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 elementary schools, a middle school and a high school. Hamchang was once the capital of a small kingdom,
Goryeong Gaya. Although its role today is far less central, it remains an important local town, served by intercity buses as well as the
Gyeongbuk Line railroad.
Geography
Hamchang is located about 19 kilometers north of the Sangju city center, and borders
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 ...
in
Mungyeong City directly on the north. Within Sangju, it adjoins the local districts of
Ian-myeon,
Gonggeom-myeon, and
Sabeol-myeon. It covers a total area of 43.37 km². Of this 16.87 km² are vacant. The vacant land is mostly mountainous, but contains no high peaks;
Obong Mountain itself stands a mere 192 meters high. Hamchang's eastern border is formed by the
Yeong River
The Yeong River is a river in Mungyeong City, North Gyeongsang province, South Korea. It flows into the Nakdong River, which in turn flows into the Sea of Japan (East Sea). The river rises from Hwabuk-myeon in Sangju, and drains most of western M ...
, which flows between Mungyeong's
Yeongsun-myeon and Hamchang-eup. The Iancheon stream runs from west to east across southern Hamchang and into the Yeong, which shortly thereafter meets the
Nakdong.
History
In the early
Three Kingdoms period, the small
kingdom of
Goryeong Gaya is traditionally supposed to have been based in Hamchang, making it by far the northernmost state of the
Gaya confederacy.
The reputed tomb of
Goryeong's founder, who is also the progenitor of the Hamchang
Kim lineage, is located near the town center. On Obong Mountain, other tombs dating to the Three Kingdoms period have been
excavated. These are sometimes associated with
Sabeol-guk, a minor state which appears in early Silla records . What relation may have existed between Sabeol-guk and Goryeong Gaya, or whether they were in fact the same kingdom, is not known.
By the early 6th century, the Hamchang area was securely under
Silla control. It was subsequently administered as part of the ''ju'' of Sangju. At this time, Hamchang was known by various names which appear to suggest a connection with Goryeong Gaya, such as Goreung (고릉, 古陵), Gonyeong (고녕, 古寧), and Godongnam-gun (고동람군, 古冬欖郡).
In the
Goryeo period, in 964, the area became known as Hamnyeong-gun (함녕군, 咸寧郡). The name changed to the present "Hamchang" in 1018. In 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 ...
period, the Hamchang area was designated as Hamchang-hyeon in 1490 and Hamchang-gun (Hamchang County) in 1895. In 1914, it became known as Hamchang-myeon and was included in Sangju County. It received its present designation as Hamchang-eup by presidential decree on December 1, 1980.
External links
Official eup website, in Korean
{{coord missing, South Korea
Sangju
Towns and townships in North Gyeongsang Province