Chuncheon

Chuncheon (Korean: 춘천; Hanja: 春川市; Korean pronunciation: [tɕʰun.tɕʰʌn]; formerly romanized as Chunchŏn; literally spring river) is the capital of Gangwon Province in South Korea. The city lies in the north of the county, located in a basin formed by the Soyang River and Han River. There are some large lakes around the city, most notably Lake Soyang and Lake Uiam (or Dam Uiam). The area is renowned for its small river islands, such as Sangjungdo, Ha-Jungdo, Bungeodo and Wido.

Chuncheon

춘천시
Municipal City
Korean transcription(s)
 • Hangul춘천시
 • Hanja春川市
 • Revised RomanizationChuncheon-si
 • McCune-ReischauerCh'unch'ŏn-si
View of Soyang Bridge and Seoyang River
Emblem of Chuncheon
Location in South Korea
Coordinates: 37°52′N 127°44′E
Country South Korea
RegionYeongseo, Gwandong
Administrative divisions1 eup, 9 myeon, 15 dong
Area
 • Total1,116.43 km2 (431.06 sq mi)
Population
 (Feb 2012)
 • Total281,725
 • Density225/km2 (580/sq mi)
 • Dialect
Gangwon
Area code(s)+82-33-2xx
ClimateDwa

It is a popular destination among east Asian tourists as it was featured in the popular Korean drama Winter Sonata (겨울연가). It is where the resort island of Namiseom is located.

History

The area now occupied by the city was first settled about 1000 years ago. In 637 AD the city was called Usooju. In 757 AD it was renamed Saku and again in 940 AD as Chunju (춘주; 春州) before receiving its current name in 1413. In 1896, Chuncheon became the capital city of Gangwon province. The city was largely destroyed during the Korean War during the Battle of Chuncheon.

Uiam Dam on the Bukhan River was completed in 1967.[1] In 1995 Chuncheon city was merged with the government of the surrounding Chuncheon county.

Culture

In the spring, the Chuncheon International Mime Festival is held, as well as the Spring Season Art Festival. In the summer, the Chuncheon Puppet Festival takes place. There is also a Makguksu festival; a cold noodle dish that originated in Chuncheon. Also celebrated in the summer is the International Animation Festival. The city has had its own annual marathon race since 1946; the Chuncheon 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 in Chuncheon.

According to the legend surrounding Cheongpyeongsa temple in Chuncheon-si, a man loved a princess so much that he became a snake and would not leave her alone. When she begged leave to collect rice from the temple, the snake let her go but then went looking for her, only to be struck dead by lightning. The princess then buried him at the temple.[2]

Food

The city was historically known as a chicken farming region, and is famous for "dak galbi", which translates as chicken ribs. It consists of chicken, sliced cabbage, sweet potatoes, tteok (rice cakes), and scallions, mixed with a spicy sauce heavy on gochujang. It is usually cooked in a big iron pan in the center of the table, but the original method is over charcoal. Despite the name, the dish is traditionally made from leg meat, not ribs.[3] There is even a street in the city dedicated to restaurants serving the dish, with some 25 restaurants populating the area.[4]

Also, Makguksu noodle is famous among the nation.

Tourism

Festivities

Cultural Festival
  • Gim Yujeong munhakje (April each year)[5]
  • Uiam jae (April each year)[6]
  • Chuncheon International Mime Festival (annually in May)[7]
  • Chuncheon art festival (July each year)[8]
  • Chuncheon 古 Music Festival (July each year)[9]
  • Chuncheon Puppet Festival (every August)
  • Chuncheon International Theatre Festival (annually in September)[10]
  • Chuncheon International AniTown Festival (annually in September)[11]

Local Festivals
  • Chuncheon chicken ribs & makguksu Festival (every August)[12]
  • Soyang festival (September each year)[13]

Leisure Sports Festival
  • National inlineskate Chuncheon Marathon (April each year)[14]
  • Chuncheon Open International Taekwondo Championships (June each year)[15]
  • Gangchon national MTB Challenge Competition (September each year)[16]
  • The Chosun Ilbo Chuncheon Marathon (October each year)[17]
  • Lakeside Chuncheon Marathon Festival[18]

Economy

Chuncheon is the market center for agricultural produce from the surrounding area. The main products are rice and soybeans. Since the 1960s light industry has become dominant in the city. After the huge success of the TV drama Winter Sonata, the city has also become a major "Korean Wave" (Han-ryu, 한류) tourist destination, attracting visitors from around East Asia.[19]

Legoland Korea is also under construction in Chuncheon. The first Legoland in Northeast Asia, it will be built in a 1.29 square kilometer parcel of land in Jungdo island and is expected to draw over a million tourists when it opens. It will be the largest Legoland in the world.[20]

There are hydroelectric powerplants in the area around Chuncheon. The Soyang Dam is the largest sand gravel dam in East Asia.[21]

Population

The following table is about transition of population per five year.[22]

YearTotal Population
1965191,576
1970209,821
1975204,246
1980210,985
1985213,198
1990217,869
1995233,016
2000251,991
2005256,455
2010272,739
2015281,725

Education
National Universities
Private Universities

Transportation
Chuncheon Station, before reconstruction

As of June 2014, there are two train stations in the Chuncheon suburban area: the terminus of the Gyeongchun Line, Chuncheon Station, and the busier Namchuncheon Station. Gimyujeong, Baegyang-ri, Gulbongsan, and Gangchon stations, all located in rural Chuncheon, attracts tourists. Gangchon is one of the most favorite recreational destination for university students. The Gyeongchun Line is a double track rapid transit commuter train that connects to Yongsan, Cheongnyangni and Sangbong stations in Seoul. On December 21, 2010, a new realignment of the Gyeongchun Line was opened, and several new or transferable stations have since been opened to replace the existing stations outside Chuncheon, such as Cheonmasan, Sinnae, and Byeollae.

Chuncheon is the northern terminus of the publicly funded Jungang Expressway, and the main destination of the privately run Seoul-Chuncheon Expressway, as also known as Gyeongchun Expressway that connects to Seoul and Hongcheon-east.[23] As of 2017, the expressway has been extended to east coast city of Yangyang, thus renamed to Seoul-Yangyang Expressway. Chuncheon Bus Terminal connects to all major cities in mainland South Korea.

On National roads-wise, Chuncheon is also the main strategic destination that connects between Changwon to Cheolwon of Route (Number) 5, Incheon to Goseong of 46, and Cheolwon to Yangyang of 56.

There are also river transport facilities in Soyangho (Lake Soyang), which connects to Cheongpyeongsa (청평사, Buddhist) temple.[21]

Climate

Chuncheon has cold winters and hot summers. The lowest measured temperature was −27.9 °C (−18 °F) (February 6, 1969),[24] and the highest was 40.6 °C (105 °F) (Aug 1, 2018),.[25] The annual precipitation is an average of 1347.3 mm.

Climate data for Chuncheon (1981–2010, extremes 1966–present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 12.7
(54.9)		 19.2
(66.6)		 23.4
(74.1)		 32.0
(89.6)		 34.0
(93.2)		 36.0
(96.8)		 37.6
(99.7)		 40.6
(105.1)		 33.0
(91.4)		 29.9
(85.8)		 24.8
(76.6)		 16.6
(61.9)		 40.6
(105.1)
Average high °C (°F) 1.3
(34.3)		 5.1
(41.2)		 11.1
(52.0)		 19.1
(66.4)		 23.9
(75.0)		 27.6
(81.7)		 29.1
(84.4)		 29.8
(85.6)		 25.5
(77.9)		 19.6
(67.3)		 11.0
(51.8)		 3.8
(38.8)		 17.2
(63.0)
Daily mean °C (°F) −4.6
(23.7)		 −1.3
(29.7)		 4.5
(40.1)		 11.6
(52.9)		 17.1
(62.8)		 21.7
(71.1)		 24.5
(76.1)		 24.6
(76.3)		 19.4
(66.9)		 12.5
(54.5)		 5.0
(41.0)		 −1.7
(28.9)		 11.1
(52.0)
Average low °C (°F) −9.9
(14.2)		 −6.9
(19.6)		 −1.3
(29.7)		 4.4
(39.9)		 10.8
(51.4)		 16.5
(61.7)		 20.8
(69.4)		 20.8
(69.4)		 14.8
(58.6)		 7.1
(44.8)		 0.1
(32.2)		 −6.4
(20.5)		 5.9
(42.6)
Record low °C (°F) −25.6
(−14.1)		 −27.9
(−18.2)		 −16.2
(2.8)		 −6.4
(20.5)		 1.6
(34.9)		 5.6
(42.1)		 11.7
(53.1)		 11.3
(52.3)		 1.9
(35.4)		 −5.4
(22.3)		 −15.8
(3.6)		 −21.7
(−7.1)		 −27.9
(−18.2)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 20.3
(0.80)		 23.8
(0.94)		 41.7
(1.64)		 62.3
(2.45)		 104.0
(4.09)		 123.1
(4.85)		 383.8
(15.11)		 317.5
(12.50)		 160.9
(6.33)		 44.3
(1.74)		 44.7
(1.76)		 20.9
(0.82)		 1,347.3
(53.04)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 6.8 6.3 7.8 7.3 9.1 10.1 15.5 13.7 8.2 6.0 7.9 7.3 106.0
Average snowy days 8.8 6.3 3.9 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.8 6.7 27.7
Average relative humidity (%) 69.3 65.4 63.1 59.2 66.2 71.8 79.6 79.8 78.0 75.3 73.1 71.7 71.0
Mean monthly sunshine hours 165.7 172.4 197.6 215.5 221.3 200.6 144.2 169.1 173.8 174.1 141.3 148.7 2,124.2
Percent possible sunshine 54.1 56.6 53.3 54.5 50.2 45.3 32.1 40.1 46.6 50.0 46.4 50.0 47.7
Source: Korea Meteorological Administration[26][27][28] (percent sunshine and snowy days)[29]

Sports

International competitions

High1 (Korean: 하이원) is an ice hockey team based in Chuncheon. The club was a member of the Asia League Ice Hockey between 2005 and 2019.

Domestic competitions

Chuncheon's association football club, Chuncheon FC, is a member of the K3 League Advanced, an amateur football competition and the fourth tier of the South Korean football league system. The club was founded on 27 February 2010 with its home at the Chuncheon Stadium.

Notable residents
  • 뀨밍밍 (kkyumingming)

Sister cities

Chuncheon-si protested against the enactment of "Day of Takeshima" ordinance of Shimane Prefecture , which expressed dispute over the Dokdo Islands, and announced suspension of its sisterhood relationship with Kakamigahara in March, 2005.[30]

City State Country Year launched Year terminated
Higashichikuma District  Nagano Prefecture  Japan June 8, 1984
Hōfu  Yamaguchi Prefecture  Japan October 29, 1991
Dongdaemun District Seoul  South Korea 2003
Ansan-si Gyeonggi-do  South Korea 2011
Kakamigahara  Gifu Prefecture  Japan October 31, 2003 June 25, 2005
Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (State)  Ethiopia May 2, 2004
Nanyang Henan China September 15, 2012
gollark: Doesn't mean it's not an idea.
gollark: They segfaulted, as a result.
gollark: Yes, probably.
gollark: Idea: silent bees incurse.
gollark: Denied.

See also

References
  1. Young-kwon Kim; Korea (South). Haeoe Kongbogwan; Soo-jung Lee (1978). A Handbook of Korea. Korean Overseas Information Service, Ministry of Culture and Information. p. 576. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
  2. Cin Woo Lee "Simply stunning: 33 incredible Korean temples" Archived 2012-04-17 at the Wayback Machine CNN Go. 10 February 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-12
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-04-02. Retrieved 2011-11-09.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. Chuncheon's Dakgalbi (spicy stir-fried chicken with vegetables) Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine, Tour2Korea.com, Retrieved on April 14, 2006
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-05-08. Retrieved 2016-04-24.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-05-08. Retrieved 2016-04-24.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-05-08. Retrieved 2016-04-24.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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  9. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-05-08. Retrieved 2016-04-24.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. "CITF". citf.or.kr. Archived from the original on 2016-04-03. Retrieved 2016-04-24.
  11. "GimC:Gangwon Information & Multimedia Coporation". gimc.or.kr.
  12. 2018 춘천막국수닭갈비축제. www.mdfestival.com.
  13. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-05-08. Retrieved 2016-04-24.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  14. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-03-25. Retrieved 2016-04-24.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  15. "koreaopentkd.org". www.koreaopentkd.org.
  16. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-03-25. Retrieved 2016-04-24.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  17. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-03-25. Retrieved 2016-04-24.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  18. 춘천호반마라톤대회, 2018 함기용 세계제패기념 제15회. 2018 함기용 세계제패기념 제15회 춘천호반마라톤대회. hoban.wizrun.com.
  19. A promo page of Gangwon Drama Gallery Archived 2007-09-27 at Archive.today, Chuncheon City, 2005
  20. "Legoland to break ground in Korea". Korea Herald. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  21. Lake Soyang (Gangwon province) Archived 2007-09-11 at the Wayback Machine
  22. "Population and housing census".
  23. In contrast of private-owned Seoul-Chuncheon, The current line of Chuncheon Junction to East Hongcheon interchange is run by KEC, publicly.
  24. 전년 일최저기온 (℃) 최저순위, 지점:101 지명:춘천 Korea Meteorological Administration
  25. 전년 일최고기온 (℃) 최고순위, 지점:93 지명:북춘천 Korea Meteorological Administration
  26. 평년값자료(1981–2010), 춘천(101) (in Korean). Korea Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
  27. 기후자료 극값(최대값) 전체년도 일최고기온 (℃) 최고순위, 춘천(101) (in Korean). Korea Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  28. 기후자료 극값(최대값) 전체년도 일최저기온 (℃) 최고순위, 춘천(101) (in Korean). Korea Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  29. "Climatological Normals of Korea" (PDF). Korea Meteorological Administration. 2011. p. 499 and 649. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 December 2016. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
  30. 冬ソナ・春川市も交流中断 姉妹関係の各務原市などと) (in Japanese). Kyodo News. 2005-03-18.
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