Chuncheon
Encyclopedia
Chuncheon is the capital of Gangwon
Gangwon-do (South Korea)
Gangwon-do is a province of South Korea, with its capital at Chuncheon. Before the division of Korea in 1945, Gangwon and its North Korean neighbour Kangwŏn formed a single province.-History:...

 Province, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

. The city lies in the northeast of the country, located in a basin formed by the Soyang River
Soyang River
Soyang River is a river of South Korea. It is a river of the Han River system....

 and Han River
Han River (Korea)
The Han River is a major river in South Korea and the fourth longest river on the Korean peninsula after the Amnok, Duman, and Nakdong rivers. It is formed by the confluence of the Namhan River , which originates in Mount Daedeok, and the Bukhan River , which originates on the slopes of Mount...

. 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, and Wido.

It is now a popular destination among East Asian tourists as it was featured in the popular Korean drama Winter Sonata
Winter Sonata
Winter Sonata is a South Korean television drama series broadcast by KBS in 2002. It is the second part of the Endless Love installment directed by Yoon Seok-Ho...

. It is where the resort island of Namiseom
Namiseom
Namiseom is a tiny half-moon shaped island located in Chuncheon, South Korea, formed as it was inundated by the rising water of the North Han River as the result of the construction of Cheongpyeong Dam in 1944...

 is located.

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
Gangwon (historical)
Gangwon Province or Gangwon-do was one of the Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. The province was formed in 1395, and derived its name from the names of the principal cities of Gangneung and the provincial capital Wonju .In 1895, Gangwon-do was replaced by the Districts of...

 province. The city was largely destroyed during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

, 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
Chuncheon Puppet Festival
Chuncheon Puppet festival is an annual puppet festival held in Chuncheon, South Korea that includes both Korean and international performersIt usually takes place in August at the Chuncheon Puppet Theatre.-External links:*...

 takes place. There is also a festival for Makguksu
Makguksu
Makguksu is a Korean buckwheat noodle dish served in a chilled broth. It is a local specialty of the Gangwon province of South Korea, and its capital city, Chuncheon.-Ingredients and preparation:...

, a food that Chuncheon is famous for. Also celebrated in the summer, is the International Animation Festival. The city has had its own annual marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...

 race since 1946; the Chuncheon Marathon
Chuncheon Marathon
The Chuncheon International Marathon is an annual marathon race which is held in late October in the city of Chuncheon, South Korea. First held in 1946, it is the second oldest marathon in the country after the Seoul International Marathon...

 is held every October. In winter, snow and ice festivals are organized. Currently, MAC Architects-Consultants Group Ltd. (명승건축그룹) is building the Design and Arts Arcadia of Myungseung
Design and Arts Arcadia of Myungseung
Design and Arts Arcadia of Myungseung , located in Chuncheon, Korea, is a full-service hotel with many components of art and culture as the focal theme of its operations. First conceptualized in 2004 by the CEO of MAC Architects-Consultants Group Ltd., Mr...

 in Chuncheon and will serve to become an internationally recognized cultural landmark.

Food

Chuncheon is famous for its "dak galbi
Dak galbi
Dak galbi, also romanized dalk galbi, is a popular South Korean dish generally made by stir-frying marinated diced chicken in a gochujang based sauce, and sliced cabbage, sweet potato, scallions, onions and tteok together on a hot plate...

", which translates as chicken ribs. It consists of chicken, Chinese cabbage
Chinese cabbage
Chinese cabbage can refer to two distinct varieties of Chinese leaf vegetables used often in Chinese cuisine. These vegetables are both related to the Western cabbage, and are of the same species as the common turnip...

, sweet potato
Sweet potato
The sweet potato is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the family Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting, tuberous roots are an important root vegetable. The young leaves and shoots are sometimes eaten as greens. Of the approximately 50 genera and more than 1,000 species of...

es, tteok
Tteok
Tteok is a class of Korean rice cakes made with glutinous rice flour , by steaming. Normal rice flour can be used for some kinds of tteok. There are hundreds of different kinds of tteok eaten year round...

(rice cakes), and scallion
Scallion
Scallions , are the edible plants of various Allium species, all of which are "onion-like", having hollow green leaves and lacking a fully developed root bulb.-Etymology:The words...

s, mixed with a spicy sauce heavy on ochujang]. It is usually cooked in a big iron pan in the center of the table, but the traditional method is over charcoal. Despite the name, the dish is traditionally made from leg meat, not 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.

The other major dish famous in Chuncheon is makguksu
Makguksu
Makguksu is a Korean buckwheat noodle dish served in a chilled broth. It is a local specialty of the Gangwon province of South Korea, and its capital city, Chuncheon.-Ingredients and preparation:...

.

Economy

Chuncheon is the market centre for agricultural produce from the surrounding lands. The main products are rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...

 and soybean
Soybean
The soybean or soya bean is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean which has numerous uses...

s. Since the 1960s light industry
Light industry
Light industry is usually less capital intensive than heavy industry, and is more consumer-oriented than business-oriented...

 has become dominant in the city. After the huge success of the TV drama Winter Sonata
Winter Sonata
Winter Sonata is a South Korean television drama series broadcast by KBS in 2002. It is the second part of the Endless Love installment directed by Yoon Seok-Ho...

, the city has also become a major "Korean wave
Korean wave
The Korean Wave, also known as the Hallyu , refers to spread of South Korean culture around the world. The term was coined in China in mid-1999 by Beijing journalists surprised by the fast growing popularity of Korean entertainment and culture in China...

" (Han-ryu, 한류) tourist destination, attracting visitors from around East Asia
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...

.

There are hydroelectric powerplants in the area around Chuncheon. The Soyang Dam
Soyang Dam
The Soyang Dam, also referred to as the Soyanggang Dam, is an embankment dam on the Soyang River, northeast of Chuncheon in Gangwon-do Province, South Korea. The purpose of the dam is flood control, water supply and hydroelectric power generation. Construction on the dam began in 1967 and was...

 is the largest sand gravel dam in East Asia.

Education

Chuncheon is home to 5 universities: Chuncheon National University of Education
Chuncheon National University of Education
Chuncheon National University of Education is one of several national universities of education in South Korea. It provides training to future educators, primarily those bound for the primary level of the country's public education system. The campus is located in Chuncheon City, the capital of...

, established in 1939, Kangwon National University
Kangwon National University
Kangwon National University was established in 1947 in Chuncheon, Gangwon-do province, South Korea. As one of 10 Flagship Korean National Universities, Kangwon National University serves as the flagship educational institution of Gangwon province....

, founded 1947, and Hallym University
Hallym University
Hallym University is a private university which is located in Chuncheon, Gangwon, Republic of Korea. Hallym University was established in 1982. In 1995 it was designated by the Ministry of Education as one of a handful of universities entitled to receive the financial support of the Ministry for...

, established in 1982, Hallym Sungsim University, Korea Politec 3 University.

Transportation

As of February 2011, the two important train stations in metropolitan Chuncheon are, the terminus of the Gyeongchun Line
Gyeongchun Line
The Gyeongchun Line is a railway line connecting Seoul to Chuncheon in South Korea. The line is operated by Korail. The name of the line came from Gyeongseong and Chuncheon. The line was reconstructed in a new alignment in its entirety in the 2000s...

, Chuncheon Station
Chuncheon Station
Chuncheon Station is a railway station on, and the eastern terminus of, the Gyeongchun Line....

, and hugely used by the city's most poplulated southern (Toegye-dong and Seoksa-dong) residents, Namchuncheon Station
Namchuncheon Station
Namchuncheon Station is a train station on the Gyeongchun Line in Chuncheon, South Korea, operated by Korail...

. Both of them are on the run successfully. This is a double track
Double track
A double track railway usually involves running one track in each direction, compared to a single track railway where trains in both directions share the same track.- Overview :...

 rapid transit
Rapid transit
A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...

 connecting the city to Sangbong Station
Sangbong Station
Sangbong Station is a station on the Seoul Subway Line 7. As of December 21, 2010, this station now has a brand-new dual transfer point with the Jungang Line and Gyeongchun Line, with the platform of the aboveground station....

 in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...

. As of December 21, 2010, a new realigned twin track electrified line has been successfully constructed and several new stations are being constructed to replace the existing halts. It is also the northern terminus of the Jungang Expressway
Jungang Expressway
The Jungang Expressway is an expressway in South Korea. Its name literally means "Central Expressway," and for much of its length it runs through mountainous terrain near the country's east-west center line, including the national parks of Chiaksan and Sobaeksan. It shares the route number 55...

, eastern terminus of the new Seoul-Chuncheon Expressway
Seoul-Chuncheon Expressway
The Seoul-Chuncheon Expressway is an expressway in South Korea, connecting the cities of Seoul and Chuncheon. It is 62 kilometers long, with two lanes of traffic in each direction and ten interchanges...

, and various national and regional roads connect it to the outlying regions of Gangwon or Gyeonggi, with Chuncheon Bus Terminal. Highway buses to Daegu
Daegu
Daegu , also known as Taegu, and officially the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea, the fourth largest after Seoul, Busan, and Incheon, and the third largest metropolitan area in the country with over 2.5 million residents. The city is the capital and principal city of the...

 and Gwangju
Gwangju
Gwangju is the sixth largest city in South Korea. It is a designated metropolitan city under the direct control of the central government's Home Minister...

 (both "metropolitan city") also operates in Highway-bus Terminal, which nears. There are also river transport facilities in Soyangho (Lake Soyang), which connects to Cheongpyeongsa (청평사, Buddhist) temple.

Climate

Chuncheon has cold winters and hot summers. The lowest measured temperature was −27.9°C (February 6, 1969), and the highest was 36.6°C (July 21, 1972). The annual precipitation is an average of 1347.3 mm.

Sister cities

Chuncheon-si protested against the enactment of "Day of Takeshima
Liancourt Rocks
The Liancourt Rocks, also known as Dokdo or Tokto in Korean or in Japanese, are a group of small islets in the Sea of Japan . Sovereignty over the islets is disputed between Japan and South Korea...

" ordinance of Shimane Prefecture
Shimane Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region on Honshū island. The capital is Matsue. It is the second least populous prefecture in Japan, after its eastern neighbor Tottori. The prefecture has an area elongated from east to west facing the Chūgoku Mountain Range on the south side and to...

 and announced to suspend the sisterhood relationship with Kakamigahara in March, 2005.
City State Country Year
Higashichikuma District Nagano Prefecture
Nagano Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Nagano.- History :Nagano was formerly known as the province of Shinano...

  Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, 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...

June 8, 1984
Hōfu
Hofu, Yamaguchi
is a city located in Yamaguchi, Japan.-History:Hōfu means "the capital of Suō Province".The eastern part of Yamaguchi prefecture was formerly called Suō Province.The city was founded on August 25, 1936...

Yamaguchi Prefecture
Yamaguchi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan in the Chūgoku region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Yamaguchi, in the center of the prefecture. The largest city, however, is Shimonoseki.- History :...

  Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, 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...

October 29, 1991
Kakamigahara Gifu Prefecture
Gifu Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the Chūbu region of central Japan. Its capital is the city of Gifu.Located in the center of Japan, it has long played an important part as the crossroads of Japan, connecting the east to the west through such routes as the Nakasendō...

  Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, 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...

October 31, 2003
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...

  Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...

 (State)
  Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...

May 2, 2004


External links

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