Pohang
Encyclopedia
Pohang is a city
in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea, and a main seaport in the Daegu-Gyeongbuk
region. The built-up area of Pohang is located on the alluvium of the mouth of the Hyeongsan River
. The city is divided into two wards ("Gu
"), Buk-gu (Northern Ward) and Nam-gu (Southern Ward).
This city has the largest population of Gyeongbuk and it has the 3rd widest land of South Korea
.
(1500–300 BC). Archaeologists have unearthed small villages and megalithic burials (dolmens) from this period. Still a small fishing village at the dawn of the 20th century, the earliest steps toward developing Pohang into a place of greater significance were taken in 1930 with the construction of a modern harbour. Pohang grew rapidly afterward, attaining the designation of a Town in 1931 and then earning the status of a City in 1949.http://www.worldportsource.com/ports/KOR_Port_of_Pohang_1487.php
Pohang's road arteries and shipping port made it a place of strategic significance during the Korean War
. An unopposed landing of UN forces at Pohang on July 18, 1950 was the first large-scale amphibious operation since World War II, and the region around Pohang saw fierce clashes between South Korea's 3rd Infantry Division
and North Korea's 5th Infantry Division
during August–September 1950.http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2009/07/116_43998.htm
By the 1960s, Pohang was a small coastal city with a population of 50,000.http://www.cs.virginia.edu/~kocsea/pohang.htm The next major development in Pohang's growth came in 1968 with the inauguration of the steel maker POSCO
, and the local plant's commencement of production in 1972. The introduction of heavy industry to the city brought the local economy to a blend of iron, steel, shipbuilding and fisheries through the end of the 20th century.http://www.worldportsource.com/ports/KOR_Port_of_Pohang_1487.php
The early 21st century and the age of globalization
has brought new economic challenges to companies such as POSCO, giving rise to beliefs that Pohang would be wise to not be overly reliant on heavy industry to maintain its prosperity.http://esri.handong.edu/korean/download.php?id=209&sid=8e8361e216e22553cc306b08f4598736 In response, the Pohang of today presents itself as having an eye to the future, striving to become a diversified city of environmentalism
and advanced learning, as well as a centre of arts and culture.http://eng.ipohang.org/En/About/AP01/?navi=AP01_1
and Daegu
. Pohang is the terminus for a number of ferry routes serving the adjacent Sea of Japan
(East Sea), including the main tourist route for Ulleung Island. It is also the northern terminus of the Donghae Nambu Line
south to Busan
.
Pohang is the home of POSCO
(the Pohang Steel Company), one of the largest steel producers in the world, and a host of related industries. As a result the port shipped a total of 54.8 million tons in 2006.http://eng.ipohang.org/En/Business/BU01/?navi=BU01_1
Several flights per day to Seoul Gimpo Airport are available at Pohang Airport
.
Local transportation is served by only city buses. They run about 20 different ways of the city and some of them reach to the mountain folk. Also, the buses are classified into 2 kinds – one is Ilban-bus(normal bus) and the other is Jwaseok-bus(full of seats and a little more expensive than Ilban-bus). They run 15~25 minutes intervals along their own way. The bus routes are listed in both Korean and English but the Korean version is interactive, and thusly more helpful.
There are two main bus terminals - Shiwae (시외) and Gosok (고속) which roughly translate into intercity/city and express. The Shiwae bus terminal (시외버스터미널) also acts as the cross-country bus terminal from which you can easily travel to nearby metropolitan cities such as Daegu and Busan (~1.5 hrs each depending on traffic). Their website is only in Korean and only accessible in Internet Explorer. The Gosok bus terminal (고속버스터미널) website is in both English and Korean. From Gosok bus terminal one can travel to Seoul, Gwangju, Seosan, Masan, and Daejeon.
Pohang is also serviced by two train stations - Pohang station (포항역) and Hyoja station (효자역). Pohang station is only a 5 minute walk from Jukdo Market. Times and destinations are available on the Korail website which is in English and Korean.
football club Pohang Steelers
.
Thousands flock to see the fireworks
festival at Bukbu Beach each summer. People travel from all over the country to watch the show.
The Culture & Arts Center, opened in 1995, holds performances and exhibitions in its various galleries and theaters.
, close to the port
. It is well-known throughout Korea as an important seafood market. There are a large number of raw-fish restaurants in the market. The fish
is cheaper than Seoul
or Daegu
.
Bukbu Beach is located in Duho-dong in the northern part of the city's built-up area. The beach front has been the focus of commercial developments such as bars, restaurants, and budget accommodations called Yeogwan. A number of beaches on the East Sea can be found just north of the built-up area, including Chilpo and Wolpo.
Homigot, a point of land jutting out into the Sea of Japan (East Sea), is located to the east of urban Pohang in Daebo-myeon. Homigot is one of the easternmost points on the Korean peninsula and as such serves every year as a gathering place for thousands to greet Korea's first sunrise of the New Year. The beach is also home to the famous Hands of Harmony sculpture.
Bogyeongsa is a major Buddhist temple nestled in a steep green valley at the foot of Mount Naeyeon (710 m) in Songna-myeon, an area in the extreme northern part of Pohang. Yeonsan Waterfall is located nearby in the same mountain valley. There are hiking trails leading from the temple up into the mountains. Bogyeongsa also has a number of mountain hermitages in the vicinity.
Oeosa is a temple located in the extreme southern part of Pohang, just inside the mountains south of the coastal plain formed by the Naengcheon River. It is located at the foot of Mt. Unjae (481 m) in a steep valley in Daesong-myeon. Signs placed in and around Oeosa claim that the temple was founded by Wonhyo
, the well-travelled Silla
monk.
And, Professional South Korean Mixed Martial Artist Jung Chan-Sung Trains in Pohang at Korean Top Team.
Hunchun
, China Gwangyang
, South Korea Suwon
, South Korea Long Beach
, United States Pittsburg
, United States Fukuyama
, Japan
Administrative divisions of South Korea
||South Korea is divided into 8 provinces , 1 special autonomous province , 6 metropolitan cities , and 1 special city...
in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea, and a main seaport in the Daegu-Gyeongbuk
Daegu-Gyeongbuk
Daegu-Gyeongbuk is the compound word of Daegu and Gyeongbuk , and indicates both administrative provinces in South Korea. With a population of 5.05 million, the region usually forms the same political, economic, and cultural area, although it is not an administratively unitary region...
region. The built-up area of Pohang is located on the alluvium of the mouth of the Hyeongsan River
Hyeongsan River
The Hyeongsan River is a river in southeastern South Korea. It flows from Doseo-myeon, Ulju-gun in Ulsan to the Sea of Japan , covering a distance of about 62 km...
. The city is divided into two wards ("Gu
GU
-Asia:* g.u., a Japanese fashion retail chain* Gu , Gu , several rare surnames of the Han Chinese people* Gu , a Chinese wine goblet from the Shang and Zhou dynasties, also ku...
"), Buk-gu (Northern Ward) and Nam-gu (Southern Ward).
This city has the largest population of Gyeongbuk and it has the 3rd widest land of 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...
.
History
The earliest evidence of human occupation in the Pohang area is from the Mumun Pottery PeriodMumun pottery period
The Mumun pottery period is an archaeological era in Korean prehistory that dates to approximately 1500-300 BC This period is named after the Korean name for undecorated or plain cooking and storage vessels that form a large part of the pottery assemblage over the entire length of the period, but...
(1500–300 BC). Archaeologists have unearthed small villages and megalithic burials (dolmens) from this period. Still a small fishing village at the dawn of the 20th century, the earliest steps toward developing Pohang into a place of greater significance were taken in 1930 with the construction of a modern harbour. Pohang grew rapidly afterward, attaining the designation of a Town in 1931 and then earning the status of a City in 1949.http://www.worldportsource.com/ports/KOR_Port_of_Pohang_1487.php
Pohang's road arteries and shipping port made it a place of strategic significance 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...
. An unopposed landing of UN forces at Pohang on July 18, 1950 was the first large-scale amphibious operation since World War II, and the region around Pohang saw fierce clashes between South Korea's 3rd Infantry Division
3rd Infantry Division (South Korea)
-History:The 3rd Infantry Division is a unit of the Republic of Korea Army. First formed as the 3rd brigade on December 1, 1947. On December 24 1949, the division conducted Mungyeong massacre...
and North Korea's 5th Infantry Division
5th Division (North Korea)
The 5th Infantry Division was a military formation of the Korean People's Army during the 20th century. It was activated at Nanam, North Korea, during the early part of August 1949, composed of Korean veterans of the Chinese Communist 8th Route Army’s 164th Division, which had been stationed in the...
during August–September 1950.http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2009/07/116_43998.htm
By the 1960s, Pohang was a small coastal city with a population of 50,000.http://www.cs.virginia.edu/~kocsea/pohang.htm The next major development in Pohang's growth came in 1968 with the inauguration of the steel maker POSCO
POSCO
POSCO is a multinational steel-making company headquartered in Pohang, South Korea. It is the world's third-largest steelmaker by market value and the most profitable Asia-based steelmaker....
, and the local plant's commencement of production in 1972. The introduction of heavy industry to the city brought the local economy to a blend of iron, steel, shipbuilding and fisheries through the end of the 20th century.http://www.worldportsource.com/ports/KOR_Port_of_Pohang_1487.php
The early 21st century and the age of globalization
Globalization
Globalization refers to the increasingly global relationships of culture, people and economic activity. Most often, it refers to economics: the global distribution of the production of goods and services, through reduction of barriers to international trade such as tariffs, export fees, and import...
has brought new economic challenges to companies such as POSCO, giving rise to beliefs that Pohang would be wise to not be overly reliant on heavy industry to maintain its prosperity.http://esri.handong.edu/korean/download.php?id=209&sid=8e8361e216e22553cc306b08f4598736 In response, the Pohang of today presents itself as having an eye to the future, striving to become a diversified city of environmentalism
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
and advanced learning, as well as a centre of arts and culture.http://eng.ipohang.org/En/About/AP01/?navi=AP01_1
Geography and climate
The mean temperature in the coldest month, January, is relatively mild at 1.8°C. The warmest month is August, when the mean temperature is 25.7°C http://www.kma.go.kr/weather/climate/average_30years.jsp?yy_st=2011&stn=138&norm=M&x=27&y=5&obs=TA&mm=5&dd=23. On average, Pohang receives 1,152mm of precipitation per year. The driest month is December, when the city receives a scant 25.7mm of precipitation on average. However, the mean amount of precipitation for the wettest month, August, is 227.4mm http://www.kma.go.kr/weather/climate/average_30years.jsp?yy_st=2011&stn=138&norm=M&x=38&y=14&obs=RN&mm=5&dd=23.Transportation
The city is served by several trains a day from SeoulSeoul
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...
and 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...
. Pohang is the terminus for a number of ferry routes serving the adjacent Sea of Japan
Sea of Japan
The Sea of Japan is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, between the Asian mainland, the Japanese archipelago and Sakhalin. It is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia and South Korea. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific...
(East Sea), including the main tourist route for Ulleung Island. It is also the northern terminus of the Donghae Nambu Line
Donghae Nambu Line
The Donghae Nambu Line is a railway line connecting Busan to Pohang in South Korea.The line runs along South Korea's east coast.-History:...
south to Busan
Busan
Busan , formerly spelled Pusan is South Korea's second largest metropolis after Seoul, with a population of around 3.6 million. The Metropolitan area population is 4,399,515 as of 2010. It is the largest port city in South Korea and the fifth largest port in the world...
.
Pohang is the home of POSCO
POSCO
POSCO is a multinational steel-making company headquartered in Pohang, South Korea. It is the world's third-largest steelmaker by market value and the most profitable Asia-based steelmaker....
(the Pohang Steel Company), one of the largest steel producers in the world, and a host of related industries. As a result the port shipped a total of 54.8 million tons in 2006.http://eng.ipohang.org/En/Business/BU01/?navi=BU01_1
Several flights per day to Seoul Gimpo Airport are available at Pohang Airport
Pohang Airport
-References:*...
.
Local transportation is served by only city buses. They run about 20 different ways of the city and some of them reach to the mountain folk. Also, the buses are classified into 2 kinds – one is Ilban-bus(normal bus) and the other is Jwaseok-bus(full of seats and a little more expensive than Ilban-bus). They run 15~25 minutes intervals along their own way. The bus routes are listed in both Korean and English but the Korean version is interactive, and thusly more helpful.
There are two main bus terminals - Shiwae (시외) and Gosok (고속) which roughly translate into intercity/city and express. The Shiwae bus terminal (시외버스터미널) also acts as the cross-country bus terminal from which you can easily travel to nearby metropolitan cities such as Daegu and Busan (~1.5 hrs each depending on traffic). Their website is only in Korean and only accessible in Internet Explorer. The Gosok bus terminal (고속버스터미널) website is in both English and Korean. From Gosok bus terminal one can travel to Seoul, Gwangju, Seosan, Masan, and Daejeon.
Pohang is also serviced by two train stations - Pohang station (포항역) and Hyoja station (효자역). Pohang station is only a 5 minute walk from Jukdo Market. Times and destinations are available on the Korail website which is in English and Korean.
Universities with graduate schools
- Pohang University of Science and TechnologyPohang University of Science and TechnologyPohang University of Science and Technology or POSTECH is a private university, based in Pohang, South Korea, which is dedicated to research and education in science and technology...
(POSTECH) http://www.postech.ac.kr/ - Handong Global UniversityHandong Global UniversityHandong Global University is a privately run, four-year university located in Pohang, North Gyeongsang province, South Korea.- Overview :...
Pohang Culture
The city is home to the K-LeagueK-League
The Korea Professional Football League is South Korea's only fully professional association football league. At the top of the South Korean football league system, it is the country's highest and most prestigious level of football competition currently contested by 16 clubs.-Establishment:The...
football club Pohang Steelers
Pohang Steelers
Pohang Steelers are a South Korean professional football club based in Pohang, Gyeongsangbuk-do. They were originally called POSCO, after the Pohang Iron and Steel Company that owned it...
.
Thousands flock to see the fireworks
Fireworks
Fireworks are a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...
festival at Bukbu Beach each summer. People travel from all over the country to watch the show.
The Culture & Arts Center, opened in 1995, holds performances and exhibitions in its various galleries and theaters.
Points of interest
The Jukdo Market is a large, bustling traditional market near the centre of the cityCity
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
, close to the port
Port
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
. It is well-known throughout Korea as an important seafood market. There are a large number of raw-fish restaurants in the market. The fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
is cheaper than 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...
or 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...
.
Bukbu Beach is located in Duho-dong in the northern part of the city's built-up area. The beach front has been the focus of commercial developments such as bars, restaurants, and budget accommodations called Yeogwan. A number of beaches on the East Sea can be found just north of the built-up area, including Chilpo and Wolpo.
Homigot, a point of land jutting out into the Sea of Japan (East Sea), is located to the east of urban Pohang in Daebo-myeon. Homigot is one of the easternmost points on the Korean peninsula and as such serves every year as a gathering place for thousands to greet Korea's first sunrise of the New Year. The beach is also home to the famous Hands of Harmony sculpture.
Bogyeongsa is a major Buddhist temple nestled in a steep green valley at the foot of Mount Naeyeon (710 m) in Songna-myeon, an area in the extreme northern part of Pohang. Yeonsan Waterfall is located nearby in the same mountain valley. There are hiking trails leading from the temple up into the mountains. Bogyeongsa also has a number of mountain hermitages in the vicinity.
Oeosa is a temple located in the extreme southern part of Pohang, just inside the mountains south of the coastal plain formed by the Naengcheon River. It is located at the foot of Mt. Unjae (481 m) in a steep valley in Daesong-myeon. Signs placed in and around Oeosa claim that the temple was founded by Wonhyo
Wonhyo
Wonhyo was one of the leading thinkers, writers and commentators of the Korean Buddhist tradition. Essence-Function , a key concept in East Asian Buddhism and particularly that of Korean Buddhism, was refined in the syncretic philosophy and worldview of Wonhyo.As one of the most eminent...
, the well-travelled Silla
Silla
Silla was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, and one of the longest sustained dynasties in...
monk.
Notable people
Pohang is the home town of South Korean President, Lee Myung-bakLee Myung-bak
Lee Myung-bak is the President of South Korea. Prior to his presidency, he was the CEO of Hyundai Engineering and Construction and the mayor of Seoul. He is married to Kim Yoon-ok and has three daughters and one son. His older brother is Lee Sang-deuk, a South Korean politician. He attends the...
And, Professional South Korean Mixed Martial Artist Jung Chan-Sung Trains in Pohang at Korean Top Team.
Shopping
The main downtown shopping area is between Yukgeori (육거리) and Ogeori (오거리) which translate to 6-way intersection and 5-way intersection. The streamlet boardwalk shopping area is opens and ends with Pohang Station and Yukgeori, respectively. This shopping area has several stores, restaurants, and a few bars including Converse, Shoemarker, Skin Food, ABC Mart, Redface, Northface, a cinema, Starbucks, Mr. Pizza, Whistler Bar, Beethoven Bar, Mindy's Bar, and etc.Groceries
Pohang has a few major grocer stores including two Home Plus locations, two GS Supermarkets, and two E-marts. One Home Plus is by the Shiwae bus terminal and the other is closer to Jukdo Market. Jukdo market is an open market where you can purchase clothes, fish, produce, and a plethora of items. The one GS supermarket is in Jukdo-dong whereas the other is in Duho-dong. The E-mart is located in I-dong and in Indeok-dong.Sister cities
Pohang is a sister city of the following cities around the world.Hunchun
Hunchun
Hunchun is a county-level city in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, far eastern Jilin province, Northeast China. It borders North Korea and Russia , has over 250,000 inhabitants, and streching on a 5,145 square-kilometer...
, China Gwangyang
Gwangyang
Gwangyang is a city in South Jeolla Province, South Korea. Gwangyang city is the home of POSCO's Gwangyang Steel Works, the largest facility of its kind in the world.The city is also home to K-League soccer side Chunnam Dragons....
, South Korea Suwon
Suwon
Suwon is the provincial capital of Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. A major city of over a million inhabitants, Suwon lies approximately south of Seoul. It is traditionally known as "The City of Filial Piety"....
, South Korea Long Beach
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
, United States Pittsburg
Pittsburg, California
Pittsburg is a city located in eastern Contra Costa County, California, the outer portion of the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 63,264 at the 2010 census....
, United States Fukuyama
Fukuyama, Hiroshima
is a city located on the Ashida River in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.As of January 31, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 465,238 and a population density of 898.02 persons per km². The total area is 461.23 km². After Hiroshima City, it is the largest city in Hiroshima Prefecture...
, Japan