Gwanak District (Gwanak-gu) is an

administrative subdivision Administrative division, administrative unit,Article 3(1). country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, constituent state, as well as many similar terms, are generic names for geographical areas into which a particular, ind ...

(''gu'') of

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 ...

, South Korea. It lies on the southern skirt of Seoul, bordering Anyang of

Gyeonggi Province Gyeonggi-do (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. 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, the na ...

. The southern border of Gwanak-gu, bordering Anyang, consists of the craggy ridgeline of

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. Th ...

(Mt. Gwanak), which dominates the local geography. Originally a part of

Siheung Siheung ( ) is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. The city has a population of 511,807 people, where 508,646 are residents out of 218,846 households as of August 2021. Siheung acquired its current administrative structure on January 1, ...

Gyeonggi Gyeonggi-do (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. 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, the na ...

, it was transferred to Seoul with the rapid expansion of the National Capital Area and its population growth in 1960s. Partitioned from

Yeongdeungpo District Yeongdeungpo District () is an administrative district in southwest Seoul, South Korea. Although the origin of the name is uncertain, the first two syllables are thought to be from "''yeongdeung''" (靈登) or "divine ascent", a shamanic rite. T ...

and established as a district in 1973, it now neighbours the

Seocho Seocho District () is one of the 25 '' gu'' (local government districts) which make up the city of Seoul, South Korea. Seocho is generally referred to as a part of Greater Gangnam Area, along with Gangnam District. As of 2022, Seocho District ra ...

, Dongjak, Guro, and

Geumcheon Geumcheon District (Geumcheon-gu) is one of the 25 ''gu'' (districts) of Seoul, South Korea. It was created from southern parts of ''Guro-gu'' and tiny sections from Gwangmyeong in 1995. Its district office is located in front of Siheung Station, ...

Districts, and exercises jurisdiction over 21

neighbourhood A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; American and British English spelling differences, see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community ...

s (''dong''), with a population of 500,000.

Overview

Gwanak District is densely populated with over 500,000 people. While it was once a rural area dominated by the presence of Gwanaksan (Mt. Gwanak), population booms in the late 1950s and early 1960s, accompanied by rapid industrialization of the

capital area Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...

, quickly changed the town into a mosaic of dense residential and industrial areas. Large slum quarters were formed by migrant populations from all over Korea who sought jobs in industrialized Seoul. A series of redevelopment projects starting in the 1970's, and the relocation of Seoul National University to the district, led to a reduction of slum quarters and indigent textile industries and transformed the town into a residential uptown neighborhood of Seoul. The area is also heavily populated by university students from surrounding provinces.

Commercial zones

Central commercial zones include the Seorim and Daehak area and the Cheongnyong area near Seoul National University. These areas also form a large zone of private dormitories and small houses, which primarily target university students and national examination takers (''gosi-saeng'') looking for an environment that is favorable for studying. Restaurants, supermarkets, bars and pubs in the area are centered in Nokdu Street (''Nokdu-geori'') in the Daehak area and near Seoul National University Station. Other commercial zones for residents are located along the Nambu Beltway and two main roads. The main shopping district, the Bongcheon Central Market (''Bongcheon-jungang-sijang''), is positioned in Jungang Neighbourhood, north from Seoul National University Station.

Transportation

Nambu Beltway, which circles

, passes through the very center of the district. The beltway and two main avenues, Gwanak Road (''Gwanak-ro'') and Sillim Road (''Sillim-ro''), make the main route of the automobile traffic. Nambu Beltway is connected to multiple express ways.

Public transportation

Green Line (Line 2) and Blue Line (Line 4) of

Seoul Metro Seoul Transportation Corporation, branded as Seoul Metro (Hangul: ), is a municipal-owned corporation owned by Seoul Metropolitan Government, and one of the two major operators of Seoul Metropolitan Subway with Korail. History * May 31, 2017 ...

links Gwanak District and other areas. Many trunk (painted in blue) buses such as 501, 506, 651 and 750 lines, and branch (in green) buses in 5XXX or X5XX line passes Gwanak area.

Metro stations

(

Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation (SMRT) was established in 1994 to operate the Seoul Subway lines 5, 6, 7, 8 in Seoul, South Korea. The corporation operated a total of 201 subway trains at 148 stations on lines 5-8. The operatio ...

) **

Seoul Subway Line 2 Seoul Subway Line 2 ( ko, 서울 지하철 2호선), also known as the Circle Line, is a circular line of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway. The line running clockwise is called the "inner circle line" and the counter-clockwise line is called the " ...

(Green Line) ***( Dongjak) ←

Nakseongdae Nakseongdae (; ) is a park located in Gwanak, Seoul. It is the birthplace of General Gang Gamchan in Goryeo Dynasty. Etymology Nakseongdae means "the place where a star was fallen" in Hanja. The star means general Gang Gamchan, who became the ...

— Bongcheon —

Sillim Sillim or ''Sillim-dong'' is a statutory division of Gwanak District, Seoul, South Korea. Seoul National University and Nokdu Street are located in the town. Its name means "new forest", which was derived from the woods outstretched from Mt. Gwa ...

→ ( Dongjak) **

Seoul Subway Line 4 Seoul Metropolitan Subway Line 4 (dubbed ''The Blue Line'') of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway is a long line crossing from the southwest to the northeast across the Seoul National Capital Area. The central section in Seoul City is operated by ...

(Blue Line) ***( Dongjak) ← Sadang → (

)

Administrative divisions

There are three statutory subdivisions:

, Bongcheon and Namhyeon Neighbourhood. Those are further divided into multiple administrative neighbourhoods (''dong'') to balance excessive populations and for administrative expedience. As of September 2008, there are 21 administrative neighbourhoods in Gwanak District.

Points of interest

* Seoul National University **

Kyujanggak Archives The Kyujanggak, also known as Gyujanggak, was the royal library of the Joseon Dynasty. It was founded in 1776 by order of King Jeongjo of Joseon, at which time it was located on the grounds of Changdeokgung Palace. Today known as Kyujanggak Royal ...

** Seoul National University Museum of Art *

Seoul Museum of Art The Seoul Museum of Art is an art museum operated by Seoul City Council and located in central of Seoul, South Korea. History A girl named Jayla opened the museum first after getting the idea from another museum. It was opened in the Gyeonghuig ...

, South Branch (SeMA Nam-Seoul) ** Former Belgian Consulate Building *

Horim Museum Horim Museum is a museum in Seoul, South Korea. The museum was founded by Yun Jang-seob (윤장섭 尹章燮) who after setting up the Sungbo Cultural Foundation (성보문화재단 成保文化財團) in July 1981 to purchase antiquities, estab ...

* Nokdu Street *

** Anguk Shrine *

(Mt. Gwanak) ** Gwaneum-sa Buddhist Temple (in Gwanaksan Park)

Sister cities

* Daxing, Beijing, China *

Tiexi, Shenyang Tiexi District () is one of ten District (China), districts of the prefecture-level city of Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning, Liaoning Province, Northeast China, Northeast China, and forms part of the urban core. It borders Yuhong District to the ...

, China * Royal Kingston, London, United Kingdom *

Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Montgomery County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the List of counties in Pennsylvania, third-most populous county in Pennsylvania and the List of the most populous cou ...

, United States of America

Notable people from Gwanak District

Gang Gam-chan Gang Gam-chan (; 22 December 948 – 9 September 1031) was a medieval Korean government official and military commander during the early days of Goryeo Dynasty (918–1392). Even though he was a career scholar and government official, he is bes ...

(

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 le ...

: 강감찬), Korean medieval government official and military commander during the early days of Goryeo Dynasty * Yang Jungwon (

: 정원), singer, dancer and

K-pop idol An idol () refers to a type of celebrity working in the field of K-pop in fandom culture in South Korea, either as a member of a group or as a solo act. K-pop idols are characterized by the highly manufactured star system that they are produced by ...

, leader and member of K-pop boygroup

ENHYPEN Enhypen (; ja, エンハイプン; ''Enhaipun''; stylized as ENHYPEN) is a South Korean boy band formed by Belift Lab, a joint venture between CJ ENM and Hybe Corporation, through the 2020 survival competition show '' I-Land''. The group is c ...

* Solji (Real Name: ''Heo Sol-ji'',

: 허솔지), singer, dancer, model and

, leader and member of K-pop girlgroup

EXID EXID (; ; short for "Exceed in Dreaming") is a South Korean girl group formed in 2012. The group currently consists of five members: Solji, Elly, Hani, Hyelin and Jeonghwa. EXID debuted in February 2012, with the single "Whoz That Girl". Tho ...

and former member of ballad duo group 2NB * Taeyong (Real Name: ''Lee Tae-yong'',

: 이태용), singer-songwriter, rapper, dancer and

, leader and member of K-pop boygroup NCT, of its subunits

NCT U NCT (; an acronym for Neo Culture Technology) is a South Korean boy band formed by SM Entertainment and introduced in January 2016. The group consists of 23 members and divided into four different sub-units: NCT U, NCT 127, NCT Dream, and WayV. I ...

and

NCT 127 NCT 127 () is the first fixed and second overall sub-unit of the South Korean boy band NCT, formed and managed by SM Entertainment. The current lineup consists of nine active members: Taeil, Johnny, Taeyong, Yuta, Doyoung, Jaehyun, Jungwo ...

and member of the K-pop superboygroup Super M

References

External links

Official English website
{{Authority control 1973 establishments in South Korea Districts of Seoul