Gijang County is a
''gun'', or county, located between
Haeundae-gu
Haeundae District ( ko, 해운대구) is a district ( ''gu'') of Busan, South Korea.
Haeundae has a population of about 423,000, the most populous district of Busan with 11.6% of the city population, and covers an area of 51.44 km² (19. ...
and
Ulsan
Ulsan (), officially the Ulsan Metropolitan City is South Korea's seventh-largest metropolitan city and the eighth-largest city overall, with a population of over 1.1 million inhabitants. It is located in the south-east of the country, neighboring ...
in northern
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, ...
,
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...
.
History
Gijang first appears under its current name in the annals of the year 757, during the
Unified Silla
Unified Silla, or Late Silla (, ), is the name often applied to the Korean kingdom of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, after 668 CE. In the 7th century, a Silla–Tang alliance conquered Baekje and the southern part of Goguryeo in the ...
period. At that time it was made the ''
hyeon'' of Gijang, part of
Dongnae
Dongnae District is a '' gu'' in central Busan, South Korea.
Administrative divisions
It has a population of about 300,000, and an area of 16.7 square kilometers. It was once a separate city, the principal port of southeastern Korea. Numerous ...
-gun. The ''
Samguk Sagi
''Samguk Sagi'' (, ''History of the Three Kingdoms'') is a historical record of the Three Kingdoms of Korea: Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla. The ''Samguk Sagi'' is written in Classical Chinese, the written language of the literati of ancient Korea, ...
'' records that it was known as Gaphwayanggok () previously.
Historical landmarks in the county include the Buddhist temple of Jangansa, said to have been first built by
Wonhyo
Won Hyo (617 – April 28, 686) was one of the leading thinkers, writers and commentators of the Korean Buddhist tradition. Essence-Function (), a key concept in East Asian Buddhism and particularly Korean Buddhism, was refined in the syncretic p ...
in the 7th century.
Geography and demographics
Gijang is the most rural of Busan's districts, and consists mostly of vacant and agricultural land. Approximately 156.7 of its 217.9 square kilometers are empty and forested, mostly hilly land. The county's population has risen steadily since 1990, when it stood at 56,847. There is a fishing village set along the coastline.
Economy
Due to its location along the coast of the
Sea of Japan
The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, i ...
, Gijang is known as a center for the production of various kinds of seafood. These include anchovies and brown seaweed (''
miyeok
Wakame ''(Undaria pinnatifida)'' is a species of kelp native to cold, temperate coasts of the northwest Pacific Ocean. As an edible seaweed, it has a subtly sweet, but distinctive and strong flavour and texture. It is most often served in soups ...
'').
Education
Gijang is also the current residence of the new Busan International Foreign School, which the Ministry of Education recently spent 46.9 Billion won.
One elementary school, Daebyun Elementary School, was nicknamed the "poop school" since "Daebyun" meant feces. Its name originated from the village Daebyun-ri, which derived from the Daedonggobyunpo Port. The school opened in 1963, and in August 2017 it had 76 students. That month the school announced it was changing its name effective 2018.
Tourism
Other points of interest in the Gijang area include Toam Pottery Park and Ilgwang Beach, as well as the cliffside
Haedong Yonggungsa
Haedong Yonggung Temple (Hangul: 해동 용궁사, Hanja :海東龍宮寺) is a Buddhist temple in Gijang-gun, Busan, South Korea. The temple was built in 1376 by the teacher known as Naong during the Goryeo Dynasty, and was originally know ...
temple. The fishing village is popular for its fresh seafood and
sashimi
is a Japanese delicacy consisting of fresh raw fish or meat sliced into thin pieces and often eaten with soy sauce.
Origin
The word ''sashimi'' means "pierced body", i.e. " 刺身" = ''sashimi'', where 刺 し = ''sashi'' (pierced, stu ...
.
Haedong Yonggungsa Temple
Haedong Yonggungsa Temple is famous as a famous sunrise spot.
Daejeon Port
Daejeon Port, located 4.1 km north of Haedong Yonggungsa Temple, accounts for 60% of the national anchovy catches and is called an anchovy port.
Around April, when the anchovy season comes, the sight of fishermen armed with raincoats, hats, boots, and rubber gloves opening their nets in a certain rhythm is truly spectacular. At the entrance of Daejeon Port, you can see Daejeon Port at a glance, enter the port, and slowly turn around Daejeon Port. There is a Suhyup building at the end and a small coastal road leads to the end of the road.
Administrative divisions
Gijang is divided into five parts:
*''eup'' (larger towns):
**
Jeonggwan-eup
**
Gijang-eup
**
Jangan-eup
*''myeon'' (rural townships):
**
Cheolma-myeon
**
Ilgwang-myeon
See also
*
Administrative divisions of South Korea
South Korea is made up of 17 first-tier administrative divisions: 6 metropolitan cities (''gwangyeoksi'' ), 1 special city (''teukbyeolsi'' ), 1 special self-governing city (''teukbyeol-jachisi'' ), and 9 provinces ('' do'' ), including one ...
*
Geography of South Korea
References
*
External links
Gijang County Office
{{coord, 35, 15, 00, N, 129, 13, 18, E, region:KR_type:city_source:kolossus-frwiki, display=title
Counties of Busan