Wonju
Wonju
원주시 | |
|---|---|
| Korean transcription(s) | |
| • Hangul | 원주시 |
| • Hanja | 原州市 |
| • Revised Romanization | Wonju-si |
| • McCune–Reischauer | Wŏnju-si |
From the left: Gangwon Gamyeong, Wonju City Hall, Korail Class 8000, Yongsomak Catholic Church, Wonju station, Imsil County, Jeongeup | |
 Flag  Emblem of Wonju | |
 Location in South Korea | |
| Coordinates: 37°20′30″N 127°55′15″E / 37.34167°N 127.92083°E | |
| Country |  South Korea |
| Region | Gwandong |
| Administrative divisions | 1 eup, 8 myeon, 16 dong |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Won Gang-su (원강수) |
| Area | |
• Total | 867.30 km2 (334.87 sq mi) |
| Population (September 2024[2]) | |
• Total | 362,017 |
| • Density | 421/km2 (1,090/sq mi) |
| • Dialect | Gangwon |
| Area code | +82-33-7xx |
| ISO 3166 code | KR-42 |
Wonju[a] (Korean: 원주; Korean pronunciation: [wʌn.dʑu]) is the most populous city in Gangwon Province, South Korea, with a population of 364,860 as of 2023. The city is located approximately 140 kilometres (87 mi) east of Seoul.
History
[edit]During the time of Great Joseon, Wonju was the capital of the historic Gangwon Province, one of the Eight Provinces of Korea.
Korean War
[edit]Wonju was the site of the first ever massacres conducted by the Republic of Korea Army against suspected communists that occurred on 30 June 1950. On 2 July of the same year, the Korean People's Army attacked Wonju before capturing it on 7 July.[4][5][6][unreliable source?][7][8]
Throughout the Korean War, Wonju was the site of three crucial battles.
Geography
[edit]Wonju sits at the southwestern corner of Gangwon Province, bordering Gyeonggi Province to the west and North Chungcheong Province to the south. Within Gangwon, Wonju borders Yeongwol County to the east and Hoengseong County to the north. Unlike much of Gangwon Province, Wonju is not a mountainous area, but rather a basin along the wide plain created by the Seom River.
Wonju is a basin surrounded by plains formed by the Seom River, with Chiak Mountain stretching across the eastern side of the city like a natural folding screen.
Compared to coastal areas, the temperature range in Wonju is larger, making the well-drained soil ideal for cultivating fruit orchards, particularly peaches and pears. During early summer, the Hoesae wind (a föhn phenomenon) blows over the Taebaek Mountains. This hot, dry wind can sometimes cause significant damage to crops, drying them out and leading to losses. In terms of summer rainfall, Wonju experiences relatively high precipitation, with a record rainfall of 305.0 mm on August 7, 2002. During winter, the eastern Chiak Mountain causes the region to receive more snow compared to other parts of Yeongseo. However, Wonju is classified as a low-precipitation area, facing a general lack of rainfall. To address this issue, the construction of the Wonjucheon Dam is planned to secure a stable water supply.
Administrative divisions
[edit]Wonju is divided into 1 eup (town), 8 myeon (townships), and 16 dong (neighborhoods).[9]
| Name | Hangul | Hanja | Population | Area (km2) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Munmak-eup | 문막읍 | 文幕邑 | 17,659 | 104.34 |
| Socho-myeon | 소초면 | 所草面 | 8,468 | 103.08 |
| Hojeo-myeon | 호저면 | 好楮面 | 3,687 | 76.97 |
| Jijeong-myeon | 지정면 | 地正面 | 28,438 | 89.70 |
| Buron-myeon | 부론면 | 富論面 | 2,261 | 82.67 |
| Gwirea-myeon | 귀래면 | 貴來面 | 2,177 | 76.55 |
| Heungeop-myeon | 흥업면 | 興業面 | 8,627 | 59.59 |
| Panbu-myeon | 판부면 | 板富面 | 7,269 | 67.72 |
| Sillim-myeon | 신림면 | 神林面 | 3,538 | 127.41 |
| Jungang-dong | 중앙동 | 中央洞 | 2,663 | 1.90 |
| Wonin-dong | 원인동 | 園仁洞 | 5,059 | 0.48 |
| Gaeun-dong | 개운동 | 開運洞 | 12,738 | 1.05 |
| Myeongnyun il-dong | 명륜1동 | 明倫1洞 | 8,525 | 0.92 |
| Myeongnyun i-dong | 명륜2동 | 明倫2洞 | 15,515 | 0.94 |
| Dangu-dong | 단구동 | 丹邱洞 | 44,364 | 3.91 |
| Ilsan-dong | 일산동 | 一山洞 | 8,583 | 0.80 |
| Hakseong-dong | 학성동 | 鶴城洞 | 4,713 | 0.73 |
| Dangye-dong | 단계동 | 丹溪洞 | 28,990 | 4.16 |
| Usan-dong | 우산동 | 牛山洞 | 13,507 | 7.40 |
| Taejang il-dong | 태장1동 | 台壯1洞 | 10,067 | 3.04 |
| Taejang i-dong | 태장2동 | 台壯2洞 | 24,736 | 8.94 |
| Bongsan-dong | 봉산동 | 鳳山洞 | 8,059 | 7.26 |
| Haenggu-dong | 행구동 | 杏邱洞 | 7,786 | 13.44 |
| Musil-dong | 무실동 | 茂實洞 | 32,906 | 8.59 |
| BangokGwanseol-dong | 반곡관설동 | 盤谷觀雪洞 | 44,433 | 21.00 |
| Total | 354,768 | 872.56 |
Economy
[edit]Since the 1980s, many of Samyang Foods’ factories have relocated to this area, making Wonju a major production hub. Today, Samyang Foods plays a significant role in the local economy and continues to thrive as a hometown-based company, greatly influencing the economic livelihood of Wonju’s residents.In 1988, the Mando factory was established in Wonju, producing automotive steering systems. Additionally, as a city of military importance, related service industries that support the military units in the area are also well-developed.
One unique aspect of Wonju’s industry is the prevalence of specialized small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), including cooperatives, social enterprises, veterans’ associations, senior-focused employment companies, and businesses that employ individuals with disabilities. This characteristic is so notable that since the 2009 revised curriculum, Wonju has been highlighted in the Korean Geography subject as a city where cooperatives are particularly strong.
Wonju is the only city in the country to have successfully attracted both a Corporate City designation (July 8, 2005) and an Innovation City designation (December 4, 2005).
Transportation
[edit]
- Wonju Bus Terminal[10]
- Wonju Express Bus Terminal
- Manjong station
- Wonju station
- Seowonju station
- Wonju Airport
Education
[edit]Wonju is home to five four-year universities, including Gangneung-Wonju National University’s Wonju Campus, as well as private universities such as Kyungdong University’s Medical Campus, Sangji University, Yonsei University’s Mirae Campus, and Halla University. Despite the city’s relatively modest size, it hosts a significant number of universities.
- Gangneung-Wonju National University[11]
- Halla University[12]
- Sangji University[13]
- Yonsei University (Mirae Campus)[14][15]
- Kyungdong University[16]
There is one international school: Wonju Chinese Primary School (traditional Chinese: 原州華僑小學校; ; Korean: 원주화교소학교).[17]
According to data released by Wonju City Hall in 2015, the number of kindergartens located in Wonju was 71.
There are 48 elementary and 22 middle schools, respectively.
In the case of high schools, there are 15 general high schools, 2 special purpose high schools, and 3 specialized high schools, a total of 20.[18]
Culture
[edit]A Rail Park has been built on the disused rail tracks connecting the stations of Pandae and Ganhyeon, for a total of 6.5 km (4.0 mi). The total ride journey is about 40 minutes, offering scenic views of the surrounding mountains while cycling.[19]
Museums
[edit]- Mureung Museum
- Yonsei University Wonju Museum
- Museum yetchaek towns
- Wonju City Museum
- Chiak Folk Museum
- Myeongjusa Chiaksan and Engraving Museum
- Toji Literature park
- Toji Cultural Center
- Hanji museum
- On Museum of the Arts
- Museum San
- Wonju City Library
- Taejang Library
- Jungcheon Philosophical Library
- Wonju Education and Culture Center
- Munmak Library
Climate
[edit]The climate of Wonju is a hot-Summer, monsoon-influenced Humid continental climate (Köppen: Dwa).[21]
| Climate data for Wonju (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1971–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 13.9 (57.0) |
21.1 (70.0) |
24.5 (76.1) |
33.2 (91.8) |
34.1 (93.4) |
35.3 (95.5) |
38.0 (100.4) |
38.8 (101.8) |
34.2 (93.6) |
28.6 (83.5) |
25.5 (77.9) |
17.2 (63.0) |
38.8 (101.8) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 2.4 (36.3) |
5.6 (42.1) |
11.8 (53.2) |
19.1 (66.4) |
24.4 (75.9) |
28.1 (82.6) |
29.7 (85.5) |
30.3 (86.5) |
25.9 (78.6) |
20.0 (68.0) |
12.0 (53.6) |
4.3 (39.7) |
17.8 (64.0) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −3.1 (26.4) |
−0.3 (31.5) |
5.5 (41.9) |
12.2 (54.0) |
17.9 (64.2) |
22.4 (72.3) |
25.1 (77.2) |
25.3 (77.5) |
20.2 (68.4) |
13.3 (55.9) |
6.0 (42.8) |
−1.1 (30.0) |
12.0 (53.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −8.0 (17.6) |
−5.6 (21.9) |
−0.3 (31.5) |
5.7 (42.3) |
11.8 (53.2) |
17.3 (63.1) |
21.4 (70.5) |
21.5 (70.7) |
15.5 (59.9) |
7.8 (46.0) |
1.0 (33.8) |
−5.7 (21.7) |
6.9 (44.4) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −27.6 (−17.7) |
−23.7 (−10.7) |
−13.8 (7.2) |
−6.7 (19.9) |
0.9 (33.6) |
5.5 (41.9) |
11.5 (52.7) |
9.8 (49.6) |
2.0 (35.6) |
−6.9 (19.6) |
−15.1 (4.8) |
−26.8 (−16.2) |
−27.6 (−17.7) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 18.0 (0.71) |
28.5 (1.12) |
43.8 (1.72) |
73.0 (2.87) |
86.1 (3.39) |
136.7 (5.38) |
357.8 (14.09) |
289.8 (11.41) |
147.0 (5.79) |
52.7 (2.07) |
42.1 (1.66) |
23.5 (0.93) |
1,299 (51.14) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 6.7 | 6.2 | 8.1 | 8.9 | 8.9 | 10.1 | 16.6 | 14.9 | 9.2 | 6.0 | 8.5 | 7.6 | 111.7 |
| Average snowy days | 8.2 | 6.6 | 3.9 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 2.0 | 6.2 | 27.1 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 64.0 | 60.5 | 57.9 | 56.4 | 61.3 | 67.1 | 76.3 | 75.8 | 73.3 | 71.1 | 68.6 | 66.8 | 66.6 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 162.5 | 164.5 | 189.5 | 199.7 | 217.2 | 186.2 | 132.4 | 153.7 | 166.2 | 188.4 | 148.7 | 154.2 | 2,063.2 |
| Percent possible sunshine | 52.8 | 54.1 | 51.1 | 54.0 | 50.3 | 44.1 | 32.8 | 40.2 | 46.8 | 53.6 | 48.7 | 51.2 | 47.7 |
| Source: Korea Meteorological Administration (snow and percent sunshine 1981–2010)[22][23][24] | |||||||||||||
Sports
[edit]Wonju is home city of the Wonju DB Promy, playing in the Korean Basketball League. Their home arena is Wonju Gymnasium, which is located in Myeongnyun il-dong, Wonju. The team has won the Championship three times (2002–03, 2004–05, and 2007–08).[25]
Sister cities
[edit]
Roanoke, Virginia, United States
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Yantai, Shandong, China- Hefei, Anhui, China
Ichikawa, Chiba, Japan
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Notable people from Wonju
[edit]- Kim Seon-dong (김선동), South Korean politician and Secretary-General of the United Future Party (UFP)
- Jee Yong-ju (지용주), South Korean amateur boxer
- Kim Jae-woong (김재웅), South Korean football midfielder
- Kim Ji-woong (김지웅), South Korean actor and singer
- Jang Mi-ran (장미란), South Korean weightlifter
- Yoon Jin-hee (윤진희), South Korean weightlifter
- Heechul (Real Name: Kim Hee-chul, 김희철), singer-songwriter, dancer, model, actor, speaker, MC and K-pop idol, member of K-pop boy group Super Junior, member of the project groups Universe Cowards
- Kim Do-yeon (김도연), actress and former member of disbanded K-pop girl group project I.O.I, K-pop girl group Weki Meki's lead vocalist and visual
- Yoon Ji-sung, South Korean singer and actor, former member of disbanded K-pop boy group project Wanna One
- Sojung (Real Name: Lee So-jung, 이소정), singer, dancer, model and K-pop idol, member of K-pop girlgroup Ladies' Code
- Joo Won Ahn (안주원), South Korean ballet dancer
- Ahn Young-mi (안영미), South Korean comedian and member of K-pop girl group Celeb Five
- Choi Kyu-hah (최규하), South Korean politician and former President of South Korea
- Chai-Sik Chung (정채식), Korean-American social ethicist and sociologist of religion
- Ham Deok-ju (함덕주), South Korean professional baseball pitcher (Doosan Bears, Korea Baseball Organization)
- Han Dong-jin (한동진), South Korean footballer (Jeju United FC, K League 2)
- Shin Yu-na (유나), member of K-pop girl group ITZY
- Park Sungho (박성호), member of K-pop boy group BoyNextDoor
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "wonju mayor". wonju City. 2024.
- ^ "Population statistics". Korea Ministry of the Interior and Safety. 2024.
- ^ EB (1878), p. 390.
- ^ ""原州서 사상범 180명 학살"". 강원도민일보 (in Korean). 13 July 2002. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
- ^ 학살지 소개. coreawar.or.kr. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
- ^ 80대 '전쟁영웅'이 고발한 이 학살을 아십니까. OhmyNews (in Korean). 21 September 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
- ^ "6·25 전쟁 - 디지털제천문화대전". Encyclopedia of Korean Local Culture. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
- ^ "6·25전쟁 - 디지털영월문화대전". Encyclopedia of Korean Local Culture. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
- ^ 인구는 2021년 5월 31일 기준, 면적은 2011년 통계연보 기준
- ^ "Welcome to Wonju City". Archived from the original on 24 November 2016.
- ^ "K2WebWizard" 강릉원주대학교. www.gwnu.ac.kr. Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 25 February 2010.
- ^ 한라대학교 인트로. www.halla.ac.kr. Archived from the original on 25 December 2021. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
- ^ 상지대학교. www.sangji.ac.kr. Archived from the original on 25 December 2021. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
- ^ 가비아 호스팅 서비스:웹호스팅,웹메일호스팅,쇼핑몰호스팅,단독서버,동영상호스팅. eic.yonsei.ac.kr. Archived from the original on 30 June 2014.
- ^ "YONSEI University". yonsei.ac.kr. Archived from the original on 10 August 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
- ^ 경동대학교. www.kduniv.ac.kr. Archived from the original on 25 December 2021. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
- ^ "International School Information". www.isi.go.kr. Archived from the original on 31 March 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
- ^ 원주시통계. stat.wonju.go.kr. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
- ^ Nuri. "Rail Bike". www.visitkorea.com.my. Archived from the original on 13 September 2017. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
- ^ 원주시통계. stat.wonju.go.kr. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
- ^ "Wonju climate: Average Temperature, weather by month, Wonju weather averages - Climate-Data.org". en.climate-data.org. Archived from the original on 1 March 2022. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
- ^ "Climatological Normals of Korea (1991 ~ 2020)" (PDF) (in Korean). Korea Meteorological Administration. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 January 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ^ 순위값 - 구역별조회 (in Korean). Korea Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ^ "Climatological Normals of Korea" (PDF). Korea Meteorological Administration. 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 December 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
- ^ Wonju Dongbu Promy Basketball team, Wonju Dongbu Promy Basketball team (5 May 2016). "Wonju Dongbu Promy Basketball team". Archived from the original on 1 March 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
Bibliography
[edit]- , Encyclopædia Britannica, vol. VI (9th ed.), New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1878, pp. 390–394.
External links
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