Jinju () is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

South Gyeongsang South Gyeongsang Province ( ko, 경상남도, translit=Gyeongsangnam-do, ) is a province in the southeast of South Korea. The provincial capital is at Changwon. It is adjacent to the major metropolitan center and port of Busan. The UNESCO World ...

Province,

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

. It was the location of the first (1592) and second (1593) Sieges of Jinju by Japanese forces during the

Imjin War The Imjin River ( in South Korea) or Rimjin River ( in North Korea) is the 7th largest river in Korea. It flows from north to south, crossing the Demilitarized Zone and joining the Han River downstream of Seoul, near the Yellow Sea. The river i ...

. The

Republic of Korea Air Force Education and Training Command A republic () is a "sovereign state, state in which Power (social and political), power rests with the people or their Representative democracy, representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of gov ...

is located in the eastern part of the city. There are cultural-historical tourist attractions in Jinju such as , the

Jinju National Museum Jinju National Museum is a national museum located in the Jinju fortress (진주성 晉州城), Jinju, South Korea. It opened in February 1984 with the purpose to specialize the theme of Imjinwaeran. See also *List of museums in South Korea *N ...

, and the Nam-gang Prehistoric Site Museum.

History

From old times, Jinju was a fountainhead of national culture and spirit. As a city that has held 1,000-year-old historical heritage of the ancient city, Jinju has been well renowned as a home of patriotic spirit, education, culture and art. Jinju was an ancient city of Goryeonggaya in the Gaya Era. This city was called 'Geoyeolseong' of Baekje during the Three Kingdom Era, and was called 'Geoyeolju', 'Cheongju', and 'Gangju' during the Unified Silla Era. Name of this city was changed into 'Jinju' for the first time in 940, the 23rd year of King Taejo of the Goryeo Dynasty. It became 'Jinju-mok', one of 12 moks (local administrative units in Goryeo and Joseon Dynasty) in the 2nd year of King Seongjong (983). In the 33rd year of King Gojong of the Joseon Dynasty (1896), administrative district of the nation was reorganized with 13 provinces. At that time Jinju began to belong to Gyeongsangnam-do, and became capital town of Gyeongsangnam-do. And provincial governor started to reside in Jinju. On April 1, 1925, Busan replaced Jinju as provincial capital. On August 15, 1949, the government of the Republic of Korea was established and 'the local self-government system' was started. At that time, Jinju-bu was raised to Jinju-si (city) and started to have mayor of the city. On January 1, 1995, in accordance with 'the Law pertaining to the establishment of Urban-Rural Integrated City', Jinju-si and Jinyang-gun became extinct and were merged into one integrated Jinju-si (city).

Culture and festivals

There are cultural events held in Jinju every year. Among these are the Jinju Namgang Lantern Festival which is held in October for approximately ten days. This nationally designated cultural tourism festival, found only in Jinju, features a spectacle of lanterns floating on the Nam River to commemorate the patriotic spirit of the 70,000 militia corps and government troops who died for their country defending Jinju from the Japanese forces during the

(1592–1598). Other major festivals include: the

Nongae Nongae or Joo Nongae (Hangul: 주논개, Hanja: 朱論介) (3 September 1574 – 1593) was a gisaeng of Jinju during the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. A popular legend tells the story of her sacrificial assassination of the Japanese general Key ...

Festival, the Korea Drama Festival, the Gaecheon Arts Festival and the Jinju National Bullfighting Contest. The Nongae Festival, held in May each year commemorates and celebrates the sacrifice of the patriotic

gisaeng Kisaeng (Hangul: 기생, Hanja: 妓生, RR: ''Gisaeng''), also called ginyeo (Hangul: 기녀, Hanja: 妓女), were women from outcast or slave families who were trained to be courtesans, providing artistic entertainment and conversation to men ...

(professional Korean entertainer)

's suicide-assassination of a Japanese general together with the 70,000 Koreans who lost their lives in the battle of Jinju Castle during the

. The festival features an emotional reenactment of Nongae's suicidal drowning of a Japanese general from ''uiam bawi'' (righteous rock) below Chokseongnu (Jinju castle pavilion) on the banks of the Nam River. Gaecheon Arts Festival is annually held from October 3 to 10 and the entire city turns to the streets for celebration at Korea's first provincial culture art festival, which awakens the artistic spirit of the Korean people. The festival falls around

Gaecheonjeol Gaecheonjeol () is a public holiday in South and North Korea on 3 October. Also known by the English name National Foundation Day, this holiday celebrates the legendary formation of the first Korean state of Gojoseon in 2333 BC. This date has ...

(National Foundation Day) and is widely regarded as one of Korea's finest. The Jinju National Bullfighting Contest is recognized as Korea's oldest bullfighting event and spectators can witness a test of strength at this bullfighting contest held at a purpose-built traditional Korean sports arena near Jinyang lake. The 2023 Asian Weightlifting Championships will be held in Jinju.

Population

At just over a third of a million, Jinju is a relatively small city by Korean standards. The annual growth of the population is 0.4% since 1995. People between the ages of 20 and 29 represent 17.5% of the city's total population, and justify the city's long-standing reputation as an educational city. The senior population (65 years or older), representing 7.6% of the city's total population, is higher than the provincial average (6.8%). This suggests that Jinju is providing senior citizens with livable conditions, such as a variety of welfare programs and pleasant living environment.

Local personality

Gang Se-hwang, a high ranking government official and representative painter, calligrapher and art critic, was born here in 1713, son of Kang Hyeon.

Jinju cuisine

Jinju has a number of distinctive local delicacies which reflect the tastes of Jinju people. Perhaps most celebrated is Jinju

bibimbap Bibimbap * ( , from Korean , literally "mixed rice"), sometimes romanized as bi bim bap or bi bim bop, is a Korean rice dish. The term "bibim" means "mixing" and "bap" refers to cooked rice. ''Bibimbap'' is served as a bowl of warm white rice ...

, which distinguishes itself from the common Korean rice and vegetable dish by its use of ''

yukhoe ''Yukhoe'' ( ko, 육회 ) is a raw meat dish in Korean cuisine. It is most commonly made of beef but it can come in various kinds and cuts of meat. ''Yukhoe'' literally means 'raw (''hoe'', ) meat (''yuk'', )'. Therefore, in the strictest contex ...

'', made with raw beef and generous amounts of sesame oil. Also famous is Namgang (Nam River) Grilled Eel (), which is caught locally and served in any one of the numerous restaurants overlooking the Nam. Enjoying their food spicy, Jinjuites have also perfected a hot pepper (''ttaengcho'') version of the popular Korean side dish ''

pajeon ''Pajeon'' (, ) is a variety of '' jeon'' with scallion as its prominent ingredient, as ''pa'' () means scallion. It is a Korean dish made from a batter of eggs, wheat flour, rice flour, scallions, and often other ingredients depending on the va ...

'' (scallion pancake) known by its colloquial name

jijimi ''Jijimi'' () is a type of Korean stew A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy. A stew needs to have raw ingredients added to the gravy. Ingredients in a stew ...

. This is best enjoyed with a bowl of local rice wine

makkeolli ''Makgeolli'' ( ko, 막걸리, raw rice wine ), sometimes anglicized to makkoli (, ), is a Korean alcoholic beverage. The milky, off-white, and lightly sparkling rice wine has a slight viscosity that tastes slightly sweet, tangy, bitter, and ast ...

Silk industry

Since ancient days, silk processed in Jinju has been known for its superior quality, which is a result of the combination of natural resources (such as clean water of Mt. Jirisan and so on) and human resources. Silk factories in Jinju annually spin out 70% of the national production. Jinju silk has a soft, refined feeling and elegant colors because of its superior dyeing techniques.

Education

Jinju is an educational city and is home to

Gyeongsang National University Gyeongsang National University (GNU, 경상대학교) is a national university governed under the ministry of education of Republic of Korea government and located in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province and represents the South Gyeongsang Provinc ...

and

Chinju National University of Education Jinju () is a city in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It was the location of the first (1592) and second (1593) Sieges of Jinju by Japanese forces during the Imjin War. The Republic of Korea Air Force Education and Training Command is ...

Gyeongnam National University of Science and Technology Gyeongnam National University of Science and Technology (GNTECH) is a national university located in Jinju, South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the ...

. It is also home to

International University of Korea International University of Korea is a private university located in Jinju, South Korea. It is located east of Jinju. Established in 1978 and later as Jinjun International University, the post secondary institution was renamed the current na ...

, catering mostly to foreign students. It also has a number of community colleges that serve the local area. Jinju's high schools also offer a high quality of education and have a wide catchment area, reaching beyond the city limits to attract students from surrounding towns such as:

Sacheon Sacheon () is a city in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. Sacheon's chief fame comes from its being the site of two naval battles in the Seven Year War. The city as it now exists results from the merging of Sacheon-gun and Samcheonpo-si in ...

Hadong Hadong County (, ''Hadong-gun'') is a county in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It is on the far-west side of the province, bordering South Jeolla Province. The county office is located at Hadeong-eup. History The county of Hadong was call ...

and

Sancheong Sancheong County (''Sancheong-gun'') is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, county in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. History After the unification of Silla, the Danseong region was known as Jipumcheon prefecture(知品川縣), and ...

. Universities

Economy and business

Jinju was named as one of several 'enterprise cities' by the South Korean government. The government has supported Jinju as a hub of bio-industrial technological innovation from Dec. 1, 2000. The government provided 5 billion won from 2000 to 2004 in biological and chemical material industries in Jinju. There are 618 manufacturing companies (the number of employees: 11,806), 1 local industrial complex and 4 rural industrial complexes as part of an integrated urban and rural city. Jinju Hyeoksin Dosi (New innovation city) established by President Noh Moohyun (2003-2007) with headquarters of vast LH corp. (State-run Land & Housing corp Toji Jutaek gongsa) and Namdong thermal power corp. etc. Namdong thermal power is one of 5thermal power subsidiary, I.E.Nambu (Southern) thermal in Busan, Dongseo thermal in Ulsan, Seobu (Western) in Taean, Jungbu (Central) in Boryeong, Chungnam of Korea monopoly utility co. of giant Kepco in Naju of Gwangju metro head office.

Transportation

The main highway in Jinju is National Highway 10 or

Namhae Expressway The Namhae Expressway (Korean: 남해고속도로, Namhae Gosok Doro; ) is a freeway in South Korea, connecting Yeongam to Suncheon, Gwangyang, Jinju, Changwon and Busan. It was opened in 1973 with Honam Expressway's Jeonju - Suncheon ...

. The closest airports to Jinju are

Sacheon Airport Sacheon Airport is an airport in Sacheon, South Korea . It also serves the city of Jinju. The airport passenger service began in 1977 after years of delays. The airport has a small single storey terminal building for domestic flights. In 2011, 14 ...

(domestic) and

Gimhae International Airport Gimhae International Airport (), commonly known as Gimhae Airport (formerly Kimhae International Airport) is located on the western end of Busan, South Korea. The name "Gimhae" comes from the nearby city of Gimhae. It opened in 1976. A new in ...

(International). Jinju is served by passenger service at Jinju Station along the

Gyeongjeon Line The Gyeongjeon Line (''Gyeongjeonseon'') is a railway line serving South Gyeongsang and South Jeolla Provinces in South Korea. It covers a total of 300.6 km, from Samnangjin Station in Miryang, South Gyeongsang, to Gwangju Songjeong Stati ...

Climate

Twin towns – sister cities

Jinju is twinned with: * Eugene,

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

, United States (1961) *

Kitami is a city in Okhotsk Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the most populous city and the commercial center in the subprefecture, although the subprefecture capital is Abashiri. Kitami is physically in the middle of Okhotsk Subprefecture. Th ...

, Japan (1985) *

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

, Canada (1992) *

Xi'an Xi'an ( , ; ; Chinese: ), frequently spelled as Xian and also known by #Name, other names, is the list of capitals in China, capital of Shaanxi, Shaanxi Province. A Sub-provincial division#Sub-provincial municipalities, sub-provincial city o ...

Shaanxi Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see #Name, § Name) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichu ...

, China (2016)

Friendship cities

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ci ...

, Japan (1999) *

Matsue is the capital city of Shimane Prefecture, Japan, located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. The city has an estimated population of 202,008 (February 1, 2021) following the merger with Higashiizumo from Yatsuka District. Matsue is located at ...

, Japan (1999) *

Omsk Omsk (; rus, Омск, p=omsk) is the administrative center and largest city of Omsk Oblast, Russia. It is situated in southwestern Siberia, and has a population of over 1.1 million. Omsk is the third largest city in Siberia after Novosibirsk ...

, Russia (2007) *

Zhengzhou Zhengzhou (; ), also spelt Zheng Zhou and alternatively romanized as Chengchow, is the capital and largest city of Henan Province in the central part of the People's Republic of China. Located in north-central Henan, it is one of the National ...

Henan Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...

, China (2000)

Gallery

File:Jinju-korea-2009.jpg, Jinju and the Nam River File:Korea-Jinju-Festival-Nam.River-02.jpg, Korea Drama Festival File:Korea-Jinju-Jinju.Fortress-02.jpg, Jinju Fortress File:Korean sword dance-Jinju geommu-09.jpg, Jinju geommu File:Korean dance-Jinju pogurakmu-09.jpg, Jinju pogurakmu File:Jinju panorama.jpg, A view over the Namgang in Jinju File:Choksuk Pavillion-JinjuCastle2.jpg, The

rampart Rampart may refer to: * Rampart (fortification), a defensive wall or bank around a castle, fort or settlement Rampart may also refer to: * "O'er the Ramparts We Watched" is a key line from "The Star-Spangled Banner", the national anthem of the ...

along Nam River

Notable people

* Non-Gae - notable

Gisaeng Kisaeng (Hangul: 기생, Hanja: 妓生, RR: ''Gisaeng''), also called ginyeo (Hangul: 기녀, Hanja: 妓女), were women from outcast or slave families who were trained to be courtesans, providing artistic entertainment and conversation to men ...

who jumped off a cliff into a river with Keyamura Rokusake resulting in both their deaths (Originally from

Jangsu County Jangsu County (''Jangsu-gun'') is a county in North Jeolla Province, South Korea. It is well known for Jangsu-Galbi. Climate Twin towns – sister cities Jangsu is twinned with: * Anyang, South Korea (1996) * Hapcheon, South Korea (1999 ...

Jeollabuk-do North Jeolla Province (; ''Jeollabuk-do''), also known as Jeonbuk, is a province of South Korea. North Jeolla has a population of 1,869,711 (2015) and has a geographic area of 8,067 km2 (3,115 sq mi) located in the Honam region in the southwest ...

) *

Yoo Yeon-seok Yoo Yeon-seok (born Ahn Yeon-seok on April 11, 1984) is a South Korean actor. After making his acting debut in 2003 with a small role in '' Oldboy'', he resumed his acting career in 2008. His notable works include the films '' Re-encounter'' (2 ...

— actor. *

Kang Ho-dong Kang Ho-dong (born June 11, 1970) is a South Korean television host and comedian, who first became known to Koreans as one of the top Korean traditional wrestlers. In 2008, Kang Ho Dong became the first comedian in history to win the Baeksan ...

— host,

comedian A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing Amusement is the state of experiencing humorous and entertaining events or situations while the person or a ...

, former Korean traditional wrestlers. *

Go A-ra Go Ara (; born February 11, 1990) is a South Korean actress and model. She is best known for starring in the television series ''Sharp'' (2003), ''Heading to the Ground'' (2009), ''Reply 1994'' (2013), ''You're All Surrounded'' (2014), '' Hwara ...

— actress, model. *

Jung So-min Jung So-min (; born Kim Yoon-ji on March 16, 1989) is a South Korean actress. She made her acting debut in 2010 with a supporting role in the television series ''Bad Guy''. She is known for her leading role in her 2010 TV series ''Playful Kiss'', ...

— actress. *

ASTRO Astro may refer to: Entertainment and media * Astro (South Korean band), a South Korean boy band * Astro (UB40) (1957–2021), member of the British reggae band UB40 * Astro (Chilean band), a Chilean indie rock band * Astro (Japanese band), ...

Rocky ''Rocky'' is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise and stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burgess M ...

(Real Name: ''Park Min-hyuk'',

Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The let ...

: 박민혁) — idol. * Ateez Seonghwa (Real Name: ''Park Seong-hwa'',

: 박성화) - idol. *

GreatGuys GreatGuys () is a South Korean boy band signed to DNA Entertainment. The group consists of nine members: Jaei, Uiyeon, Horyeong, Daun, Baekgyeol, Donghwi, Hwalchan, Haneul, and Dongin. The nonet debuted on August 25, 2017, with the single "Last ...

Horyeong (Real Name: ''Jeong Yeong-ki'',

: 정영기) - idol.

References

External links

City government websiteNongae FestivalHumans of Jinju : A photographic census of Jinju City
{{Authority control Cities in South Gyeongsang Province