Gwacheon

Gwacheon
Gwacheon; 과천; 果川
	— Municipal City —
Korean transcription(s)
• Hangeul	과천시
• Hanja	果川市
• Revised Romanization	Gwacheon-si
• McCune-Reischauer	Kwach'ŏn-si
	; Emblem of Gwacheon
	; Emblem of Gwacheon
	Gwacheon Location in South Korea
	Coordinates: 37°27′N 127°0′E / 37.45°N 127°E
Country	South Korea
Region	Gyeonggi-do
Administrative divisions	6 dong
	Area
• Total	35.86 km2 (13.8 sq mi)
	Population (2010 Jun)
• Total	72,088
• Density	2,010.3/km2 (5,206.7/sq mi)
• Dialect	Seoul

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Gwacheon is a city in Gyeonggi-do Province, South Korea. It lies close to Seoul in the heart of the Seoul National Capital Area, and also lies just east of Anyang. Seoul Subway Line 4 passes through the city.

Various attractions associated with Seoul, including Seoul Grand Park, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul Land, Gwacheon National Science Museum ,and Seoul Race Park are located in the city. It is also home to a major administrative center of the Korean government.

[edit] Characteristics

Gwacheon intended to have a large importance on governmental construction. There is No.2 government building. So it keeps the position of planned city concerning politics in South Korea.

Seoul Grand Park and Gwanaksan occupy a large portion of the city. The presence of mountains and forests accentuate the status of Gwacheon as a popular destination for Korean nature lovers. In addition, the Seoul Racehorse Park is also located in the city.

Also, the first Foreign Language High School established in Gyeonggi-do, Gwacheon Foreign Language High School is located in Jongang-dong.

[edit] Residents

Noted graphic artist Dennis Hwang spent much of his childhood in Gwacheon.

[edit] Festival

Hanmadang festival is the most well-known event held in the Gwacheon area. Hanmadang means "the place where everybody can get together." The festival allows for the presentation of music, art, and plays in this part of the city.^[1]

[edit] Home stay

Gwacheon city operates a home stay program for foreigners. The city sponsors this program and residents of the city host foreigners living in Korea who want to spend a night in a traditional Korean home. The program helps foreigners understand Korean culture and lifestyle.

[edit] Government

The Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs has its headquarters in the fourth building of the Gwacheon Government Complex,^[2] in Gwacheon.^[3]