Gaeun is an ''
eup'' in
Mungyeong,
Gyeongsangbuk-do,
South Korea. It was formerly a center of coal-mining, but the last mines closed in the 1990s. The dominant local industries are now tourism and agriculture. There are also several operating
kilns.
Gaeun occupies an area of 152.4 km
2, of which more than 80% is vacant land, largely rugged hill country. These hills are home to a variety of wild animals including deer and
wild boars.
The population numbers 5,594, of which about 60% are involved in farming. Since it gained ''eup'' status in 1973, Gaeun has lost three quarters of its population. Much of this is due to the loss of the mining industry.
The
Gaeun Line railroad formerly connected the town with the
Mungyeong Line, providing passenger and freight connections to the nationwide rail grid by way of
Jeomchon
Jeomchon is the urbanized center of Mungyeong city, in Gyeongsangbuk-do province, South Korea. The name literally means "mountain-pass village", and may refer to the low hills that run along the edge of town. It has a population of about 45,000 ...
. The line is now abandoned. City buses connect Gaeun to the nearby towns of
Mungyeong-eup
Mungyeong-eup (문경읍; 聞慶邑) is an '' eup'' in Mungyeong city in Gyeongsangbuk-do. It was formerly the seat of government of Mungyeong County, until its merger with Jeomchon in 1995 to form Mungyeong city. The eup contains the provincial ...
,
Jeomchon
Jeomchon is the urbanized center of Mungyeong city, in Gyeongsangbuk-do province, South Korea. The name literally means "mountain-pass village", and may refer to the low hills that run along the edge of town. It has a population of about 45,000 ...
, and
Hamchang
Hamchang is an ''eup'' in Sangju City, North Gyeongsang province, South Korea. It comprises 30 distinct ''ri'' (the smallest South Korean administrative division), and has a population of 8,427 (from 2003 registration figures). There are two e ...
. In addition, there are limited bus connections to
Seoul.
Local attractions include the
Gaeun Coal Museum, a monument to ''
uibyeong
Righteous armies, sometimes called irregular armies or militias, are informal civilian militias that have appeared several times in Korean history, when the national armies were in need of assistance.
The first righteous armies emerged during th ...
'' general
Yi Gang-nyeon, and the putative birthplace of the
Hubaekje king
Gyeon Hwon. Anglers also visit the area in order to fish the
Yeong River, which flows through the town on its way to the
Jinnam Bridge area and the
Nakdong River beyond.
See also
*
Geography of South Korea
South Korea is located in East Asia, on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula located out from the far east of the Asian landmass. The only country with a land border to South Korea is North Korea, lying to the north with of the border ...
*
Subdivisions of South Korea
External links
Gaeun-eup local government website, in Korean
{{coord, 36, 39, N, 128, 04, E, display=title, region:KR_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki
Mungyeong
Towns and townships in North Gyeongsang Province