Throughout and before
recorded history
Recorded history or written history describes the historical events that have been recorded in a written form or other documented communication which are subsequently evaluated by historians using the historical method. For broader world his ...
,
Daegu has served as a
nexus
NEXUS is a joint Canada Border Services Agency and U.S. Customs and Border Protection-operated Trusted Traveler and expedited border control program designed for pre-approved, low-risk travelers. Members of the program can avoid waits at border ...
of transportation, lying as it does at the junction of the
Geumho and
Nakdong river
The Nakdonggang River or Nakdonggang () is the longest river in South Korea, and passes through major cities such as Daegu and Busan. It takes its name from its role as the eastern border of the Gaya confederacy during Korea's Three Kingdoms Er ...
s. During the
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 r ...
, the city was the administrative, economic and cultural centre of the entire Gyeongsang region, a role largely taken over now by
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, ...
in
South Gyeongsang Province
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 ...
.
Prehistory and early history
Archaeological investigations in the Greater Daegu area have revealed a large number of settlements and burials of the
prehistoric Mumun Pottery Period
The Mumun pottery period is an archaeological era in Korean prehistory that dates to approximately 1500-300 BC. This period is named after the Korean name for undecorated or plain cooking and storage vessels that form a large part of the potter ...
(c. 1500-300 BC.). In fact, some of the earliest evidence of Mumun settlement in Gyeongsang Province have been unearthed in Daegu at Siji-dong and Seobyeon-dong (YUM 1999a). The Dongcheon-dong site is a substantial village of the Middle Mumun (c. 850-550 BC.) and contains the remains of many prehistoric
pit house
A pit-house (or ''pit house'', ''pithouse'') is a house built in the ground and used for shelter. Besides providing shelter from the most extreme of weather conditions, these structures may also be used to store food (just like a pantry, a larder ...
s and agricultural fields.
Megalithic burials (dolmens) have also been found in large numbers in Daegu (YICP 2002).
Daegu was absorbed into the kingdom of
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 ...
no later than the 5th century.
Shilla
Shilla defeated the other
Three Kingdoms of Korea
Samhan or the Three Kingdoms of Korea () refers to the three kingdoms of Goguryeo (고구려, 高句麗), Baekje (백제, 百濟), and Silla (신라, 新羅). Goguryeo was later known as Goryeo (고려, 高麗), from which the modern name ''Kor ...
in the late 7th century, with assistance from
Tang
Tang or TANG most often refers to:
* Tang dynasty
* Tang (drink mix)
Tang or TANG may also refer to:
Chinese states and dynasties
* Jin (Chinese state) (11th century – 376 BC), a state during the Spring and Autumn period, called Tang (唐) b ...
China. Shortly thereafter, the king of Shilla considered moving the capital from
Gyeongju to Daegu, but was unable to do so. We know of this incident through only a single line in 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, ...
'', but it is presumed that it indicates the entrenched resistance of the Gyeongju political elites to such a move.
In the late 1990s
archaeologists excavated a large-scale fortified Shilla site in Dongcheon-dong, Buk-gu (FPCP 2000). The site at Locality 2 consists of the remains of 39 raised-floor buildings enclosed by a formidable ditch-and-palisade system. The excavators hypothesize that the fortified site was a permanent military encampment or barracks. Archaeologists also uncovered a large Shilla village dating to the 6th to 7th centuries at Siji-dong (YUM 1999b).
The city was given its current name in 757.
Most relics of the Shilla period are found on
Palgongsan
Palgongsan, also Palgong Mountain, and previously called Gongsan during the Goryeo dynasty, is a mountain in southeastern South Korea, lying on an outlier of the Taebaek range. It stands on the northeastern border between Daegu metropolitan ...
around
Donghwasa temple in northern Daegu. Donghwasa itself dates from the Shilla period, as does the pagoda of
King Minae.
Later Three Kingdoms
During the
Later Three Kingdoms period
The Later Three Kingdoms period (889-935 AD) of ancient Korea saw a partial revival of the old three kingdoms which had dominated the peninsula from the 1st century BC to the 7th century AD. After the Unified Silla kingdom had ruled Korea alone ...
, 890–935, Daegu was initially aligned with
Hubaekje
Hubaekje or Later Baekje (, ) was one of the Later Three Kingdoms of Korea, along with Taebong and Silla. Later Baekje was a Korean dynastic kingdom founded by the disaffected Silla general Gyeon Hwon in 900, whom led the local gentry and p ...
. In 927, northern Daegu was the site of the
Battle of Gong Mountain
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
between the forces of
Taebong
Taebong (; ) was a state established by Gung Ye () on the Korean Peninsula in 901 during the Later Three Kingdoms.
Name
The state's initial name was Goryeo, after the official name of Goguryeo, a previous state in Manchuria and the northern ...
under
Wang Geon
Taejo of Goryeo (31 January 877 – 4 July 943), also known as Taejo Wang Geon (; ), was the founder of the Goryeo dynasty, which ruled Korea from the 10th to the 14th century. Taejo ruled from 918 to 943, achieving unification of the Later Thre ...
and those of Hubaekje under
Gyeon Hwon
Gyeon Hwon (; 867 – 27 September 936, r. 892 – March 934) was the king and founder of Later Baekje, one of the Later Three Kingdoms of Korea, and reigned from 892 to 935. Some records render his name as "Jin Hwon" (진훤). He was also the prog ...
. In this battle, the forces of Taebong were crushed and Wang Geon himself was saved only by the heroism of his general
Shin Sung-gyeom. However, it appears that the conduct of the Hubaekje forces at this time changed local sympathies to favor Wang Geon, who later became the king 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 unificat ...
.
Numerous place-names and local legends around Daegu still bear witness to the historic battle of 927. Among these are "
Ansim," which literally means "peace of mind," said to be the first place where Wang Geon dared to stop after escaping the battle, and "
Banwol," or half-moon, where he is said to have stopped and admired the moon before returning to Taebong. A statue commemorating the battle now stands in northern Daegu, as does a memorial to Sin Sunggyeom.
Goryeo
The first edition of the ''
Tripitaka Koreana
The (lit. ) or ("Eighty-Thousand ''Tripiṭaka''") is a Korean collection of the (Buddhist scriptures, and the Sanskrit word for "three baskets"), carved onto 81,258 wooden printing blocks in the 13th century.
It is the oldest intact vers ...
'' was stored in Daegu, at the temple of
Buinsa. However, this edition was destroyed when the temple was sacked in 1254, during the
Mongol invasions of Korea
A series of campaigns were conducted between 1231 and 1270 by the Mongol Empire against the Goryeo dynasty of Korea. There were seven major campaigns at tremendous cost to civilian lives, the last campaign made Goryeo a vassal state of the Y ...
.
Joseon
Always an important transportation center, in the Joseon Dynasty Daegu lay on the
Great Yeongnam Road
The Great Yeongnam Road, or Yeongnamdaero, was one of the principal roads of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty, 1392-1910. It ran between Hanseong (modern-day Seoul) and Dongnae (in modern-day Busan). More generally, it served to connect the Gye ...
which ran between Seoul and Busan. It lay at the junction of this arterial road and the roads to Gyeongju and
Jinju.
In 1601, Daegu became the administrative capital of
Gyeongsang province, and the city has been the capital of North Gyeongsang province since that province's formation in 1896.
Daegu's first regular markets were established during the late Joseon period. The most famous of these, and the only one to still be operating, is the
Yangnyeongsi
Daegu Yangnyeongsi Festival is a festival of Daegu, South Korea.
The festival is held every May. The main events include a Medicinal herb party, cutting medicinal herbs contest and a free medical check-up by oriental medicine.
History
Daegu ...
herbal medicine market. This became a center of herbal trade in Joseon, and even attracted buyers from neighboring countries. Traders from Japan, who were not permitted to leave the
Nakdong River
The Nakdonggang River or Nakdonggang () is the longest river in South Korea, and passes through major cities such as Daegu and Busan. It takes its name from its role as the eastern border of the Gaya confederacy during Korea's Three Kingdoms Er ...
valley, hired messengers to visit the market on their behalf.
Korean Empire
Korea began to open to the world in the late 19th century. In 1895, Daegu became the site of one of the country's first modern
post office
A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional ser ...
s, as part of the reforms pushed by the Japanese after the murder of
Queen Min
Empress Myeongseong or Empress Myungsung (명성황후 민씨; 17 November 1851 – 8 October 1895In lunar calendar, the Empress was born on 25 September 1851 and died on 20 August 1895), informally known as Empress Min, was the official wife ...
.
Beginning in the late 1890s, many Japanese merchants and workers came to Daegu, which lay on the newly-constructed
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 ...
railroad connecting
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 of ...
and Busan.
In 1905, the old
fortress wall was surreptitiously destroyed. Only one portion of this, the
First Yeongnam Gate
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...
, remains, standing now in
Dalseong Park. The rest of the fortress wall is remembered only through the names of the streets
Dongseongno and
Bukseongno, "east fortress street" and "north fortress street," which now run where the wall once stood.
Japanese rule
The
Korean independence movements
The Korean independence movement was a military and diplomatic campaign to achieve the independence of Korea from Japan. After the Japanese annexation of Korea in 1910, Korea's domestic resistance peaked in the March 1st Movement of 1919, which ...
were active in Daegu. These began as early as 1898, when a branch of the
Independence Club
The Independence Association (독립협회, 獨立協會) was founded through the initiative of Philip Jaisohn (Seo Jae-pil) on July 2, 1896. At its founding it was recognized by the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Despite some remarkable ac ...
was established in the city. As the demise of the
Korean Empire approached in 1907, local citizens led by
Seo Sang-don organized the
National Debt Repayment Movement
The National Debt Repayment Movement (The National Debt Redemption Movement) was a movement to restore national power between 1907 and 1908 to repay government bonds with public fundraising. It was started by Seo Sang-dong of Daegu on 30 January 1 ...
. This movement spread nationwide, although it was unsuccessful in its attempt to repay the country's debt through individual donations. Resistance activities continued after the 1910
annexation, notably during the
March 1st movement
The March 1st Movement, also known as the Sam-il (3-1) Movement (Hangul: 삼일 운동; Hanja: 三一 運動), was a protest movement by Korean people and students calling for independence from Japan in 1919, and protesting forced assimilation ...
of 1919. At that time, four major demonstrations took place in Daegu, involving an estimated 23,000 people.
The women of Daegu were active in the independence struggle, as they were elsewhere in the country. The
Patriotic Women's Educational Society, or ''aeguk buin gyoyukhoe'' (애국부인교육회), was based in the city. Women also took a leading role in the National Debt Repayment Movement, including the kisaeng
Aengmu
Aengmu was the working name of a famed kisaeng of Daegu in the early 20th century. The name literally means "parrot." She was a leading donor to the National Debt Repayment Movement. Donating 100 won to the cause in 1907, she explained that i ...
.
Many schools and colleges were established in Daegu, both by private organizations and by the
Japanese government. These included the government-run
Daegu Normal School
Daegu (, , literally 'large hill', 대구광역시), formerly spelled Taegu and officially known as the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea.
It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in South Korea after Seoul and Busan; it is ...
, later Daegu Teachers' College, which became the Teachers' College of
Kyungpook National University
Kyungpook National University (경북대학교, abbreviated as KNU or Kyungdae, 경대) is one of ten Flagship Korean National Universities representing Daegu Metropolitan City and Gyeongbuk Province in South Korea. It is located in the Dae ...
after 1945.
South Korea
The end of Japanese rule in 1945 brought years of turbulent change to Daegu. Under the
USAMGIK
The United States Army Military Government in Korea (USAMGIK) was the official ruling body of the Southern half of the Korean Peninsula from 8 September 1945 to 15 August 1948.
The country during this period was plagued with political and eco ...
provisional
military government and the subsequent
First Republic, Daegu was a hotbed of unrest. In October 1946, the
Daegu uprising took place, one of the most serious incidents of unrest during
US military
The United States Armed Forces are the Military, military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six Military branch, service branches: the United States Army, Army, United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps, United States N ...
rule, where police attempts to control rioters on October 1 caused the death of three student demonstrators and injuries to many others, sparking a mass
counter-attack
A counterattack is a tactic employed in response to an attack, with the term originating in "war games". The general objective is to negate or thwart the advantage gained by the enemy during attack, while the specific objectives typically seek ...
killing 38 policemen. It was also the site of major
demonstrations
Demonstration may refer to:
* Demonstration (acting), part of the Brechtian approach to acting
* Demonstration (military), an attack or show of force on a front where a decision is not sought
* Demonstration (political), a political rally or prote ...
on February 28, 1960, prior to the fraudulent
presidential election
A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President.
Elections by country
Albania
The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public.
Chile
The pre ...
of that year.
[Lee (1984), p. 384.]
Daegu and all of North Gyeongsang saw heavy
guerrilla activity in the late 1940s, as thousands of
refugees arrived from the fighting in
Jeolla
Jeolla Province (, ) was one of the historical Eight Provinces of Korea during the Kingdom of Joseon in today Southwestern Korea. It consisted of the modern South Korean provinces of North Jeolla, South Jeolla and Gwangju Metropolitan City as w ...
. In November 1948, a unit in Daegu joined the
mutiny which had begun in
Yeosu
Yeosu (; ''Yeosu-si''), historically also Yosu, and known to the Japanese as Reisui during the period when Korea was under Japanese rule, is a city located on the southern coast of the Korean Peninsula in South Jeolla Province, South Korea an ...
the previous month.
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 ...
, much heavy fighting occurred nearby along the
Nakdong River
The Nakdonggang River or Nakdonggang () is the longest river in South Korea, and passes through major cities such as Daegu and Busan. It takes its name from its role as the eastern border of the Gaya confederacy during Korea's Three Kingdoms Er ...
. Daegu was inside the
Pusan Perimeter
The Battle of the Pusan Perimeter ( ko, 부산 교두보 전투) was a large-scale battle between United Nations Command (UN) and North Korean forces lasting from August 4 to September 18, 1950. It was one of the first major engagements of the ...
, however, and therefore remained in South Korean hands throughout the war. As in many other areas during the Korean War,
political killings of
dissenter
A dissenter (from the Latin ''dissentire'', "to disagree") is one who dissents (disagrees) in matters of opinion, belief, etc.
Usage in Christianity
Dissent from the Anglican church
In the social and religious history of England and Wales, and ...
s were widespread.
In the second half of the 20th century, the city underwent explosive growth, and the population has increased more than tenfold since the end of the Korean War. The city was heavily politically favored during the long military dictatorship of
Park Chung-hee, when it and the surrounding area served as his political base. Conservative political movements remain powerful in Daegu today.
In the 1980s, Daegu became a separately administered provincial-level
Directly Governed City (''Jikhalsi''), and was redesignated as a
Metropolitan City
A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications.
A big ci ...
(''Gwangyeoksi'') in 1995.
The
1995 Daegu gas explosions
The 1995 Daegu gas explosions occurred at Daegu Metro Line 1, a construction site located in Sangin-dong, Daegu, South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part o ...
killed 101 people, including middle school students, become one of the worst mass casualty incidents in Korean history.
In 2003, a mentally ill man
set fire to a train of the
Daegu Metropolitan Subway stopped at Jungangno station. The resulting blaze killed nearly 200 persons, making the
Daegu subway fire
The Daegu subway fire occurred on February 18, 2003, when an arsonist set fire to a train; 192 people died and 151 others were injured at the Jungangno station of the Daegu Metropolitan Subway in Daegu, South Korea. The fire had spread across ...
one of the worst disasters in South Korea since the end of the Korean War.
In 2022, an arsonist
killed six people and
or AND may refer to:
Logic, grammar, and computing
* Conjunction (grammar), connecting two words, phrases, or clauses
* Logical conjunction in mathematical logic, notated as "∧", "⋅", "&", or simple juxtaposition
* Bitwise AND, a boolea ...
himself
A reflexive pronoun is a pronoun that refers to another noun or pronoun (its antecedent) within the same sentence.
In the English language specifically, a reflexive pronoun will end in ''-self'' or ''-selves'', and refer to a previously n ...
in an office building.
Today, Daegu is the 3rd largest
metropolitan area in Korea with respect to both population and commerce.
See also
*
History of South Korea
The history of South Korea formally begins with the Japanese surrender on 2 September 1945. Noting that, South Korea and North Korea are entirely different countries, despite still being the same people and on the same peninsula.
Backgrou ...
*
History of Korea
*
Daegu
Notes
# Lee (1984), p. 76 and Shin (1999).
# Lee (1984) and Shin (1999) both make this assumption.
# Lee (1984), p. 131.
# Lee (1984), p. 149.
# Lee (1984), p. 294.
# Lee (1984), p. 302.
# Lee (1984), p. 343.
# Kim (1976), p. 255
# Lee (1984), p. 377.
# Lee (1984), p. 384.
# Cumings (1997), pp. 243–244.
# Nahm (1996), p. 379.
References
*
*
* FPCP (Foundation for the Preservation of Cultural Properties). ''Daegu Chilgok Sam Taekji Munhwayejeok Balguljosa Bogoseo''
xcavation Report of the Cultural Site at Localities 2 and 3, Building Area 3, Chilgok, Daegu 3 vols. Antiquities Research Report 62. FPCP, Gyeongju, 2000.
*
*
*
*Shin, Hyeong-seok (신형석). (1999). 통일신라의 새로운 수도가 될 뻔했던 대구 (Tongilsilla-ui saeroun sudo-ga doel ppeonhaetteon Daegu) (Daegu, which almost became the new capital of Unified Silla). In Daegu-Gyeongbuk Historical Society, ed., pp. 78–91.
* YICP (Yongnam Institute of Cultural Properties). ''Daegu Dongcheon-dong Chwirak Yujeok''
he Settlement Site at Dongcheon-dong, Daegu
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (pronoun), an English pronoun
* He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ
* He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets
* He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
3 vols. Research Report of Antiquities, Vol. 43. YICP, Daegu, 2002.
* YUM (Yeungnam University Museum). ''Siji-eui Munhwayujeok I''
ultural Sites of Siji I Research Report No. 26. Yeungnam University Museum, Gyeongsan, 1999a.
* YUM (Yeungnam University Museum). ''Siji-eui Munhwayujeok VIII: Chwirakji Bonmun''
ultural Sites of Siji VIII: Settlement Site Text Research Report No. 33. Yeungnam University Museum, Gyeongsan, 1999b.
External links
Daegu government history page
{{DEFAULTSORT:History Of Daegu