Gyeonggi-do (, ) is the most populous

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

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 ...

. Its name, ''Gyeonggi'', means "京 (the capital) and 畿 (the surrounding area)". Thus, ''Gyeonggi-do'' can be translated as "Seoul and the surrounding areas of Seoul".

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

, the nation's largest city and capital, is in the heart of the area but has been separately administered as a provincial-level ''special city'' since 1946.

Incheon Incheon (; ; or Inch'ŏn; literally "kind river"), formerly Jemulpo or Chemulp'o (제물포) until the period after 1910, officially the Incheon Metropolitan City (인천광역시, 仁川廣域市), is a city located in northwestern South Kore ...

, the nation's third-largest city, is on the coast of the province and has been similarly administered as a provincial-level ''metropolitan city'' since 1981. The three jurisdictions are collectively referred to as '' Sudogwon'' and cover , with a combined population of 25.5 million—amounting to over half of the entire population of South Korea.

History

Gyeonggi-do has been a politically important area since 18 BCE, when Korea was divided into three nations during the

Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Han dynasty#Eastern Han, Eastern Han dynasty and wa ...

period. Ever since King Onjo, the founder of

Baekje Baekje or Paekche (, ) was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BC to 660 AD. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla. Baekje was founded by Onjo, the third son of Goguryeo's founder Jum ...

(one of the three kingdoms), founded the government in

Wiryeseong Wiryeseong was the name of two early capitals of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. Both are believed to have been in the modern-day Seoul area. According to ''Samguk Sagi'' (the oldest surviving Korean history book, written in the 12th ...

of Hanam, the Han River Valley was absorbed into

Goguryeo Goguryeo (37 BC–668 AD) ( ) also called Goryeo (), was a Korean kingdom located in the northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula and the southern and central parts of Northeast China. At its peak of power, Goguryeo controlled most ...

in the mid-fifth century, and became

Silla Silla or Shilla (57 BCE – 935 CE) ( , Old Korean: Syera, Old Japanese: Siraki2) was a Korean kingdom located on the southern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula. Silla, along with Baekje and Goguryeo, formed the Three Kingdoms of K ...

's territory in the year 553 (the 14th year of King Jinheung).In traditional Korean timekeeping, years are tracked by reign of monarchs. Today, this is practiced in addition to

Common Era Common Era (CE) and Before the Common Era (BCE) are year notations for the Gregorian calendar (and its predecessor, the Julian calendar), the world's most widely used calendar era. Common Era and Before the Common Era are alternatives to the or ...

(CE). Afterward, the current location of Gyeonggi-do, one of the nine states of

Later 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 ...

, was called Hansanju. The Gyeonggi region started to rise as the central region of

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unificati ...

as King Taejo of Goryeo (the kingdom following Silla) set up the capital in Gaesong. Since 1018 (the 9th year of Goryeo's King Hyeonjong), this area has been officially called "Gyeonggi". Gyeonggi-gamyeong-do

During the

Joseon 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 ...

, which was founded after the Goryeo,

King Taejo of Joseon Taejo of Joseon (4 November 1335 – 27 June 1408), born Yi Seong-gye (), was the founder and first ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. After ascending to the throne, he changed his name to Yi Dan (), and reigned from 1392 to 1398. He was ...

set the capital in Hanyang, while restructuring Gyeonggi's area to include Gwangju, Suwon, Yeoju, and Anseong, along with the southeast region. Since the period of King Taejong and Sejong the Great, the Gyeonggi region has been very similar to the current administrative area of Gyeonggi-do. In 1895 the 23-Bu system, which reorganized administrative areas, was effected. The Gyeonggi region was divided into Hanseong (modern

; ''Hanseong-bu;'' 한성부; 漢城府),

(''Incheon-bu;'' 인천부; 仁川府), Chungju (''Chungju-bu;'' 충주부; 忠州府),

Gongju Gongju ([]; Gongju-si) is a city in South Chungcheong province, South Korea. History Gongju was formerly named Ungjin and was the capital of Baekje from AD 475 to 538. In this period, Baekje was under threat from Goguryeo. Goguryeo had overrun ...

(''Gongju-bu;'' 공주부; 公州府), and

Kaesong Kaesong (, ) is a special city in the southern part of North Korea (formerly in North Hwanghae Province), and the capital of Korea during the Taebong kingdom and subsequent Goryeo dynasty. The city is near the Kaesong Industrial Region close t ...

(''Kaesong-bu;'' 개성부; 開城府). During the Japanese colonial period, Hanseong-bu was incorporated into Gyeonggi-do. On October 1, 1910, it was renamed Keijo and a provincial government was placed in Keijo according to the reorganization of administrative districts. After liberation and the foundation of two separate Korean states, Gyeonggi-do and its capital, Seoul, were separated with partial regions of Gyeonggi-do being incorporated into Seoul thereafter in 1946. Additionally, Kaesong became

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...

n territory, the only city to change control after the countries were divided at the 38th parallel, which is now part of North Korea's North Hwanghae Province. In 1967 the seat of the Gyeonggi provincial government was transferred from Seoul to

Suwon Suwon (, ) is the capital and largest city of Gyeonggi-do, South Korea's most populous province which surrounds Seoul, the national capital. Suwon lies about south of Seoul. It is traditionally known as "The City of Filial Piety". With a populati ...

. After Incheon separated from Gyeonggi-do in 1981, Gyeonggi regions such as

Ongjin County Ongjin County may refer to: * Ongjin County, Incheon, South Korea * Ongjin County, South Hwanghae Ongjin County is a county in southern South Hwanghae Province, North Korea. It is located on the Ongjin Peninsula, which projects into the Yellow ...

and

Ganghwa County Ganghwa County is a county in the city of Incheon, South Korea. The county is composed of Ganghwa Island, and the minor islands around it. History Ganghwa County contains some of the most important historical sites in Korea. These sites cover th ...

were incorporated into

in 1995.

Geography

Gyeonggi Province is in the western central region of the Korean Peninsula, which is vertically situated in Northeast Asia and is between east longitude of 126 and 127, and north latitude of 36 and 38. Its dimension is 10% of Korea's territory, . It is in contact with of cease-fire line to the north, of coastline to the west, Gangwon-do to the east,

Chungcheongbuk-do North Chungcheong Province ( ko, 충청북도, ''Chungcheongbuk-do''), also known as Chungbuk, is a province of South Korea. North Chungcheong has a population of 1,578,934 (2014) and has a geographic area of located in the Hoseo region in the ...

and

Chungcheongnam-do South Chungcheong Province ( ko, 충청남도, ''Chungcheongnam-do''), also known as Chungnam, is a province of South Korea. South Chungcheong has a population of 2,059,871 (2014) and has a geographic area of 8,204 km2 (3,168 sq mi) located in ...

to the south, and has Seoul, the capital of the Republic of Korea, in its center. Its provincial government is in Suwon, but some of its government buildings are in Uijeongbu for the administrative conveniences of the northern region.

Climate

The climate of Gyeonggi-do is the continental climate, which has a severe differentiation of temperature between summer and winter, and has distinctions of four seasons. Spring is warm, summer is hot and humid, autumn is cool, and winter is cold and snowy. The annual average temperature is between , where the temperature in the mountainous areas to the northeast is lower and the coastal areas to the southwest is higher. For January's average temperature, the Gyeonggi Bay is , the Namhangang (River) Basin is , and the Bukhangang (River) and Imjingang Basins are . It becomes colder and higher in temperature differentiation from coastal to inland areas. Summer has a lower local differentiation compared to winter. The inland areas are hotter than the Gyeonggi Bay area, the hottest area is

Pyeongtaek Pyeongtaek () is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Located in the southwestern part of the province, Pyeongtaek was founded as a union of two districts in 940, during the Goryeo dynasty. It was elevated to city status in 1986 and is home t ...

, making the average temperature of August . The annual average precipitation is around , with a lot of rainfall. It is rainy in summer and dry during winter. The northeastern inland areas of Bukhangang and the upper stream of Imjingang has a precipitation of , whereas the coastal area has only of precipitation.

Nature and national parks

The topography of Gyeonggi-do is divided into southern and northern areas by the Han River, which flows from east to west. The area north to the Han River is mainly mountainous, while the southern area is mainly plain. The configuration of Gyeonggi-do is represented by ''Dong-go-seo-jeo'' (high in the east and low in the west), where the

Gwangju Gwangju () is South Korea's sixth-largest metropolis. It is a designated metropolitan city under the direct control of the central government's Home Minister. The city was also the capital of South Jeolla Province until the provincial office ...

Mountain Range and the Charyeong Mountain Range spreads from the east and drops in elevation in the west. The fields of Gimpo, Gyeonggi, and Pyeongtaek extend to the west. Gyeonggi-do natural environment includes its rivers, lakes, mountains, and seas. Its representative rivers are the Hangang, Imjingang, and Anseongcheon Fg(Stream), which flow into the Yellow Sea, with Gyeonggi Plain, Yeonbaek Plain and Anseong Plain forming a fertile field area around the rivers. The Gwangju Mountain Range and the Charyeong Mountain Range stretch toward China in Gyeonggi Province. Most of the mountains that rise above , such as

Myeongjisan Myeongjisan is a mountain in Gapyeong County, Gyeonggi-do, in South Korea. It has an elevation of .An 2003, p.154. See also * List of mountains in Korea The following is a list of mountains in Korea: List of mountains in North Korea Py ...

(), Gukmangbong () and Yongmunsan () in the

Mountain Range. It iriidc Ktihas a developed granite area which, due to the granite's exfoliation effect, makes it full of strangely shaped cliffs and deep valleys. The Charyeong Mountain Range forms the boundary between Gyeonggi-do and Chungcheongbuk-do, but is a relatively low-altitude hilly area. In Gyeonggi-do, there is

Bukhansan National Park The Bukhansan National Park ( ko, 북한산국립공원, 北漢山國立公園) in Seoul and Gyeonggi covers an area of and was established on 2 April 1983. Bukhansan means "mountains north of the Han River." The park contains forested areas, ...

in Uijeongbu. For provincial parks, there are the Chukryeongsan Natural Recreation Area, Namhan-sanseong Provincial Park, Gapyeong Yeoninsan Provincial Park, and Mulhyanggi Arboretum. Besides the listed, the scenery of well-known mountains including Soyosan of Dongducheon City, Yongmunsan of

Yangpyeong County Yangpyeong County (''Yangpyeong-gun'') is a county in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Climate Yangpyeong has a monsoon-influenced humid continental climate (Köppen: ''Dwa'') with cold, dry winters and hot, rainy summers. Korean War Yangpye ...

, and

Gwanaksan ''Gwanaksan'' (Korean for Mt. Gwanak; 632 m) is a mountain in southern Seoul, South Korea. Portions lie in the Gwanak-gu and Geumcheon-gu districts of Seoul; other portions lie in the neighboring cities of Anyang, Gyeonggi and Gwacheon. The na ...

Anyang Anyang (; ) is a prefecture-level city in Henan province, China. The northernmost city in Henan, Anyang borders Puyang to the east, Hebi and Xinxiang to the south, and the provinces of Shanxi and Hebei to its west and north respectively. It had a ...

and

Gwacheon Gwacheon () is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It lies close to Seoul in the heart of the Seoul National Capital Area, and also lies just east of Anyang. Seoul Subway Line 4 passes through the city. Various attractions usually associate ...

, along with Hangang and Imjingang are tourist sites of Gyeonggi-do. *

Moraksan Moraksan (sometimes referred to as ''Mt. Morak'') is located in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. The mountain is 385 meters above sea level. The mountain is almost entirely composed of rock. On the north side a precipitous mountain face stretches away like ...

, a 385-meter rock mountain.

Population

Gyeonggi-do has shown a rapid increase in population due to the modernization and urbanization of the Republic of Korea. Its population has increased from 2,748,765 in 1960 to 3,703,761 in 1980; 6,050,943 in 1990; 8,984,134 in 2000; 11,379,459 in 2010; and 13,511,676 in 2020. In 2010 there were 4,527,282 households, with an average of 3 people per family. There were 6,112,339 males and 5,959,545 females. The population density was 1,119 people/km², almost double the national average of 486 people/km². Excluding the two metropolitan cities (Seoul and Incheon), the most heavily populated area as of 2010 is

(1,104,681) followed by

Goyang Goyang (''Goyang-si''; ) is a city in Gyeonggi Province in the north of South Korea. It is part of the Seoul Capital Area, making Goyang one of Seoul's satellite cities. It is one of the largest cities in the Seoul Capital Area, with a populatio ...

(1,076,179),

Seongnam Seongnam () is the fourth largest city in South Korea's Gyeonggi Province after Suwon and the 10th largest city in the country. Its population is approximately one million. Seongnam is a satellite city of Seoul. It is largely a residential cit ...

(996,524),

Yongin Yongin () is a city in the Seoul Capital Area, the largest in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. With a population over 1 million, the city has developed rapidly since the 21st century, recording the highest population growth of any city in the count ...

(891,708), Bucheon (890,875) and

Ansan Ansan (Hangeul: , ) is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It lies southwest of Seoul and is part of the Seoul National Capital Area. It is connected to Seoul by rail via Seoul Subway Line 4. It is situated on the Yellow Sea coast and so ...

(753,862). The lowest populated area in 2010 was

Yeoncheon County Yeoncheon County (''Yeoncheon-gun'') is a county in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. The county seat is Yeoncheon-eup (연천읍) and sits on the Korail railroad line connecting Seoul, South Korea, with North Korea (DPRK). History A variety of pal ...

(45,973), followed by

Gapyeong County Gapyeong County is a county in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It was the scene of the Battle of Kapyong, a major battle of the Korean War. Administrative Region and Language Gapyeong County has one eup and five myeon, and its population i ...

(59,916) and

(72,595).

Economy

As the backbone of Seoul in the means of manufacturing complex, Gyeonggi-do is evenly developed in

heavy industry Heavy industry is an industry that involves one or more characteristics such as large and heavy products; large and heavy equipment and facilities (such as heavy equipment, large machine tools, huge buildings and large-scale infrastructure); o ...

(electronics, machine, heavy and chemical industry, steel),

light industry Light industry are industries that usually are less capital-intensive than heavy industry and are more consumer-oriented than business-oriented, as they typically produce smaller consumer goods. Most light industry products are produced for ...

(textile), and farm, livestock and fisheries industry. Due to the influence of recent high wages, the weight of manufacturing industries has decreased in Korea's economy. Gyeonggi-do is making efforts in many ways to improve and modernize the conventional industry structure, resulting in quick growth of innovative

small and medium-sized enterprises Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) or small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are businesses whose personnel and revenue numbers fall below certain limits. The abbreviation "SME" is used by international organizations such as the World Bank ...

such as

U-JIN Tech Corp. U-JIN Tech Corp. is a South Korean manufacturer of friction welding machines and automated manufacturing cells. History U-JIN Tech Corp. was founded in February 2009. It stablished its own R&D center within the Korea Industrial Technology Ass ...

Gyeonggi-do is unsparingly investing in the promotion of service industries related to soft competitive power such as state-of-the-art IT industry, designing, conventions and tourism, along with its great leap as a commercial hub in Northeast Asia using the Pyeongtaek Harbor. Besides this, it is known for its special local products such as Icheon rice and Icheon/Gwangju ceramics. Leading companies representing Korea, including

Samsung Electronics Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (, sometimes shortened to SEC and stylized as SΛMSUNG) is a South Korean multinational corporation, multinational electronics corporation headquartered in Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, South Korea. It is the pinnacle of ...

' headquarters,

SK Hynix SK hynix Inc. is a South Korean supplier of dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) chips and flash memory chips. Hynix is the world's second-largest memory chipmaker (after Samsung Electronics) and the world's third-largest semiconductor company. ...

's headquarters,

NAVER Naver (Hangul: 네이버) is a South Korean online platform operated by the Naver Corporation. It was launched in 1999 as the first web portal in South Korea to develop and use its own search engine. It was also the world's first operator to in ...

's headquarters,

Samsung SDI Samsung SDI Co., Ltd. () is a battery and electronic materials manufacturer headquartered in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. Samsung SDI operates its business with Energy Solutions and Electronic Materials segment. The Energy Solution segment ma ...

's headquarters, and Paju LG Corporation's LCD complex, are gathered in southern Gyeonggi Province, including Suwon City.

Administrative area

Gyeonggi-do consists of 28 cities (special: 7, normal: 21) and three counties. This is because many counties were elevated to city status owing to the influence of Seoul's new town development plan. Special cities are especially concentrated in the southern area of Gyeonggi-do. Listed below is each entity's name in English,

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 ...

and

Hanja Hanja (Hangul: ; Hanja: , ), alternatively known as Hancha, are Chinese characters () used in the writing of Korean. Hanja was used as early as the Gojoseon period, the first ever Korean kingdom. (, ) refers to Sino-Korean vocabulary, wh ...

Claimed

Gaeseong Kaesong (, ) is a special city in the southern part of North Korea (formerly in North Hwanghae Province), and the capital of Korea during the Taebong kingdom and subsequent Goryeo dynasty. The city is near the Kaesong Industrial Region close to ...

Gaepung County Kaep'ung-guyŏk is a ward in Kaesong, North Korea. Formerly part of the Kaesong urban area, the county was merged with North Hwanghae when Kaesong was demoted in 2003. However, it was returned to Kaesong Special City in October 2019. The area is ...

and Jangdan County

Transportation

Gyeonggi-do's proximity to Seoul, South Korea's capital, and Incheon, its second-busiest port, has contributed to its extremely well-developed transportation infrastructure. It is close to both

Incheon International Airport Incheon International Airport (IIA; ) (sometimes referred to as Seoul–Incheon International Airport) is the largest airport in South Korea. It is the primary airport serving the Seoul Capital Area and one of the largest and busiest airports ...

, South Korea's main international gateway and busiest airport, and

Gimpo International Airport Gimpo International Airport (), commonly known as Gimpo Airport , formerly rendered in English as Kimpo International Airport, is located in the far western end of Seoul, some west of the Central District of Seoul. Gimpo was the main interna ...

, its second-busiest airport. Use of water transportation from the harbor at

is also high.

Road

The road pavement rate throughout the province averages 86.5 percent. The area has access to many of South Korea's expressways, including * No. 1

Gyeongbu Expressway The Gyeongbu Expressway ( ko, 경부고속도로; ''Gyeongbu Gosokdoro'') ( Asian Highway Network ) is the second oldest and most heavily travelled expressway in South Korea, connecting Seoul to Suwon, Daejeon, Gumi, Daegu, Gyeongju, Ulsan and ...

, Seoul–Busan * No. 15

Seohaean Expressway The Seohaean Expressway (Korean: 서해안 고속도로; Seohaean Gosok Doro), meaning "West Coast Expressway", is a freeway in South Korea, connecting Mokpo to Gunsan, Dangjin, and Seoul. It is numbered 15. The entire length from Seoul to ...

, Seoul–

Mokpo Mokpo (; ''Mokpo-si'') is a city in South Jeolla Province, South Korea, located at the southwestern tip of the Korean Peninsula, close to Yudal mountain. Mokpo has frequent high-speed train services to Seoul, and is the terminus for a number of fe ...

* No. 35 Jungbu Expressway, Seoul–

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 ...

* No. 37 Second Jungbu Expressway, Seoul–

* No. 45

Jungbu Naeryuk Expressway The Jungbu Naeryuk Expressway (; literally meaning Central Inland Expwy.) is an expressway in South Korea. Numbered 45, it was first constructed in three parts: connecting Yeoju to Chungju and Sangju to Gimcheon and Hyeonpung to Masan. The part of ...

Yeoju Yeoju () is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Yeoju was a county but was raised to the status of a city in September 2013. Together with the neighboring city of Icheon, it is known as a major center of contemporary South Korean ceramics, ...

–

Gimcheon Gimcheon (; , trans., 'gold spring city') is a city in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It is situated on the major land transportation routes between Seoul and Busan, namely the Gyeongbu Expressway and Gyeongbu Line railway. In ancient ...

* No. 50

Yeongdong Expressway The Yeongdong Expressway () is an expressway in South Korea. Numbered 50, it connects the Seoul area with Gangwon Province. It is named from Yeongdong, an old name for Gangwon. The road has its western end in Namdong-gu of Incheon Metropol ...

, Incheon–

Gangneung Gangneung () is a municipal city in the province of Gangwon-do, on the east coast of South Korea. It has a population of 213,658 (as of 2017).Gangneung City (2003)Population & Households. Retrieved January 14, 2006. Gangneung is the economic ...

* No. 60

Seoul–Yangyang Expressway The Seoul–Yangyang Expressway () is an expressway in South Korea, connecting the cities of Seoul and Yangyang County. It is 78.5 kilometers long, with two lanes of traffic in each direction and ten interchanges. It shares the number "60" and o ...

, Seoul–

Chuncheon Chuncheon (; ; formerly romanized as Chunchŏn; literally ''spring river'') is the capital of Gangwon Province in South Korea. The city lies in the north of the county, located in a basin formed by the Soyang River and Han River. There are some ...

* No. 100

Seoul Ring Expressway The Capital Region First Ring Expressway (Formerly as Seoul Ring Expressway) (Expressway No.100) () is an expressway, circular beltway or ring road around Seoul, South Korea. It connects satellite cities around Seoul, Ilsan, Namyangju, Hanam, ...

* No. 110

Second Gyeongin Expressway The Second Gyeongin Expressway(Korean: 제2경인고속도로, Je-I(2) Gyeongin Gosok Doro) is an expressway in South Korea, connecting Incheon to Seongnam. It is numbered 110 and has a length of 67.8 km. In Incheon International Airport to ...

, Incheon–

* No. 120

Gyeongin Expressway The Gyeongin Expressway, officially Expressway No. 120, is an expressway in South Korea connecting the Yangcheon District of Seoul to the Nam District of Incheon. It is the oldest expressway in South Korea. Construction began March 24, 1967 ...

, Seoul–Incheon * No. 130

Incheon International Airport Expressway The Incheon International Airport Expressway (Korean: 인천국제공항고속도로, Incheon Gukje Gonghang Gosok Doro) is an expressway in South Korea connecting Incheon International Airport to Goyang, Gyeonggi. History * December 1995: C ...

, Incheon International Airport–Seoul

Rail

Gyeonggi-do is served by

Korail The Korea Railroad Corporation (Korean: 한국철도공사, Hanja: ), branded as KORAIL (코레일, officially changed to in November 2019), is the national railway operator in South Korea. Currently, KORAIL is a public corporation, managed ...

commuter, standard and high-speed (

KTX Korea Train eXpress (), often known as KTX (), is South Korea's high-speed rail system, operated by Korail. Construction began on the high-speed line from Seoul to Busan in 1992. KTX services were launched on April 1, 2004. From Seoul Station the ...

) services. It is home to Korea's first railroad, the

Gyeongin Line The Gyeongin Line (Gyeonginseon) is a railway mainline in South Korea, currently connecting Guro station in Seoul and Incheon. Commuter services along the line through operates into Seoul Subway Line 1. History The Gyeongin Line was the fir ...

, and includes portions of the

Gyeongbu Line The Gyeongbu Line (''Gyeongbuseon'') is a railway line in South Korea and is considered to be the most important and one of the oldest ones in the country. It was constructed in 1905, connecting Seoul with Busan via Suwon, Daejeon, and Daegu. ...

Gyeongui Line The Gyeongui Line is a railway line between Seoul Station and Dorasan Station in Paju. Korail operates the Seoul Metropolitan Subway service between Seoul Station and Dorasan Station. History ''For the original line's history and other infor ...

, Jungang Line, and

Honam Line {{Infobox rail line , box_width = auto , name = Honam Line , other_name = , native_name = 호남선(湖南線) , native_name_lang = kr , color = , logo = , logo_width = , logo_alt = , image = Korail H ...

. Gyeonggi has stations on the Suin,

Bundang Bundang is a planned community in the Bundang-gu district of Seongnam, South Korea. It was developed to encourage affordable housing and urban decentralization. The community has a sports complex, a park and a youth center. Origin Bundang w ...

, Gyeongchun, and Shinbundang

commuter rail Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are con ...

services and the

Gyeongbu The name Gyeongbu refers to the Seoul-Busan corridor in South Korea. It is used as the name of the Gyeongbu railway line and Gyeongbu Expressway, both of which connect Seoul—the South Korean capital and largest city—to Busan—t ...

and

Honam High Speed Railway The Honam high-speed railway, also known as Honam HSR, is a high-speed rail between Osong (on the existing Gyeongbu high-speed railway) and Mokpo in South Korea. The line is a part of Korail's Korea Train Express (KTX) system, accelerating Seoul� ...

s. The area has numerous connections to the

Seoul Metropolitan Subway The Seoul Metropolitan Subway is a metropolitan railway system consisting of 23 rapid transit, light metro, commuter rail and people mover lines located in northwest South Korea. The system serves most of the Seoul Metropolitan Area including ...

system. Line 1 (formerly Korea National Railroad of Seoul) extends to Cheonan past Gyeonggi-do to the southwest, and to Dongducheon to the north. Line 3 connects to Goyang to the north, while Line 4 is connected to Gwacheon and Ansan to the southwest. Line 7 is connected to Uijeongbu to the north and Gwangmyeong to the south, while Line 8 is connected to Seongnam to the south.

Uijeongbu Uijeongbu () is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Overview Uijeongbu is located north of the Korean capital Seoul; it lies inside a defile, with mountains on two sides, and commands a natural choke point across the main traditional in ...

has its own light rail system, the

U Line The U Line is a driverless, fully automatic, grade-separated light rail or light metro line in Uijeongbu, Seoul Capital Area, South Korea. The "U" is short for the city Uijeongbu. The line uses Véhicule Automatique Léger (VAL) 208 trains buil ...

, which connects to Line 1. A short section of the

AREX AREX (Airport Railroad Express) is a South Korean commuter rail line that links Incheon International Airport with Seoul Station via Gimpo International Airport. The section between the two airports opened on March 23, 2007, and line was exten ...

line between Gimpo and Incheon airports passes through Gyeonggi, but there are no stops within the province.

Education

Gyeonggi-do is actively investing in education to foster a talented population suitable for the globalized economy. It is promoting the opening of local campuses of reputable universities as well as establishing special purpose high schools for high-quality education. It has also founded and operates at

Paju Paju () is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Paju was made a city in 1997; it had previously been a county (''gun''). The city area of Paju is ,"Paju (Gyeonggi-do Province)." ''Naver Encyclopedia of Knowledge''. Naver, 2015. 4 Mar. 2016. ...

the largest domestic "English village" for education in the

English language English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the is ...

, as well as villages in Ansan and Yangpyeong.

Universities of Gyeonggi Province(경기도)

;National ; Anseong City ;*

Hankyong National University Hankyong National University is the only national university in Gyeonggi Province. It is located in Anseong, a city approximately 80 kilometres from Seoul. The university specialises in fields such as environmental engineering, agricultural scien ...

;Private ; Ansan City ;*

Ansan University Ansan University () is a 3,4-year university located in Ansan City, Gyeonggi province, South Korea. It hosts a student body of about four thousand, and offers programs in fields including nursing, physiotherapy, early childhood education, and ...

Hanyang University Hanyang University (Korean: 한양대학교) is a private research university in South Korea. The main campus is located in Seoul and its satellite campus, the Education Research Industry Cluster (ERICA campus), is in Ansan. ''Hanyang'' (한양, ...

(ERICA Campus) ;*

Seoul Institute of the Arts Seoul Institute of the Arts is a prominent educational institution specializing in the Arts located in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. The school has nurtured many graduates who are actively working in art related fields within Korea as w ...

Shin Ansan University Ansan College of Technology (also called Ansan Technical College) is a private technical college in Ansan City, which lies south of Seoul in Gyeonggi province. It offers degree programs in social science (including English), tourism, physical ...

; Anseong City ;*

Chung-Ang University Chung-Ang University (CAU; ) is a private research university in Seoul, South Korea. It is widely regarded as one of the best universities in South Korea. The university operates two campuses: main campus located in Dongjak District, Seoul, and ...

(Anseong Campus) ; Anyang City ;* Anyang University ;* Sungkyul University ; Bucheon City ;* Seoul Theological University ; Goyang City ;*

Korea Aerospace University Korea Aerospace University (한국항공대학교 (Traditional Chinese: 韓國航空大學校) an'guk Hang-gong Dae-hak-gyo is a private university located in Goyang, Gyeonggi, South Korea. History Beginnings (1950s–1960s) Korea Aero ...

;Gunpo, Gunpo City ;* Hansei University ;Gwangju, Gyeonggi, Gwangju City ;* Seoul Jangsin University and Theological Seminary ;Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, Hwaseong City ;* Hyupsung University ;* Shingyeong University ;Osan, Osan City ;* Hanshin University ;Pochon, Pochon City ;* College of Medicine Pochon CHA University ;* Daejin University ;Pyeongtaek, Pyeongtaek City ;* Pyongtaek University ;Seongnam, Seongnam City ;* Gachon University ;Siheung, Siheung City ;* Korea Polytechnic University ;Suwon, Suwon City ;* Ajou University ;* Kyung Hee University ;* Seoul National University (Gwanggyo Graduate School Campus) ;* Sungkyunkwan University, Sungkyungwan university (Natural Science Campus) ;* Suwon Catholic University ;* Suwon Science College ;Uijeongbu, Uijeongbu City ;* Hanbuk University ;

;* Asian Center for Theological Studies and Mission ;Yongin, Yongin City ;* Calvin University (South Korea), Calvin University ;* Dankook University ;* Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (Global Campus) ;* Kangnam University ;* Kyung Hee University (International Campus) ;* Luther University ;* Myongji University (Science Departments Campus) ;* Yongin University

Colleges

Schools

Culture

Historical landmarks

Gyeonggi-do has long been a capital area, leaving many historic relics and ruins. For royal tombs (called reung), there are Donggureung of Guri, and Gwangreung, Hongreung and Yureung of Namyangju. For castles (called seong), there are Hwaseong Fortress, Suwon Hwaseong, which is designated as the World Cultural Heritage, Namwonsanseong, Haengjusanseong, Ganghwasanseong, and Doksan Fortress. For Buddhist temples, there are many aged temples within Gyeonggi-do where one can experience ‘temple stay’. You can view folk culture in the Korean Folk Village in

, and the scene of Korea's division at Panmunjom in

Performing arts

Gyeonggi-do is investing a lot of money at a provincial level so that people do not have to go to Seoul to enjoy a high-class cultural life. There are performances at Gyeonggi Arts Center in Suwon as well as at Gyeonggi Korean Traditional Music Center in

. Gyeonggi Provincial Museum in

, Nam June Paik Art Center in

, Gyeonggi Museum of Art in

, and the Ceramics Museum in

are some of the facilities that are currently run by the province. There are also sightseeing opportunities at Jangheung Art Park, Publication Art Complex at Heyri,

, and the Icheon Ceramics Exposition.

Heyri Art Valley

Heyri Art Valley is Korea's largest art town. Various Korean artists constructed the cultural town of Heyri and it features several art galleries and museums; there are about 40 museums, exhibitions, concert halls and bookstores.

Religion

According to the census of 2005, of the people of Gyeonggi-do 34.3% follow Christianity (21.9% Protestantism and 12.4% Catholic Church, Catholicism) and 16.8% follow Buddhism. 51.1% of the population is mostly not religious or follow Korean shamanism, indigenous religions.

Sports

The 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup matches were held in Suwon World Cup Stadium. As for the professional soccer teams with Gyeonggi-do as their home ground, there are the Suwon Samsung Bluewings and Seongnam FC. Also, there is the professional basketball team of Guri Kdb Life Winnus, sponsored by Kdb Life Insurance. Korea's foremost thoroughbred horse racing track Seoul Race Park is in

. Sailing is a high-profile sport in Gyeonggi. Gyeonggi-do's location on the bank of the river Han makes it an ideal venue for the sport which is host to the prestigious Korea Match Cup event which is a part of the World Match Racing Tour. The event draws the world's best sailing teams to Gyeonggi in a gladiatorial battle of nerve and skill on the water. The identical supplied (KM-36) boats are raced two at a time in an on the water dogfight which tests the sailors and skippers to the limits of their physical abilities. Points accrued count towards the World Match Race Tour and a place in the final event, with the overall winner taking the title International Sailing Federation, ISAF World Match Racing Tour Champion. Match racing is an ideal sport for spectators in Gyeonggi. Racing in such close proximity to the river bank provides excellent heart of the action views for the audience. Highlights of the event can be seen on KBS World television and via the official World Match Racing Tour website.

Domestic sports clubs

Association football

* K League 1 (3) ** Suwon Samsung Bluewings ** Seongnam FC ** Suwon FC * K League 2 (2) ** FC Anyang ** Bucheon FC 1995 * K3 League (5) ** Gimpo FC ** Hwaseong FC ** Paju Citizen FC, Paju Citizen ** Pyeongtaek Citizen FC, Pyeongtaek Citizen ** Yangju Citizen FC, Yangju Citizen * K4 League (5) ** Goyang Citizen FC, Goyang Citizen ** Pocheon Citizen FC, Pocheon Citizen ** Siheung Citizen FC, Siheung Citizen ** Yangpyeong FC ** Yeoju FC * WK-League (2) ** Suwon FMC ** Daekyo Kangaroos WFC, Goyang Daekyo Noonnoppi Kangaroos

Baseball

* Korea Baseball Organization (1) ** KT Wiz

Basketball

* Korean Basketball League, KBL (2) ** Anyang KGC ** Goyang Orion Orions * Women's Korean Basketball League, WKBL (4) ** Yongin Samsung Life Blueminx ** Ansan Shinhan Bank S-Birds ** Guri KDB Life Winnus ** Bucheon KEB-Hana

Volleyball

* V-League (South Korea), V-League Men (2) ** Suwon KEPCO Vixtorm ** Sangmu Shinhyup * V-League (South Korea), V-League Women (3) ** Suwon Hyundai Engineering & Construction Hillstate ** Seongnam Korea Expressway Hi-pass Zenith ** Hwaseong IBK Altos

Ice hockey

* Asia League Ice Hockey (1) ** HL Anyang

Former sports clubs

Football

* Anyang LG Cheetahs (1996–2003,

→ FC Seoul, Seoul) * Bucheon SK (1996–2005, Bucheon → Jeju United, Jeju) * Bucheon FMC Best WFC, Bucheon FMC Best (2010, Dissolved) * Goyang Hi FC, Ansan H FC * Goyang KB Kookmin Bank FC, Goyang KB Kookmin Bank * Namyangju United FC, Namyangju United

Basketball

* Seoul Samsung Thunders, Suwon Samsung Thunders (1997–2001,

→

) * Bucheon Shinsegae Coolcat (2006–2012, Dissolved)

Tourism

Entertainment

* Everland theme park in Yongin, Yongin-si * Korean Folk Village in Yongin, Yongin-si * Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation, Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) MBC Dramia, Dramia at Cheoin-gu in Yongin, Yongin-si; is the filming location of historical dramas such as ''Moon Embracing the Sun'', ''Jumong (TV series), Jumong'', ''Queen Seondeok (TV series), Queen Seondeok'' and ''Dong Yi (TV series), Dong Yi''. Viewing tours are available, which includes traditional folk games, historical court dress and archery. * Hallyuworld theme park, which is based on the ‘Korean Fever’, is under construction in

* Seoul Grand Park in

, which has the Korea's National Museum of Contemporary Art and a zoo * ski and golf resorts * Icheon Hot Spring * LetsRun Park Seoul, LetsRunPark in

*The place is also known among KPOP fans as popular global K-pop, KPOP Star Kim Seok-jin, Jin, member of BTS is from this province.

Gourmet

Gyeonggi-do has long been famous for its Icheon rice, Yangpyeong Korean beef,

cow ribs and Korean court cuisine, and marine delicacies made of fresh marine products from the west coast.

Festival

Partition proposal

Sisterhood relations

* Utah, United States * Aichi Prefecture, Japan * Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan * Liaoning, People's Republic of China * North Holland, Netherlands * Gauteng, South Africa * State of Mexico, Mexico * Virginia, United States * Alto Paraná Department, Paraguay * Queensland, Australia * Catalonia, Spain * Florida, United States * Guangdong, People's Republic of China * British Columbia, Canada * Hebei, People's Republic of China * Shandong, People's Republic of China * Taiwan Province, Taiwan, Republic of China (Taiwan)

References

Notes

External links

* *
Invest in Gyeonggi Province – English

Gyeonggi Tourism Guide – English

DMZ – English

KINTEX – English

Goyang City Hall
{{Authority control Gyeonggi Province, Provinces of South Korea Provinces of Korea Regions of Korea Seoul Capital Area Divided regions