Namwon (
Namwon-si) is a
city||South Korea is divided into 8 provinces , 1 special autonomous province , 6 metropolitan cities , and 1 special city...
in North Jeolla 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...
. Namwon is about 45 minutes from the provincial capital of
JeonjuJeonju 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 :...
, which is three hours away from
SeoulSeoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest city of South Korea. With a population of over 10 million, it is one of the world's largest cities. The Seoul National Capital Area, which includes the major port city of Incheon and most of Gyeonggi-do, has 24.5 million...
.
The official city flower is Royal Azalea (철쭉) while the city tree is the crape-myrtle (배롱나무) and the city bird is the
swallowThe swallows and martins are a group of passerine birds in the family Hirundinidae which are characterised by their adaptation to aerial feeding...
(제비).
Namwon is the type of small city that allows for an escape from the bigger cities in Korea.
Namwon (
Namwon-si) is a
city||South Korea is divided into 8 provinces , 1 special autonomous province , 6 metropolitan cities , and 1 special city...
in North Jeolla 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...
. Namwon is about 45 minutes from the provincial capital of
JeonjuJeonju 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 :...
, which is three hours away from
SeoulSeoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest city of South Korea. With a population of over 10 million, it is one of the world's largest cities. The Seoul National Capital Area, which includes the major port city of Incheon and most of Gyeonggi-do, has 24.5 million...
.
The official city flower is Royal Azalea (철쭉) while the city tree is the crape-myrtle (배롱나무) and the city bird is the
swallowThe swallows and martins are a group of passerine birds in the family Hirundinidae which are characterised by their adaptation to aerial feeding...
(제비).
Namwon is the type of small city that allows for an escape from the bigger cities in Korea. It is often considered the gateway to
Jirisan National ParkJirisan National Park*Date formed: 29 Dec 1967*Size: 471.75 sq. kms.*Temples: SsangyesaThis national park is located on the boundaries of Jeollanam-do, Jeollabuk-do, and Gyeongsangnam-do. It was the first park to be designated in South Korea, and is the largest in area.-External...
, which have the largest mountains in the South Korean Mainland. It is 3 and a half hours from the Seoul Central City Bus Terminal and about one hour from both the U-Square Bus Terminal in Gwangju and the Jeonju Inter City Bus Terminal. It has enough modern motels, stores, bars, restaurants, and convenience stores (GS 25, Mini Stop, Family Mart, and a 7-11) to make it easily familiar to those accustomed to larger cities and enough "Ma and Pa" businesses to allow one to experience a more traditional side of Korea. It is a city with a country feel to it and history to explore. There are many old tradional homes with narrow streets and winding alleys to explore. It is called "the City of Love" because of the famous love story of Chunhyang (known all over Korea by most Korean people). Gwanghallu Garden is a shrine to this true love story. Below is a summary of some of the things the city has to offer.
It is also the setting for the famous story in Korea of the Chunhyangga. This tells the tale of Chunhyang and is why Namwon is referred to as "The City of Love."
History
Namwon was founded in 685 during the reign of
King SinmunSinmun of Silla was the thirty-first king of Silla, a Korean state that originated in the southwestern Korean peninsula and went on to unify most of the peninsula under its rule in the mid 7th century. He was the eldest son of Silla's unifier-king, Munmu and Queen Ja-eui 慈儀...
of
SillaSilla was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, and the longest sustained dynasty in Asian history. Although it was founded by King Park Hyeokgeose, who is also known to be the originator of the Korean family name Park , the dynasty was to see the Kyungju Kim clan hold rule for most of its...
. Namwon county was founded in April 1, 1895.
The city suffered during the
Siege of NamwonThe Siege of Namwon was one of the battles of the Imjin War.- Ming-Chinese forces 3,000 men :Yang Yuan
Middle Army : Li Xin Fang
Mao Cheng Xian
Jiang Biǎo- Korean forces 1,300 men :...
in 1597 which was part of the Imjin War. During the siege that lasted from August 13 to August 16 the only defenders against the
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...
ese army of 56,000 men were 3300 Korean and Chinese soldiers and 6000 women and children. In the end the Japanese found a way to enter the city and killed all the soldiers and civilians.
Geography
Namwon is located in a
basinDepression in geology is a landform sunken or depressed below the surrounding area. Depressions may be formed by various mechanisms, and may be referred to by a variety of technical terms.*A basin may be any large sediment filled depression...
bordered by the
Sobaek MountainsThe Sobaek Mountains are a mountain range cutting across the southern Korean peninsula. They split off from the Taebaek Mountains and trend southwest across the center of the peninsula. They are traditionally considered to reach their southwestern limit at Jirisan, which is also the highest peak...
to the east and the Buheung Mountain Ridges to the west with the Yocheon River flowing through the city. Namwon is bordered by the counties of Imsil and Sunchang to the west, Jangsu to the north,
HamyangHamyang County is a county in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea.-Symbol:* Flower : Azalea* Tree : Zelkova tree* Bird : Cuckoo* Animal : Asian black bear* Major : Cheon, Saryoung-External links:**...
and
HadongHadong County is a county in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea.-History:Hadong was called 'Dasachon' in Jinguk period, and was part of 'Nangnoguk', one of 12 Byeonhan countries. According to 'History of Three Countries', it was 'Handasa-gun' and was changed into 'Hadong-gun' in 757 during...
in
Gyeongsangnam-doGyeongsangnam-do is a province in the southeast of South Korea. The provincial capital is located at Changwon.-History:Before 1895, the area corresponding to modern-day Gyeongsangnam-do was part of Gyeongsang Province, one of the Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty...
to the east, and Gurye and Gokseong in
Jeollanam-doJeollanam-do is a province in the southwest of South Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the southern half of the former Jeolla province, remained a province of Korea until the country's division in 1945, then became part of South Korea...
to the south.
Climate
The average yearly temperature of Namwon is 12.7℃ with the average temperature in January being 0.4℃ and 25.9℃ in July. Due to its location in a mountainous basin with a high rate of
precipitationIn meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that is deposited on the Earth's surface. The main forms of precipitation include rain, snow, ice pellets, and graupel...
, the climate of Namwon varies greatly. Winds in Namwon are usually weak and blow north to west in the winter and south to west in the summer. However, temperatures can sometimes (briefly) drop below -10℃ in January. While temperatures in July can often reach 33℃ and feel closer to 40℃ when humidity is factored in. Spring (April and May) and fall (September and October) offer the best climate with temperatures often being in the mid 20's℃ and with low humidity.
Chunhyang festival
The annual four day Chunhyang festival commemorates a ledgendary love story and folktale,
ChunhyanggaThe Chunhyangga is one of the five surviving stories of the Korean pansori storytelling tradition. The other stories are Simcheongga, Heungbuga, Jeokbyeokga and Sugungga...
. This festival is said to be the oldest in Korea.
According to the legend, Chunhyang was a maiden who was taken advantage of by an immoral local governor who forced her to marry him while the young man she really loved was away on government affairs. When the young man returned he disguised himself as a common person and saw for himself the myriad of injustices that the local governor had perpetrated; using his authority to kill him things are set straight and the maiden is set free, giving the tale a happy ending.
The main bridge that crosses the river that runs through the middle of the city is lit up, and along the river bank there are vendors selling food and items of all kinds. The Chunhyang beauty contest can be entered by the most beautiful female residents, in
traditional dressChima jeogori is a term for a women's outfit consisting of a chima skirt and jeogori top. Men wear baji jeogori: baji and jeogori. It is not a national costume per se, but a form of hanbok, the traditional Korean form of dress.In Japan, some schools for the Korean minority use a girls' uniform...
. Another event is the Chunhyang parade which runs through cordoned sections of the city along the river bank, and which comprises just about the entire complement of the city's mid-grade schoolgirls (numbering probably in the low hundreds) who are dressed in full chogori and carry musical instruments of some type, and who march in a very long line. There are also other parades of men and anyone else who is not a young girl may dress up in traditional dress and join the procession. The festival lasts four days and fireworks blaze the skies every night.
For the rest of the year when the festival is not on, there is a small theme park dedicated to Chunhyang (Namwon Tourist Complex) complete with hypothetical dwellings and surroundings that someone like Chunhyang would have had (a mock house and yard). There are other sights in the park unrelated to Chunhyang such as a fish pond where visitors are free to feed the fish and some old-fashioned swings and horseshoe-style throwing games. Outside the park, along the river bank, there are also mini paddle boats that people can rent to traverse the small river.
Restaurants
Many Korean, Japanese and Chinese restaurants are located in the city. The greatest concentration of bars and karaoke rooms is in the newer section, in Dotong Dong.
Shopping
The greatest concentration of outlet stores (Nike, Puma, etc) are in the old downtown area in the Guem Dong/Jukhang Dong area near Gwanghallu Garden. There is also an E-Mart in Geum Dong in the bottom of the Keumho Apartment complex.
Sights
- Mangbok Temple Site, constructed between 1046 and 1083 during the rule of King Munjong
Munjong was the 11th monarch of the Goryeo that ruled Korea from 1046 to 1083.Emperor Munjong was born in 1019 and reigned from 1046 until his death in 1083. During his reign, the central government of Goryeo gained complete authority and power over local lords. Munjong and later emperors...
of GoryeoThe Goryeo Dynasty or Koryŏ was a sovereign state established in 918 by King Taejo. It united the Later Three Kingdoms in 936 and ruled most of the Korean peninsula until it was removed by the Joseon dynasty in 1392...
- Silsangsa Temple, a Buddhist
Buddhism, as traditionally conceived, is a path of salvation attained through insight into the ultimate nature of reality. It encompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha...
temple
- Gwanghallu Garden, a traditional garden that symbolizes the universe
The Universe comprises everything that physically exists, the entirety of space and time, all forms of matter and energy, and the physical laws and constants that govern them...
(commonly attributed to the ChunhyangThe Chunhyangga is one of the five surviving stories of the Korean pansori storytelling tradition. The other stories are Simcheongga, Heungbuga, Jeokbyeokga and Sugungga...
story)
- Cheongheobu Gate, the main entrance to Gwanghallu Garden
- Wanwoljeong Pavilion
- Chunhyang Shrine, built in the memory of Chunhyang
The Chunhyangga is one of the five surviving stories of the Korean pansori storytelling tradition. The other stories are Simcheongga, Heungbuga, Jeokbyeokga and Sugungga...
- Wolmaejib House
- Chunhyanggwan Hall
Gallery
Random pictures taken around Namwon in 2007.
Sister cities
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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...
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External links