Jeonju

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Jeonju
전주
—  Municipal City  —
Korean transcription(s)
 • Hangul
 • Hanja
 • Revised Romanization Jeonju-si
 • McCune-Reischauer Chŏnju-si
Pungnammun

Emblem of Jeonju
Location in South Korea
Coordinates: 35°49′N 127°09′E / 35.817°N 127.150°E / 35.817; 127.150
Country  South Korea
Region Honam
Administrative divisions 2 gu, 40 dong
Area
 • Total 206.22 km2 (79.62 sq mi)
Population (2010)
 • Total 649,500
 • Density 3,082.7/km2 (7,984/sq mi)
 • Dialect Jeolla
Zip Codes 560011-561870
Area Code +82 63
Website Jeonju Council Website

Jeonju Korean pronunciation: [tɕʌndʑu] is a city in South Korea, and the capital of North Jeolla Province. It is an important tourist center famous for Korean food, historic buildings, sports activities and innovative festivals.

In May 2012, Jeonju was chosen as a Creative Cities for Gastronomy as part of UNESCO's Creative Cities Network. This honour recognize the city's traditional home cooking handed down through generations over thousands of years, its active public and private food research, a system of nurturing talented chefs, and its hosting of distinctive local food festivals.[1]

Contents

History [edit]

Located in the fertile Honam plain, famous for strawberries and exceptional produce, Jeonju has been an important regional center in the province for centuries. Once, the city was the capital of Hubaekje Kingdom, which was founded by Gyeon Hwon. The city was regarded as the spiritual capital of the Joseon Dynasty because the Yi royal family originated there. The Chŏnju Kim in North Korea, of whom Kim Il-sung was descended from, have their ancestral seat (pon’gwan) in Jeonju as well.

The town was occupied by the Donghak peasants' movement in 1894. Jeonju was given metropolitan status in 1935, and the city was founded in 1949.[citation needed]

Culture [edit]

  • Jeonju bibimbap 비빔밥, a traditional local food, is well-known across South Korea. There are also several very popular vegetarian restaurants serving Jeonju style food and pine wine.
  • The National Jeonju Museum exhibits ancient relics from the Baekje days.
  • There are extensive royal museums, temples, a castle fortress on a hillside, and a well-known paper museum, as well as an annual paper fashion show highlighting both the latest style and traditional Korean clothing made of paper.
  • The Jeonju Hanok Village (Hanok Maeul) is a traditional-style village located in the heart of Jeonju, housing over 800 traditional "hanok" style buildings. It contains many traditional tea shops, souvenir shops and restaurants.[2]
  • The Jeonju International Film Festival draws about 50,000 visitors annually.
  • Jeonju is the hometown of the breakdancing crew Last for One, international Battle of the Year champion.
  • To get out, explore, and see a traditional side of Korean life, take a bus from the Jeonju Inter-City bus terminal to Namwon. It takes one hour and is also located nearby Jirisan National Park, which has the tallest mountains on the South Korean mainland.

People and everyday life [edit]

Education is a major industry in the city, but it does not have the manufacturing or heavy industries found in other Korean cities. The local mountains and parks are popular for outdoor recreation due to its rural location. There are also various historical sites in the area. The city also has a zoo, a large park, and the Samsung Sound and Culture Hall, a large, modern concert complex on the Chonbuk National University campus.

Administrative districts [edit]

Jeonju is divided into 2 wards, Deokjin-gu (덕진구) and Wansan-gu (완산구), which in turn are divided into approximately 40 neighborhoods.

Attractions [edit]

Climate [edit]

Climate data for Jeonju (1981−2010)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 4.4
(39.9)
6.9
(44.4)
12.4
(54.3)
19.6
(67.3)
24.5
(76.1)
27.9
(82.2)
30.2
(86.4)
31.0
(87.8)
27.0
(80.6)
21.5
(70.7)
13.9
(57)
7.1
(44.8)
18.9
(66)
Daily mean °C (°F) −0.5
(31.1)
1.5
(34.7)
6.3
(43.3)
12.8
(55)
18.2
(64.8)
22.5
(72.5)
25.8
(78.4)
26.2
(79.2)
21.5
(70.7)
15.0
(59)
8.3
(46.9)
2.2
(36)
13.3
(55.9)
Average low °C (°F) −4.6
(23.7)
−3
(27)
1.2
(34.2)
6.7
(44.1)
12.5
(54.5)
17.8
(64)
22.4
(72.3)
22.6
(72.7)
17.1
(62.8)
9.8
(49.6)
3.5
(38.3)
−2.2
(28)
8.6
(47.5)
Precipitation mm (inches) 32.7
(1.287)
40.0
(1.575)
54.3
(2.138)
77.3
(3.043)
91.5
(3.602)
167.9
(6.61)
299.6
(11.795)
277.5
(10.925)
137.6
(5.417)
53.5
(2.106)
50.2
(1.976)
31.1
(1.224)
1,313.1
(51.697)
Avg. precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 9.3 7.8 10.3 8.6 9.2 10.7 15.9 15.5 9.7 6.7 9.1 9.4 122.2
 % humidity 68.6 66.5 63.7 60.6 65.3 71.3 77.5 76.7 74.1 70.4 69.1 68.9 69.4
Mean monthly sunshine hours 151.6 157.7 185.9 211.7 217.9 172.7 136.7 160.6 168.1 194.6 154.5 142.3 2,054.5
Source: Korea Meteorological Administration [4]

Sister cities [edit]

Gallery [edit]

Jeonju outskirts at sunset (August 2012).

See also [edit]

External links [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ "Jeonju's Gastronomic Greatness Recognized by UNESCO". Chosun Ilbo. 16 May 2012. Retrieved 23 May 2012. 
  2. ^ www.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264285
  3. ^ "Jeonju Int'l Film Fest to Open This Week". Chosun Ilbo. 23 April 2012. Retrieved 23 April 2012. 
  4. ^ "평년값자료(1981−2010) 전주(146)". Korea Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 2011−05−21. 

Coordinates: 35°49′N 127°09′E / 35.817°N 127.150°E / 35.817; 127.150