Iksan
Encyclopedia
Iksan is a city
Administrative divisions of South Korea
||South Korea is divided into 8 provinces , 1 special autonomous province , 6 metropolitan cities , and 1 special city...

 and major railway junction in North Jeolla Province, (commonly transliterated as Jeollabuk-do
Jeollabuk-do
Jeollabuk-do is a province in the southwest of South Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former Jeolla province, and remained a province of Korea until the country's division in 1945, then became part of South Korea...

 or Chollabuk-do) 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 center and railway junction was formerly called "Iri" , but merged with Iksan County (Iksan-gun) in 1995.

The railway junction is located at the point where Jeolla
Jeolla Line
The Jeolla Line is a railway line in North and South Jeolla Provinces in South Korea. The line is served by frequent passenger trains from Seoul to Yeosu...

, Janghang Line
Janghang Line
The Janghang Line is a railway line serving South Chungcheong Province in South Korea. The line connects Cheonan to the railway junction city of Iksan. The Janghang Line is served by frequent Saemaul-ho and Mugunghwa passenger train services between Seoul and Iksan...

 and Gunsan Line
Gunsan Line
The Gunsan Hwamul Line is a cargo railway line serving North Jeolla Province in South Korea. Before January 1, 2008, this line was called Gunsan Line which connected the major railway junction of Iksan to the city of Gunsan. As of January 2008, new connecting line between Janghang and Daeya...

s meet the Honam Line
Honam Line
The Honam Line is a major railway line serving the Honam region in South Korea. The line is served by frequent passenger trains from Seoul to Gwangju and Mokpo.-History:...

, and is served by frequent train service to/from 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...

, Daejeon
Daejeon
Daejeon is South Korea's fifth largest metropolis and the provincial capital of Chungnam. Located in the center of the country, Daejeon had a population of over 1.5 million in 2010. It is at the crossroads of Gyeongbu railway, Honam railway, Gyeongbu Expressway, and Honam Expressway. Within the...

, 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...

, Mokpo
Mokpo
Mokpo is a city in South Jeolla Province, South Korea, on the southwestern tip of the Korean Peninsula. Mokpo has frequent train service to Seoul and is the terminus for a number of ferry routes serving islands in the adjacent Yellow Sea...

, Jeonju
Jeonju
Jeonju is a city in South Korea, and the capital of Jeollabuk-do, or North Jeolla Province. It is an important tourist center famous for Korean food, historic buildings, sports activities and innovative festivals.- History :...

, Suncheon
Suncheon, South Korea
Suncheon is a city in Jeollanam-do, South Korea. Located in the province of Jeollanam-do,It is a scenic agricultural and industrial city of around 250,000 people near Suncheon Bay. It is located in the southeastern corner of Jeollanam-do, just over an hour south-east of Gwangju...

, and Yeosu
Yeosu
Yeosu is a city in South Jeolla Province, South Korea. Old Yeosu City, which was founded in 1949, Yeocheon City, founded in 1986, and Yeocheon County were merged into a new city in 1998....

.

Iksan National College, Won Buddhism Graduate School, Wonkwang Health Science College, and Wonkwang University
Wonkwang University
Wonkwang University is a university located in Iksan, South Korea....

 are all located in Iksan.

Iksan is called “The city of Jewelry” and has a Jewelry museum which opened in May 2002.

In late November 2006, Korean authorities quarantined a farm in Iksan and began culling poultry and livestock within 3 kilometers radius, to contain an outbreak of the H5N1 bird flu
H5N1
Influenza A virus subtype H5N1, also known as "bird flu", A or simply H5N1, is a subtype of the influenza A virus which can cause illness in humans and many other animal species...

 virus.

Iksan that has been handed down the story of Seodong and Seonhwa will be the 'Paradise in Autumn Festival'

Festivals with various themes are held in Iksan. Each of these festivals is themed with a particular product and related to the local history.

The names are as follows:

Seodong Festival
10,000,000 Chrysanthemums festival
Iksan Jewelry Expo
Stone Culture festival

History

Iksan was once the capital of an ancient country, Baekje
Baekje
Baekje or Paekche was a kingdom located in southwest Korea. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla....

 Kingdom. The temples built then are still standing now.
Iksan has always been an important transport center.
After the "Iri train station explosion", Iksan city fell into a state of decline.However, Iksan's train station was later rebuilt and it became the junction of three rail lines, the Jeolla Line, Honam Line and Janghang Line. It now services KTX and Saemaul trains as well as frequent buses services. Today, Iksan is once again a thriving city.

Geography

Iksan's geographical location is situated on the Okgu and Keumman Plains which lead to the West Sea [Yellow Sea].. As it is located very near the sea where ships can transport a wide variety of products, Iksan has played a role as a central area of logistics as well as traffic for a long time.

Iksan is situated in the northwestern part of Jeollabuk-do. In the east of Iksan are the rugged mountains of Mt. Cheonho and Mt. Mireuk at the edge of the Noryeong Mountains, and in the northwest the range of Mt. Hamra leading to a series of hills and a great stream, which have formed a fertile plain, towards the west. Iksan borders Nonsan-gun and Buyeo-gun, Chuncheongnam-do, divided by Keum-gang[river] in the north. It faces the Okgu Plains in the west and the Kimje Plains divided by Mankyeong-gang in the south.

Sister cities

Culver City, California
Culver City, California
Culver City is a city in western Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 38,883, up from 38,816 at the 2000 census. It is mostly surrounded by the city of Los Angeles, but also shares a border with unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. Culver...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 Odense
Odense
The city of Odense is the third largest city in Denmark.Odense City has a population of 167,615 and is the main city of the island of Funen...

, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

 Zhenjiang
Zhenjiang
Zhenjiang is a prefecture-level city in the southwest of Jiangsu province in the eastern People's Republic of China . Sitting on the southern bank of the Yangtze River, it borders the provincial capital of Nanjing to the west, Changzhou to the east, and Yangzhou across the river to the north.Once...

, People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...


Notable people from Iksan

  • Birdie Kim
    Birdie Kim
    Birdie Kim is a South Korean golfer. Her career highlight is winning the 2005 U.S. Women's Open at Cherry Hills Country Club. In the last round, she was tied for the lead on the 18th hole. Her second shot found a green-side bunker...

    , LPGA
    LPGA
    The LPGA, in full the Ladies Professional Golf Association, is an American organization for female professional golfers. The organization, whose headquarters is in Daytona Beach, Florida, is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite female golfers from...

     golfer
  • Iri Station Explosion
    Iri Station Explosion
    The Iri Station Explosion was a disaster occurring in Iri, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea on November 10, 1977.On that day a train at Iri station had a load of 40-ton dynamite explosives. A guard, under the influence of alcohol, wanted to put out a candle. Trying to put the candle out, he accidentally...


External links

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