Hamchang is an ''eup'' in

Sangju Sangju () is a city in North Gyeongsang Province, central South Korea. Although Sangju is rather rural, it is very old and was once a key city. Along with Gyeongju, it gives rise to half of the name of the Gyeongsang provinces. Sangju is nickna ...

City,

North Gyeongsang North Gyeongsang Province ( ko, 경상북도, translit=Gyeongsangbuk-do, ) is a province in eastern South Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former Gyeongsang province, and remained a province of Korea until the ...

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 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 Goryeong Gaya was one of the lesser chiefdoms of the Gaya confederacy during the Three Kingdoms of Korea. It was centered in present-day Sangju, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. Legend indicates that it was founded by a King Taejo, to whom ...

. Although its role today is far less central, it remains an important local town, served by intercity buses as well as the

Gyeongbuk Line The Gyeongbuk Line is a railway line serving North Gyeongsang Province in South Korea. The line runs from Gimcheon on the Gyeongbu Line via Sangju, Jeomchon (junction with the Mungyeong Line), and Yecheon to Yeongju on the Jungang 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 ...

Mungyeong Mungyeong ( ko, 문경 ' ()) is a city in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. The local government, economy, and transportation networks are all centered in Jeomchon, the principal town. Mungyeong has a lengthy history, and is known today for ...

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 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 ...

History

In the early

Three Kingdoms period 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 Eastern Han dynasty and was followed by the West ...

, the small

kingdom Kingdom commonly refers to: * A monarchy ruled by a king or queen * Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy Kingdom may also refer to: Arts and media Television * ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...

is traditionally supposed to have been based in Hamchang, making it by far the northernmost state of the

Gaya confederacy Gaya (, ) was a Korean confederacy of territorial polities in the Nakdong River basin of southern Korea, growing out of the Byeonhan confederacy of the Samhan period. The traditional period used by historians for Gaya chronology is AD 42–53 ...

. The reputed tomb of Goryeong's founder, who is also the progenitor of the Hamchang

Kim Kim or KIM may refer to: Names * Kim (given name) * Kim (surname) ** Kim (Korean surname) *** Kim family (disambiguation), several dynasties **** Kim family (North Korea), the rulers of North Korea since Kim Il-sung in 1948 ** Kim, Vietnamese f ...

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 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 ...

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 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 ...

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