity of Greater Daejeon and flows southwest through South...
goes through right center of Cheongju city. Additionally, the tributaries of Musim and Miho flow together in northern part of city. To east and west, there are mountains of Wuam and Bumo.
Cultural properties
- Sangdangsanseong (Sangdang Mountain Fortress) lies on the slopes of Mt. Uam within the city limits. The fortress is comprised mainly of a 3-4 meter tall wall that stretches over 4.2 kilometers in circumference. The present walls date to the 1716 restoration of the site. Within the walls lies a small tourist village that has several restaurants.
- Cheongju National Museum also lies near Mt. Uam, and houses several exhibits of cultural artifacts from the nearby area.
- Heungdeok Temple Site is the home to the Early Printing Museum, and is purported to be the site of the printing of Jikji
Jikji is the abbreviated title of a Korean Buddhist document, whose full title can be translated "The Monk Baegun's Anthology of the Great Priests' Teachings on Identification of the Buddha’s Spirit by the Practice of Seon." Printed during the Goryeo Dynasty in 1377, it is the world's oldest...
, the oldest existent book printed using movable metal type. The museum itself contains exhibits related to the art of printing through the ages.
- Yongdusaji Cheoldanggan (The Iron Flagpole of the Yongdu Temple Site) is designated Korean National Treasure number 41, and is located near Cheongju Department Store in downtown Cheongju. Made of twenty iron cylinders, the flagpole stands 13.1 meters tall, and was formerly used to hang flags to honor the Buddha.
Transport
Cheongju AirportCheongju Airport is an international airport near the city of Cheongju, South Korea. It also serves the city of Daejeon. It also houses the 17th fighter wing of the ROKAF...
provides scheduled flights to Korea and China. The main train station is located at Ogeunjang approximately 8 km north of the city hall. This station is on the
Chungbuk LineThe Chungbuk Line is a railway line serving North Chungcheong Province in South Korea. The line connects Jochiwon on the Gyeongbu Line to Bongyang on the Jungang Line, serving the major cities of Cheongju and Chungju en route. Cheongju International Airport locates near the rail line.-Major...
.
Education
Chongju is the site of several
tertiaryTertiary education, also referred to as third stage, third level, and post-secondary education, is the educational level following the completion of a school providing a secondary education, such as a high school, secondary school, or gymnasium...
institutions, including:
- Chungbuk National University
Chungbuk National University is generally regarded as one of five major national universities of South Korea together with Seoul National University, Pusan National University, Kyungpook National University and Chonnam National University...
- Cheongju University
Cheongju University is a private university located in Cheongju City, the capital of North Chungcheong province, South Korea. The current president is Kim Yoon Bae.-Academics:...
- Seowon University
- Cheongju National University of Education
Cheongju National University of Education is one of several national universities of education in South Korea. It provides training to teachers, particularly those who plan to teach in public elementary schools. The campus is located in Cheongju City, the capital of North Chungcheong province....
- Chung Cheong College
Chung Cheong University is a private technical university in Cheongju City, the capital of North Chungcheong province, South Korea. It employs about 110 instructors...
Sister cities
Tottoriis the capital city of Tottori Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of Japan.As of 2006, the city has an estimated population of 200,974 and a density of 262.48 persons per km². The total area is 765.66 km²....
,
Tottori Prefectureis a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Tottori. It is the least populous prefecture in Japan.- History :Tottori originally consisted of the old provinces of Hōki and Inaba.- Geography :...
,
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
Wuhan' is the capital of Hubei province, People's Republic of China, and is the most populous city in central China. It lies at the east of Jianghan Plain, and the intersection of the middle reaches of the Yangtze and Han River...
, Hubei Province, PRC
Pittsfield, MassachusettsPittsfield is the largest city in and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Its area code is 413. Its ZIP code is 01201...
USA
Bellingham, WashingtonBellingham is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington, and the twelfth largest city in the state. It is situated on Bellingham Bay, which is protected by Lummi Island, Portage Island, and the Lummi Peninsula, and opens onto the Strait of Georgia...
, USA (will be add officially September 2008)
External links