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Geojedo or Geoje Island (also
McCune–Reischauer McCune–Reischauer romanization () is one of the two most widely used Korean language romanization systems. A modified version of McCune–Reischauer was the official romanization system in South Korea until 2002, when it was replaced by the Re ...
: Kŏje Island) is the principal island of
Geoje Geoje ( Hangeul: ; Hanja: 巨濟; ) is a city located in South Gyeongsang province, just off the coast of the port city of Busan, South Korea. Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (former Daewoo Shipyard) in Okpo and Samsung Heavy Industries ...
City, on the southern coast of
Gyeongsangnam-do 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 H ...
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 is joined to land by two bridges from nearby
Tongyeong Tongyeong () is a coastal city in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. In 2010, it had an area of and a population of 139,869 people. It is divided into 1 eup (town), 6 myeon (township) and 11 dong (neighborhood). Chungmu city and Tongyeong cou ...
.
Gohyeon Gohyeon-dong is the central dong within the city of Geoje-si. The City Hall, stadium, Intercity bus terminal, and many businesses and homes are located there. When Geoje City is mentioned, it usually refers to Gohyeon-dong or Jangpyeong-dong. ...
is the largest town on the island. The
Busan–Geoje Bridge The Busan–Geoje Fixed Link (or Geoga Bridge) is an 8.2-kilometer (5.1-mi) bridge-tunnel fixed link that connects the South Korean city of Busan to Geojedo, Geoje Island. The name of the bridge is Geoga Bridge (거가 대교). The route opened ...
was opened in December 2010 and provides a more direct connection to the city of
Busan Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, w ...
. Geoje Island covers an area of , the second largest island in South Korea (second to Jeju Island). The landscape features several peaks: Gara (), Gyerong (), the skirmisher mountain (), Daegeum () and Googsabong (). Geojedo is known for its rich deposits of granite. The southern belt of Geojedo, together with part of
Namhaedo Namhaedo or Namhae Island is the principal island of Namhae County, on the southern coast of South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It is the fifth largest island in South Korea. Together with Changseon Island, it forms Namhae County. It is jo ...
in
Namhae County Namhae County (''Namhae-gun'') is a county in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. Demographics As of 2005, Namhae had a population of 54,392. However, Namhae has witnessed an aging and decreasing population, having had a population of 137 ...
, belongs to Hallyeo Maritime National Park. Geoje Island features several natural harbors. Shipbuilding is the largest industry on the island. The second and third largest shipyards in South Korea are both located on the island,
Daewoo Daewoo ( ; Hangul: , Hanja: , ; literally "great universe" and a portmanteau of "dae" meaning great, and the given name of founder and chairman Kim Woo-choong) also known as the Daewoo Group, was a major South Korean chaebol (type of conglomerat ...
Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) in the city of Okpo, and
Samsung The Samsung Group (or simply Samsung) ( ko, 삼성 ) is a South Korean multinational manufacturing conglomerate headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea. It comprises numerous affiliated businesses, most of them united under the ...
Heavy Industries (SHI) in the city of Gohyeon (
Geoje Geoje ( Hangeul: ; Hanja: 巨濟; ) is a city located in South Gyeongsang province, just off the coast of the port city of Busan, South Korea. Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (former Daewoo Shipyard) in Okpo and Samsung Heavy Industries ...
City).


Etymology

Geojedo (; )


History

During the Three Han States period (2300 B.C.), Geoje Island corresponded to one of the twelve states of Byeonhan (변한) state called Dokno 독로국(瀆盧國), and during the Shilla dynasty period (신라시대), King Gyeongdeok in 757 A.D. first started to use the name Geoje province "거제군" to refer to the island. In the Korea and
Joseon dynasty Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...
period, after the area called Giseong (기성현) was divided from Geoje 거제현 in 1914, the Geoje area was mistakenly called
Tongyeong Tongyeong () is a coastal city in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. In 2010, it had an area of and a population of 139,869 people. It is divided into 1 eup (town), 6 myeon (township) and 11 dong (neighborhood). Chungmu city and Tongyeong cou ...
(통영군). During this period, the island was a strategic location between
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
and the
Korean Peninsula Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
, and therefore suffered invasion by the
Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...
. When the Japanese invaded
Tongyeong Tongyeong () is a coastal city in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. In 2010, it had an area of and a population of 139,869 people. It is divided into 1 eup (town), 6 myeon (township) and 11 dong (neighborhood). Chungmu city and Tongyeong cou ...
in 1592, the Navy Headquarters of Three Provinces was established in
Geoje Geoje ( Hangeul: ; Hanja: 巨濟; ) is a city located in South Gyeongsang province, just off the coast of the port city of Busan, South Korea. Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (former Daewoo Shipyard) in Okpo and Samsung Heavy Industries ...
which served as a command for many naval battles in the area. Included in these were the battle of May 1592; Admiral Yi Sun-sin led Korean forces to a much celebrated naval victory at Okpo, Geoje Island (옥포해전), as well as on the 28th of July, 1592 at Gyeonnaeryang (견내량해전) also known as the Hansan Great victory (한산대첩). In the year 1597 the first and only naval defeat to the Japanese in Korean history took place at Chilcheon, Geoje (칠천량해전). During the
Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
,
UN Forces Peacekeeping comprises activities intended to create conditions that favour lasting peace. Research generally finds that peacekeeping reduces civilian and battlefield deaths, as well as reduces the risk of renewed warfare. Within the United N ...
established the
Geoje POW Camp Geoje-do POW camp ( ko, 거제도 포로수용소, zh, 巨济岛戰俘營) was a prisoner of war camp located on Geoje island at the southernmost part of Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea. It is considered the largest of the UNC established camps. ...
in 1951 for captured North Koreans. The killing of 31 prisoners by American troops and the maltreatment of the POWs became the focus of British and Australian journalists. ''Koje Unscreened'' (1953), written by journalists
Alan Winnington Alan Winnington (16 March 1910 – 26 November 1983) was a British journalist, war correspondent, and Communist activist most famous for his coverage of the Korean War and the Chinese revolution. He is most well-known as the author of ''I Saw ...
and
Wilfred Burchett Wilfred Graham Burchett (16 September 1911 – 27 September 1983) was an Australian journalist known for being the first western journalist to report from Hiroshima after the dropping of the atomic bomb, and for his reporting from "the other si ...
, was published to expose the torture and killing of prisoners in Geojedu, using a mixture of both photographic evidence and witness testimonies. In 1953 Geoje province became independent, and in the early 1970s the shipbuilding industry began producing ships, and so the population grew tremendously. In 1995 Geoje finally had a large enough population to be classified as a Geoje city (거제시). It is now the hub for a major driving force in Korea's economic development, the shipbuilding industry. Geoje is the hometown of two former presidents of Korea
Kim Young-sam Kim Young-sam (; or ; 20 December 1927 – 22 November 2015) was a Demographics of South Korea, South Korean politician and activist who served as the seventh president of South Korea from 1993 to 1998. From 1961, he spent almost 30 year ...
(1993–1998) and
Moon Jae-in Moon Jae-in (; ; born 24 January 1953) is a South Korean former politician, civil servant and lawyer who served as the 12th president of South Korea between 2017 and 2022. Prior to his presidency, he served as Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs an ...
(2017-2022). It was the final port of call of the
SS Meredith Victory The SS ''Meredith Victory'' was a United States Merchant Marine Victory ship, a type of cargo freighter built for World War II. Under the leadership of Captain Leonard LaRue, ''Meredith Victory'' is credited with the largest humanitarian rescue ...
at Christmastide 1950, when that ship evacuated some fourteen thousand North Korean civilians from Hungnam.


See also

*
Islands of South Korea This article is about the small islands of Korea. Incheon Ganghwa * Boreumdo ** Achado ** Bido ** Maldo ** Suribong ** Yongrando * Donggeomdo * Ganghwado ** Eoyujeongdo ** Gogado ** Maeumdo ** Songgado * Gyodongdo * Jumundo ** Bun ...
*
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 ...


References


External links


Geoje Foreigner's Residents Association – Foreigners' Club in OkpoGeojedo featured on JustEnoughKorean.com
{{Coord, 34, 51, 29, N, 128, 37, 06, E, display=title, region:KR_type:isle_source:dewiki Islands of South Gyeongsang Province Geoje