Gwangju


Gwangju, formerly romanized as Kwangju, is South Korea's sixth-largest metropolis. It is a designated metropolitan city under the direct control of the central government's Home Minister. The city was also the capital of South Jeolla Province until the provincial office moved to the southern village of Namak in Muan County in 2005 because Gwangju was promoted to a metropolitan city and was independent of South Jeolla Province.
Its name is composed of the words gwang meaning "light" and ju meaning "province". Gwangju was historically recorded as Muju, in which "Silla merged all of the land to establish the provinces of Gwangju, Ungju, Jeonju, Muju and various counties, plus the southern boundary of Goguryeo and the ancient territories of Silla" in the Samguk sagi. In the heart of the agricultural Jeolla region, the city is also famous for its rich and diverse cuisine.

History

The city was established in 57 BC. It was one of the administrative centers of Baekje during the Three Kingdoms period.
During the Imperial Japanese rule, the city was known as Kōshū. In 1929, a confrontation between Korean and Japanese students in the city turned into the Gwangju Student Independence Movement, a regional demonstration that culminated in one of the major nationwide uprisings against Imperial Japanese cruelty during the colonial period.
Modern industry was established in Gwangju, and a railway to Seoul was constructed. Some industries that took hold include cotton textiles, rice mills, and breweries. The construction of a designated industrial zone in 1967 encouraged growth in industry, especially in the sectors linked to the automobile industry.
In May 1980, peaceful demonstrations took place in Gwangju against Chun Doo-hwan, leader of the military coup d'état of 12 December 1979. The demonstrations were suppressed by military forces, including elite units of the Special Operations Command. The situation escalated after a violent crackdown, resulting in the Gwangju Uprising, where civilians raided armories and armed themselves. By the time the uprising was suppressed 9 days later, many hundreds of civilians and several police forces/soldiers were dead. After civilian rule was reinstated in 1987, a national cemetery was established to honor the victims of the incident.
In 1986, Gwangju separated from South Jeolla Province to become a Directly Governed City, and then became a Metropolitan City in 1995.
Due to a variety of factors, including the ancient rivalry between Baekje and Silla, as well as the biased priority given to the Gyeongsang Province region by political leaders in the 2nd half of the 20th century, Gwangju has a long history of voting for left-leaning politicians and is the main stronghold for the liberal Democratic Party of Korea along with its predecessors, as well as the progressive Justice Party.
Gwangju has held many sports events such as the 2002 FIFA World Cup, the 2015 Summer Universiade, and the 2019 World Aquatics Championships.

Administrative divisions

Gwangju is divided into 5 districts.

Demographics

According to the census of 2015, 9.5% of the population followed Buddhism and 28.7% followed Christianity. 61% of the population is irreligious.
One of the largest ethnic enclaves of Koryo-saram in South Korea is located in Gwangju: the Gwangju Koryoin Village. Schools in the vicinity of the village, such as, have significant proportions of Russian speakers as a result.

Climate

Gwangju has a cooler version of the humid subtropical climate with four distinct seasons and rainfall year-round but particularly during the East Asian Monsoon Season in the summer months.
Winters, while still somewhat cold, are milder than in Seoul and cities further north due to the city's southwesterly position in the Korean peninsula.
Summers are hot and humid with abundant precipitation, particularly in the form of thunderstorms. Gwangju is one of the warmest cities in Korea in the summer due to its geographic location.

Education

Chonnam National University, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, and Gwangju Education University are public universities in Gwangju.
Honam University, Gwangju University, Gwangshin University, Gwangju Women's University, Nambu University, Chosun University, and Honam Christian University are private universities.
Gwangju Health University is a private community college offering associate degrees in humanities and social sciences and healthcare sciences, and a bachelor's degree in nursing.
Gwangju has 593 schools, consisting of 234 kindergartens, 145 elementary schools, 84 middle schools, 65 high schools, 1 science high school, 7 junior colleges, 9 universities, 38 graduate schools, and 11 others with a total of 406,669 students, or 28.5% of the total city population. The average number of students per household is 0.8.

Transportation

The city is served by the Gwangju Subway. An extension was completed in April 2008, with the remainder being completed in 2012. The first phase of a second line, which, when completed, will be an orbital loop line, will open in 2026. There are two KTX stations in the city: Gwangju station and Gwangju Songjeong Station. Gwangju Songjeong Station connects to the Gwangju Subway and the local bus system. Now, the Songjeong station is mainly used.
Gwangju has an extensive system of public buses that traverse the city. Bus stops and buses themselves contain stop information in Korean and English. Local buses, but not the subway or KTX, connect to the intercity Gwangju Bus Terminal known as U-Square.
Gwangju is also served by the Gwangju Airport.

Tourism

  • Asia Culture Center – The Asia Culture Center is a facility in downtown Gwangju designed to celebrate and explore Gwangju's artistic and democratic culture and history, as well as provide space to host exhibits, experiences, and events from international artists. It is built primarily below street level, though its design incorporates large amounts of natural lighting. There are five facilities: ACC Exchange, ACC Theater, ACC Creation, ACC Archive & Research, and ACC Children
  • Gwangju Biennale – This is a modern art festival that is held every two years. It was first launched in 1995. The Gwangju Biennale Exhibition Hall is at the Jung-oe Park Culture Center and the Science Center.
  • Gwangju Culture & Art Center – The center regularly hosts events.
  • Gwangju Hyanggyo – Gwangju Hyanggyo is in the Gwangju Park in Sa-dong. There are traditional houses here estimated as having been built during the 1st year of the Joseon period in 1392. This school continues to hold memorial ceremonies for Confucius twice a year. Admission is free.
  • Gwangju National Museum – The museum houses a permanent collection of historical art and cultural relics that date back to the old Joseon and Goryeo periods of Korean history. The museum also organizes exhibitions and cultural learning activities that are open to the public.
  • Gwangju 5.18 Road is the course about the Democracy Movement of 1980. The courses include the historical places.
  • May 18th National Cemetery
  • Food streets – Gwangju has numerous designated Food Streets where multiple restaurants serving dishes renowned to Gwangju can be found. These include Mudeungsan Boribap Street, Duck Cook Street, Folk Tteokgalbi Street and Kotgejang Baekban Street.
  • Gwangju World Cup Stadium – It is a historical place for Korean soccer history. Because at this stadium in 2002 FIFA World Cup, South Korea national football team beat Spain soccer team in 3:5 at the quarter-Final, and advanced to the Semi-Final match with Germany in that World Cup, for the first time in the Asian soccer history.

    Sport and culture

  • It is the home of Kia Tigers of the Korea Professional Baseball League.
  • 2002 FIFA World Cup – Gwangju World Cup Stadium was one of the venues used for the World Cup and was where the South Korea national football team advanced to the semi-finals for the first time in its history by defeating Spain.
  • It is the home of Gwangju FC of the K League.
  • Universiade – It was the venue for the 2015 Summer Universiade games.
  • The 3rd Asia Song Festival an annual Asian pop music festival hosted by the Korea Foundation for International Culture Exchange, in 2006, was held at the Gwangju World Cup Stadium.
  • The International Design Alliance appointed Gwangju as the host destination of the 2015 IDA Congress.
  • Festivals are held in Gwangju.
  • 2019 FINA World Aquatics Championships
  • 2014 Gwangju ACE Fair
  • The Ministry of SMEs said Gwangju was selected as the site for the creation of the "Green-Startup-Town." It is said that it will benchmark King's Cross Station, a successful case of urban regeneration in the UK, to establish a start-up hub at Gwangju Station.
  • It is the home of Gwangju AI Peppers of the V-League.

    Cityscape

  • Mudeungsan – It is a mountain that is part of Mudeungsan National Park.

    International relations

Sister cities

Gwangju is twinned with:

Art

  • Chong Ryul-song – author of the ''Military Anthem of the People's Liberation Army of China''

    Literature

  • Han Kang – author of The Vegetarian and Human Acts and winner of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature

    Entertainers

  • Jung Ho-seok – member of K-pop group BTS
  • Jeong Yun-ho – member of K-pop group ATEEZ
  • Moon Geun-young – South Korean actress and singer
  • Lee Seung-hyun – former member of K-pop group Big Bang
  • Jung Yun-ho – member of K-pop group TVXQ
  • Seo Hye-lin – member of K-pop group EXID
  • Sim Jayoon – member of K-pop group STAYC
  • Lee Gi-kwang – member of K-pop group Highlight
  • Lee Sung-jong – member of K-pop group Infinite
  • Lee Hyun – singer
  • Chae Hyung-won – member of K-pop group Monsta X
  • Im Chang-kyun – member of K-pop group Monsta X
  • Bae Su-ji – former member of K-pop group Miss A
  • Gong Min-ji – member of K-pop group 2NE1
  • Ryu Hwa-young – former member of K-pop group T-ara
  • Goo Hara – former member of kpop group KARA
  • Kim Yu-bin – former member of K-pop group Wonder Girls
  • Hong Jin-young – a trot singer
  • Park Shin-hye – South Korean actress
  • Jung Woo-seok – member of K-pop group Pentagon
  • Lee Na-gyung – member of K-pop group Fromis 9
  • Song Ha Young – member of K-pop group Fromis 9
  • Seo Woobin – member of K-pop group Cravity
  • Oh Seunghee – member of K-pop group CLC
  • Lee Su-jeong – leader and member of K-pop group Lovelyz
  • Bae Seung-min – member of K-pop group Golden Child
  • Park Soeun – member of K-pop group Weeekly
  • Lee Taeyeob – member of K-pop group OnlyOneOf
  • Kim Seh-yoon – member of K-pop group A.C.E
  • Jang Seowon – member of K-pop group Lapillus
  • Moon Hyung-seo – member of K-pop group The Boyz
  • Kim Yeon-hee – former member of K-pop girl group Rocket Punch
  • Kim Yeunja – South Korean trot singer
  • Joo Hyunmi – South Korean trot singer
  • Jang Beomjoon – South Korean singer, former member of Busker Busker
  • Lee Ha-joon – member of Korean indie-rock band The Rose
  • Han Dongmin – member of K-pop group Boynextdoor