Pyeongtaek () is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

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 ...

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 ...

. Located in the southwestern part of the province, Pyeongtaek was founded as a union of two districts in 940, during 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 ...

dynasty. It was elevated to city status in 1986 and is home to a South Korean naval base and a large concentration of

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

troops. The South Korean government plans to transform Pyeongtaek city to an international economic hub to coincide with the move of the

United States Forces Korea United States Forces Korea (USFK) is a Unified Combatant Command#Subordinate Unified Command, sub-unified command of United States Indo-Pacific Command, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). USFK is the joint headquarters for U.S. combat-re ...

(USFK) to Pyeongtaek. 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 ...

, it was the site of an early battle between U.S. and North Korean forces, the

Battle of Pyongtaek The Battle of Pyongtaek was the second engagement between United States and North Korean forces during the Korean War, occurring on July 6, 1950 in the village of Pyongtaek in western South Korea. The fight ended in a North Korean victory follow ...

. It is the location of

Pyeongtaek University Pyeongtaek University (평택대학교, 平澤大學校) is a private research university located in Pyeongtaek, South Korea. Originating at Pierson Memorial Union Bible Institute in 1912, Pyeongtaek University is today one of the oldest univ ...

Military base

The United States and South Korean governments came to an agreement to enlarge

Camp Humphreys Camp Humphreys ( ko, 캠프 험프리스), also known as United States Army Garrison-Humphreys (USAG-H), is a United States Army garrison located near Anjeong-ri and Pyeongtaek metropolitan areas in South Korea. Camp Humphreys is home to ...

— a U.S. Army installation outside

Anjeong-ri Anjeong-ri is a community located in Paengseong-eup, Pyeongtaek City, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It is located on the perimeter of Camp Humphreys, a United States Army garrison undergoing rapid expansion. History In 1919, during the Korea un ...

, a community in Pyeongtaek — and move the majority of US forces stationed in and north of Seoul to the Camp Humphreys area. Invoking

eminent domain Eminent domain (United States, Philippines), land acquisition (India, Malaysia, Singapore), compulsory purchase/acquisition (Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, United Kingdom), resumption (Hong Kong, Uganda), resumption/compulsory acquisition (Austr ...

, the government obtained the surrounding land for the base expansion. This would result in the community's third displacement from their own land since the Japanese occupation during World War II. The move originally included the headquarters of the

ROK/US Combined Forces Command ROK/US Combined Forces Command (CFC) was established in 1978. South Korean forces remain independent unless during a time of war in which they will subordinate themselves to the command. It is commanded by a four-star U.S. general and its Deputy ...

, which has operational control of South Korean, U.S., and U.N. combined forces during wartime. In March 2007, U.S. Secretary of Defense

Robert Gates Robert Michael Gates (born September 25, 1943) is an American intelligence analyst and university president who served as the 22nd United States secretary of defense from 2006 to 2011. He was originally appointed by president George W. Bush an ...

and ROK Minister of Defense Kim Jang-soo agreed to dissolve the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command on April 17, 2012. This would allow ROK forces to have wartime control of its military during a military confrontation with the North. The US/ROK agreement allows USFK to move to one centralized location away from the congestion of Seoul and its surrounding areas. This relocation agreement results in returning two-thirds of the land currently used by the United States Military back to the South Korean government. By 2008, the U.S. military was to have consolidated 41 installations down to 10 due to the relocation agreement. USFK's only jail facility in South Korea is at Camp Humphreys.

Osan Air Base Hanja:) , partof = , location = , nearest_town = Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province , country = South Korea , image = Osan Air Base 51 FW F-16 A-10 Flyby.jpg , alt = US Air Force F-16C Fighting Falcon and A-1 ...

is in

Songtan Songtan is an area in the northern end of Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggido, South Korea. Songtan achieved city status in its own right in 1981, five years earlier than Pyeongtaek, but merged, along with Pyeongtaek County, into Pyeongtaek City in May ...

, a district in Pyeongtaek City.

South African War Memorial

The Korean War Monument of the South African Air Force was opened on 29 September 1975 by the Korean National ministry of Defense in memory to the 37 South African Air Force members who served during the Korean War.

Education

Hankwang High School Hankwang High School is a preparatory normal high school, located in Pyeongtaek city, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Kore ...

(). * Pyeongtaek International Christian School ().Pyeongtaek International Christian School
" International School Information (Government of South Korea). Retrieved on March 30, 2016.

Climate

Pyeongtaek has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

: ''Dwa''), but can be considered a borderline

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

(

: ''Cwa'') using the isotherm.

Notable people

Park Wan-Kyu Park Wan-kyu (; born December 1, 1973) is a South Korean singer. He was a lead vocalist of the band Boohwal, and left them to release his first solo album, with the title track "Love of a Thousands Years (천 년의 사랑)" that became his si ...

, a Korean singer, the 5th and 11th vocalist of rock band resurrection. *

Lee Eun-Gyeol Lee Eun-gyeol (born October 2, 1981) is a South Korean magician. Lee started performing magic in 1996 and became the first Korean magician to win the grand prize at the esteemed F.I.S.M World Championiship of Magic. He is one of the most rec ...

, a magician and

illusionist Magic, which encompasses the subgenres of illusion, stage magic, and close up magic, among others, is a performing art in which audiences are entertained by tricks, effects, or illusions of seemingly impossible feats, using natural means. It ...

in Korea. * Won Kyun, A military general of the mid Joseon Dynasty who served during the Imjin War.

Notes

#
U.S. Move Is Spurring Evictions In S. Korea (Washington Post article)
#

# ttps://web.archive.org/web/20061013180417/http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200605/200605030023.html Activists Are Only Using the People of Pyeontaek (Chosun Ilbo English Editorial) article#
More Violence Looms in Planned Rally at U.S. Base Site
#
U.S. base expansion in Korea sparks protests (Socialism and Liberation) article

References

External links

Pyeongtaek City Website

Pyeongtaek City Council Website

South of Seoul: Pyeongtaek Based Restaurants & Things to DoMollaKorea: Community website for foreigners living in Pyeongtaek AreaSig Flips The Table: Blog for Military Families living in Pyeongtaek
{{Authority control Cities in Gyeonggi Province Populated places established in 1986 Port cities and towns in South Korea 1986 establishments in South Korea South African military memorials and cemeteries