Ulsan

Ulsan
Ulsan; 울산; 蔚山
	— Metropolitan City —
Ulsan Metropolitan City
transcription(s)
- Hangul	울산광역시
- Hanja	蔚山廣域市
- Revised Romanization	Ulsan-gwangyeoksi
- McCune-Reischauer	Ulsan-kwangyŏksi
	From top left: Lotte Department Store in Ulsan, 10-Ri Daebad Bridge, Iaan Exodium skyscrapers on Taewha River, Sinbok Rotary, Big Crown Stadium, and SK Energy's oil refinery
; Flag	; Emblem of Ulsan
	Map of South Korea with Ulsan highlighted
Country	South Korea
Region	Yeongnam
Districts	4
	Government
- Mayor	Bak Maeng-woo
	Area
- Total	1,056.4 km2 (407.9 sq mi)
	Population (2008)
- Total	1,126,879
- Density	1,030/km2 (2,667.7/sq mi)
- Dialect	Gyeongsang
Flower	Pear flower
Tree	Ginkgo
Bird	White heron
Website	ulsan.go.kr (English)

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Ulsan, officially the Ulsan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's seventh largest metropolis with a population of over 1.1 million. It is located in the south-east of the country, neighboring Busan to the south and facing the East Sea between Korea and Japan.

Ulsan is the industrial powerhouse of South Korea, forming the heart of the Ulsan Industrial District, which is home to the world's largest automobile assembly plant operated by Hyundai Motor Company, the world's largest shipyard operated by Hyundai Heavy Industries and the world's second largest oil refinery owned by SK Energy. In 2007, Ulsan had a GDP per capita of $58,665, the highest by far in South Korea.^[1] It would have been the world's third wealthiest economy if ranked, being richer than Norway, Singapore, United States, Hong Kong and Switzerland.^[2]

The city hosts the K-League football club Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i (Ulsan Hyundai Tigers), who, after the 2002 FIFA World Cup, relocated from their former stadium in Jung-gu, which is now a municipal ground, to the Munsu Stadium, which hosted several matches during the 2002 World Cup. Ulsan is home to another soccer team, Ulsan Hyundai Mipo Dockyard, which plays in the Korea National League. It is also home to the University of Ulsan.

[edit] Administrative divisions

Ulsan is divided into 4 gu (districts) and 1 gun (county).

Map	Name	Hangul	Hanja
Buk-gu Dong-gu Jung-gu Nam-gu Ulju-gun	Gu (Districts)
	Buk-gu	북구	北區
	Dong-gu	동구	東區
	Jung-gu	중구	中區
	Nam-gu	남구	南區
	Gun (County)
	Ulju-gun	울주군	蔚州郡

[edit] Economy

A view of the Iaan Exodium twin skyscrapers on Taewha River.

As the center of the Ulsan Industrial District, the city is the corporate base of the multinational Hyundai conglomerate. Up to 1962, Ulsan operated as a fishing port and market centre. As part of South Korea's first five-year economic plan, Ulsan became an open port. Additionally, major industrial plants and factories were developed, including in particular an oil refinery, fertiliser plants, automobile production and heavy industries. The shipbuilding port Bangeojin became part of the city in 1962.

Ulsan is currently the home of Hyundai Heavy Industries, the world's largest shipyard; the world's largest automobile assembly plant, which produces 1.7 million cars annually, owned by Hyundai Motors;^[3] and the world's second largest oil refinery, operated by SK Group.

[edit] Transportation

The city transport department plans to build a light-rail line and the public transportation system is as good as any other major Korean city. The bus system shows a particular ETA at most bus stops.^[4] Ulsan Airport, constructed in 1970 and expanded in 1997, has more than 20 flights per day to and from Seoul's Gimpo International Airport and 4 flights per week to and from Jeju International Airport.

[edit] Climate

Ulsan has a humid subtropical climate. Ulsan's average rainfall (based on an average of the last 30 years) is 1274mm.^[5] The average annual temperature is 13.8°C^[6], while the maximum and minimum temperatures are 38.6°C and -16.7°C respectively.