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Gwangju () is South Korea's sixth-largest metropolis. It is a designated metropolitan city under the direct control of the central government's Home Minister. The city was also the capital of South Jeolla Province until the provincial office moved to the southern village of Namak in Muan County in 2005 because Gwangju was promoted to a metropolitan city and was independent of South Jeolla province. Its name is composed of the words ''Gwang'' () meaning "light" and ''Ju'' () meaning "province". Gwangju was historically recorded as ''Muju'' (), in which " Silla merged all of the land to establish the provinces of Gwangju, Ungju, Jeonju, Muju and various counties, plus the southern boundary of Goguryeo and the ancient territories of Silla" 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, ...
.'' In the heart of the agricultural Jeolla region, the city is also famous for its rich and diverse
cuisine A cuisine is a style of cooking characterized by distinctive ingredients, techniques and dishes, and usually associated with a specific culture or geographic region. Regional food preparation techniques, customs, and ingredients combine to ...
.


History

The city was established in 57 BC. It was one of the administrative centers of Baekje during the Three Kingdoms Period. In 1929, during the period of Imperial Japanese rule, a confrontation between Korean and Japanese students in the city turned into
Gwangju Student Independence Movement The Gwangju Student Independence Movement (), or Gwangju Student Movement, was a Korean independence movement in Gwangju against the 22 August 1910 to 15 August 1945 Japanese rule of Korea. The Gwangju Student Independence Movement took place ...
, a regional demonstration, which culminated in one of the major nationwide uprisings against Imperial Japanese cruelty during the colonial period. The modern industry was established in Gwangju with the construction of a railway to Seoul. Some of the industries that took hold include cotton textiles, rice mills and
breweries A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of bee ...
. Construction of a designated industrial zone in 1967 encouraged growth in industry, especially in the sectors linked to the automobile industry. In May 1980, peaceful demonstrations took place in Gwangju against Chun Doo-hwan, leader of the military coup d'état of 12 December 1979. The demonstrations were suppressed by military forces, including elite units of the Special Operations Command. The situation escalated after a violent crackdown, resulting in the Gwangju Uprising, where civilians raided armories and armed themselves. By the time the uprising was suppressed 9 days later, many hundreds of civilians and several police forces / soldiers were dead. After civilian rule was reinstated in 1987, a national cemetery was established to honor the victims of the incident. Now the South Korean constitution admits the Gwangju Uprising as a root of South Korean democracy. In 1986, Gwangju separated from Jeollanam-do to become a Directly Governed City (Jikhalsi), and then became a Metropolitan City (Gwangyeoksi) in 1995. Due to a variety of factors, including the ancient rivalry between Baekje and Silla, as well as the biased priority given to the
Gyeongsang Gyeongsang ( ko, 경상도, ''Gyeongsang-do''; ) was one of the eight provinces of Korea during the Joseon dynasty. Gyeongsang was located in the southeast of Korea. The provincial capital was Daegu. The region was the birthplace of the Kingdom ...
region by political leaders in the 2nd half of the 20th century, Gwangju has a long history of voting for left-leaning politicians and is the main stronghold for the liberal Democratic Party of Korea along with its predecessors, as well as the progressive Justice Party. Gwangju held many sports events such as
2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams organized by ...
,
2015 Summer Universiade ) , Nations participating = 143 , Athletes participating = 12,885 , Events = 272 in 21 sports , Opening ceremony = , Closing ceremony = , Officially opened by = Park Geun-hye , Athlete's Oath = Kim Seong-yeon and Kim Kuk-young , Judge's Oath = K ...
,
2019 World Aquatics Championships The 2019 World Aquatics Championships were the 18th FINA World Aquatics Championships, held in Gwangju, South Korea from 12 to 28 July 2019. The city had previously hosted the 2015 Summer Universiade aquatics events in the same venues.
.


Administrative divisions

Gwangju is divided into 5 districts ("Gu").


Religion

According to the census of 2015, 9.5% of the population followed Buddhism and 28.7% followed Christianity (20% Protestantism and 8.7% Catholicism) 61% of the population are irreligious.


Population

The population model of Gwangju is as follows;


Climate

Gwangju has a cooler version of the
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° ...
( Köppen: ''Cfa/Cwa'') with four distinct seasons and rainfall year-round but particularly during the East Asian Monsoon Season in the summer months. Winters, while still cold, are milder than in Seoul and cities further north due to the city's southwesterly position in the Korean peninsula. Summers are hot and humid with abundant precipitation, particularly in the form of thunderstorms. Gwangju is one of the warmest cities in Korea in the summer due to its geographic location.


Education

Chonnam National University,
Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology The Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) is a research-oriented university focused on science and technology that is located in Gwangju, South Korea. GIST is a member of the research-oriented universities group consisting of GIST-K ...
, and Gwangju Education University are public universities in Gwangju.
Honam University Honam University is a university located in Gwangsan-gu, 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 Demili ...
,
Gwangju University Gwangju University began in 1981 as a four-year college in Jinwol-dong, Nam-gu, Gwangju, named Gwangju Gyeongsang Jeonmun Daehak (). It now has three graduate schools and four colleges with more than fifteen thousand students.Gwangju University, ...
, Gwangshin University, Gwangju Women's University, Nambu University, Chosun University, and Honam Christian University are private universities.
Gwangju Health University Gwangju Health University (GHU) is a private bachelor's degree-granting community college located in Gwangju Metropolitan City, South Korea. Established in 1972, GHU, has received national accreditation by the Ministry of Education as a World ...
is a private community college offering associate degrees in humanities and social sciences, healthcare sciences, and a bachelor's degree in nursing. Gwangju has 593 schools, consisting of 234 kindergartens, 145 elementary schools, 84 middle schools, 65 high schools, 1 science high school, 7 junior colleges, 9 universities, 38 graduate schools, and 11 others (as of 1 May 2009) with a total of 406,669 students, or 28.5% of the total city population. The average number of students per household is 0.8.


Transportation

The city is served by the
Gwangju Subway Gwangju Metro () is the rapid transit system of Gwangju, South Korea, operated by the Gwangju Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation (GRTC, or Gwangju Metro). The subway network first opened in 2004 with 14 stations. The Gwangju Metro consists ...
. An extension was completed in April 2008 with the remainder being completed in 2012. There are two
KTX Korea Train eXpress (), often known as KTX (), is South Korea's high-speed rail system, operated by Korail. Construction began on the high-speed line from Seoul to Busan in 1992. KTX services were launched on April 1, 2004. From Seoul Station the ...
stations in the city:
Gwangju station Gwangju station is a train station located in Gwangju, South Korea, 353 km south of Yongsan station. History The station opened on July 1, 1922, and the station building was moved to its present location on July 25, 1969. On August 10, 2 ...
and
Gwangju Songjeong Station GwangjuSongjeong Station (formerly Songjeong-ri Station) is a station in Gwangju, South Korea. It is on the national high-speed KTX railway network, 341 km south of Yongsan Station. History The station opened on November 1, 1914, and the bu ...
. Gwangju Songjeong Station connects to the Gwangju Subway and local bus system. Now the Songjeong station is mainly used. Gwangju has an extensive system of public buses that traverse the city. Bus stops and buses themselves contain stop information in Korean and in English. Local buses, but not the subway or KTX, connect to the intercity Gwangju Bus Terminal known as U-Square. Gwangju is also served by the
Gwangju Airport Gwangju Airport (Hangul: 광주공항, Hanja: 光州空港, Revised Romanization of Korean: Gwangju Gonghang, McCune-Reischauer: Kwangju Konghang) is an airport in the city of Gwangju, South Korea and is managed by the Korea Airports Corporatio ...
.


Tourism

*
Asia Culture Center The Asia Culture Center, also referred to as ACC, is an arts complex in Gwangju, South Korea. It was opened in November 2015. It consists of five main buildings: the ACC Culture Exchange; the ACC Children; the ACC Archive & Research; the ACC Cr ...
– The Asia Culture Center (also known as the ACC) is a facility in downtown Gwangju designed to celebrate and explore Gwangju's artistic and democratic culture and history, as well as provide space to host exhibits, experiences, and events from international artists. It is built primarily below street level, though its design incorporates large amounts of natural lighting. There are five facilities: ACC Exchange, ACC Theater, ACC Creation, ACC Archive & Research, and ACC Children. *
Gwangju Biennale The Gwangju Biennale is a contemporary art biennale founded in September 1995 in Gwangju, South Jeolla province, South Korea. The Gwangju Biennale is hosted by the Gwangju Biennale Foundation and the city of Gwangju. The Gwangju Biennale Founda ...
– This is a modern art festival that is held every two years. It was first launched in 1995. The Gwangju Biennale Exhibition Hall is at the Jung-oe Park Culture Center and the Science Center. * Gwangju Culture & Art Center – The Center regularly hosts event
Gwangju Culture & Art Center Official Website
* Gwangju Hyanggyo (Confucian School) – Gwangju Hyanggyo is in the Gwangju Park in Sa-dong. There are traditional houses here estimated as built during the 1st year of the Joseon Dynasty in 1392. This school continues to hold memorial ceremonies for Confucius twice a year. Admission is free
More about Gwangju Hyanggyo
*
Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology The Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) is a research-oriented university focused on science and technology that is located in Gwangju, South Korea. GIST is a member of the research-oriented universities group consisting of GIST-K ...
-
Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology The Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) is a research-oriented university focused on science and technology that is located in Gwangju, South Korea. GIST is a member of the research-oriented universities group consisting of GIST-K ...
(GIST) is one of the greatest research institutes in Korea. Laser research equipment with 4PW output is located within GIST. *
Gwangju National Museum Gwangju National Museum is a national museum located in Gwangju, South Korea. The museum opened in 1978. See also *List of museums in South Korea There are over 500 museums and galleries in South Korea. National museums Museums in Seoul ...
– The museum houses a permanent collection of historical art and cultural relics that date back to the old Joseon and Goryeo periods of Korean history. The museum also organizes exhibitions and cultural learning activities that are open to the public. * Gwangju 5.18 Road is the course about the Democracy Movement of 1980. The courses include the historical places
More about 5.18Road
*
May 18th National Cemetery May 18th National Cemetery (Hangul: 국립5·18민주묘지; Hanja: 國立5·18民主墓地) is a cemetery for those who participated in the Gwangju Uprising. Built by the government of South Korea in 1997, it is located in Gwangju. Every May, o ...
*Food streets - Gwangju has numerous designated Food Streets where multiple restaurants serving dishes renowned to Gwangju can be found. These include Mudeungsan Boribap Street (a meal of barley with a variety of side dishes), Duck Cook Street (oritang, a duck stew, and grilled duck), Folk Tteokgalbi Street (a meal of grilled minced pork or beef patties eaten wrapped in lettuce and served with ox bone soup and a variety of side dishes) and Kotgejang Baekban Street (a meal of crabs preserved in soy sauce served with a variety of side dishes). * Gwangju World Cup Stadium - It is a historical place for Korean soccer history. Because at this stadium in
2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams organized by ...
, South Korea national football team beat Spain soccer team in 3:5 at the quarter-Final, and advanced to the Semi-Final match with Germany in that World Cup, for the first time in the Asian soccer history.


Sport and culture

* It is the home of Kia Tigers of the Korea Professional Baseball League ( KBO). *
2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams organized by ...
Gwangju World Cup Stadium was one of the venues used for the World Cup, and was where the South Korea national football team advanced to the semi-finals for the first time in its history, by defeating Spain. * It is the home of
Gwangju FC Gwangju FC (Korean: 광주 FC) is a South Korean professional football club based in Gwangju that competes in the K League 1, the top tier of South Korean football. They joined the K League in the 2011 season. History Gwangju FC was founded ...
of the
K League K League (Hangul: K리그) is South Korea's professional football league. It includes first division K League 1 and second division K League 2. History Until the 1970s, South Korean football operated two major football leagues, the National S ...
. * Universiade – It was the venue for the 2015 Summer Universiade games. * The 3rd Asia Song Festival an annual Asian pop music festival hosted by the ''Korea Foundation for International Culture Exchange'', in 2006, was held at the Gwangju World Cup Stadium. * The International Design Alliance (IDA) appointed Gwangju as the host destination of the 2015 IDA Congress. * Festivals are held in Gwangju. ( :ko:광주광역시의 축제 목록) * 2019 FINA World Aquatics Championships * 2014 Gwangju ACE Fair (Asia Content & Entertainment Fair) * The Ministry of SMEs said Gwangju Metropolitan City was selected as the site for the creation of the ''"Green-Startup-Town."'' It is said that it will benchmark
King's Cross Station King's Cross railway station, also known as London King's Cross, is a passenger railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden, on the edge of Central London. It is in the London station group, one of the busiest stations in the United King ...
, a successful case of urban regeneration in the UK, to establish a start-up hub (private research institute, research and development company, start-up company, etc.) at Gwangju Station. * It is the home of
Gwangju AI Peppers Gwangju AI Peppers ( ko, 광주 AI 페퍼스) is a South Korean women's professional volleyball team, founded in 2021. They are based in Gwangju and are members of the Korea Volleyball Federation The Korea Volleyball Federation (KOVO) (hangul ...
of the
V-League V-League or V.League may refer to: * V.League (Japan), a professional volleyball league * V-League (South Korea), a professional volleyball league * V-League (Philippines), a collegiate volleyball league * V.League 1 The V.League 1 ( vi, Gi ...
.


Cityscape

*
Mudeungsan Mudeungsan () is a mountain in South Korea. It extends over the district of Buk-gu in the city of Gwangju, as well as Hwasun County and Damyang County in the province of Jeollanam-do. Mudeungsan has an elevation of and is a part of Mudeungs ...
– It is a mountain that is part of
Mudeungsan National Park Mudeungsan National Park, previously Mudeungsan Provincial Park, is located in the city of Gwangju and the province of Jeollanam-do, South Korea. The park was designated a provincial park Ischigualasto Provincial Park A provincial park (or ...
.


International relations


Twin towns – sister cities

Gwangju is twinned with: * Adelaide, Australia (2002) * Changzhi, China (2014) * Edmonton, Canada (2008) * Guangzhou, China (1996) * Medan, Indonesia (1997) * San Antonio, United States (1982) *
Sendai is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Miyagi Prefecture, the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,091,407 in 525,828 households, and is one of Japan's 20 Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, desig ...
, Japan (2002) * Tainan, Taiwan (1968)


Partnerships and cooperations

* Turin, Italy * Seberang Perai, Malaysia (2013)


Notable people


Literature

* Han Kang – author of '' The Vegetarian'' and ''Human Acts''


Entertainers

*Jung Ho-seok (stage name J-Hope) – member of K-pop group '' BTS'' *
Kevin Moon Kevin John Moon (born 8 June 1987) is a Scottish footballer, who last played as a midfielder for Scottish League Two club Stirling Albion. He began his career with St. Johnstone and was part of the side which gained promotion to the Scottish ...
- member of K-pop group '' The Boyz''(born in Gwangju, raised in Canada) *Jeong Yun-ho (stage Name Yunho) - member of K-pop group ATEEZ * Moon Geun-young – South Korean actress and singer *Lee Seung-hyun (stage name Seungri) – former member of K-pop group ''
Big Bang The Big Bang event is a physical theory that describes how the universe expanded from an initial state of high density and temperature. Various cosmological models of the Big Bang explain the evolution of the observable universe from the ...
'' *Jung Yun-ho (stage name
U-Know Jung Yun-ho (; born February 6, 1986), also known by his stage name U-Know Yunho () or simply U-Know, is a South Korean singer-songwriter, actor, and a member of the pop duo TVXQ. Born and raised in Gwangju, South Korea, Yunho started his musi ...
) – member of K-pop group '' TVXQ'' *
Seo Hye-lin Seo Hye-lin (Hangul: 서혜린; born August 23, 1993), referred to as Hyelin, is a South Korean singer. She is best known as a member of the South Korean girl group EXID. Career In 2011, she participated in Mnet (TV channel), Mnet's ''Superstar ...
– member of K-pop group '' EXID'' *
Lee Gi-kwang Lee Gi-kwang ( ko, 이기광; born March 30, 1990), known professionally as Gikwang or Kikwang, is a South Korean singer, songwriter and actor. He originally debuted as solo singer with ...
– member of K-pop group ''
Highlight Highlight or Highlights may refer to: In arts and entertainment * Highlight (band), a South Korean boy group ** ''Highlight'' (album), the third album by the group, or its title track"Highlight", *Highlight, a song by South Korean-Japanese girl ...
'' * Lee Sung-jong – member of K-pop group '' Infinite'' * Chae Hyung-won – member of K-pop group '' Monsta X'' *Im Chang-kyun (stage name I.M.) – member of K-pop group ''Monsta X'' (originally from
Suwon Suwon (, ) is the capital and largest city of Gyeonggi-do, South Korea's most populous province which surrounds Seoul, the national capital. Suwon lies about south of Seoul. It is traditionally known as "The City of Filial Piety". With a populati ...
) *Bae Su-ji (stage name Suzy) – former member of K-pop group '' Miss A'' *Gong Min-ji (stage name Minzy) – member of K-pop group ''
2NE1 2NE1 (, ) was a South Korean girl group formed by YG Entertainment, which was active between 2009 and 2016. The group was composed of four members: Bom, CL, Dara, and Minzy. Known for breaking typical stereotypes of K-pop, musical experiment ...
'' * Kim Yu-bin – former member of K-pop group '' Wonder Girls'' * Hong Jin-young – a trot singer *
Park Shin-hye Park Shin-hye (, born February 18, 1990) is a South Korean actress and singer. She gained recognition as a child on TV shows such as ''Stairway to Heaven'' (2003), and ''Tree of Heaven'' (2006). Later on, she would achieve further success when ...
– South Korean actress * Jung Woo-seok – member of K-pop group ''
Pentagon In geometry, a pentagon (from the Greek πέντε ''pente'' meaning ''five'' and γωνία ''gonia'' meaning ''angle'') is any five-sided polygon or 5-gon. The sum of the internal angles in a simple pentagon is 540°. A pentagon may be simpl ...
'' *
Lee Na-gyung Fromis 9 (; stylized as fromis_9) is a South Korean girl group formed by CJ E&M through the 2017 reality show '' Idol School''. The group is composed of eight members: Roh Ji-sun, Song Ha-young, Lee Sae-rom, Lee Chae-young, Lee Na-gyung, Park J ...
– member of K-pop group Fromis 9 * Song Ha Young – member of K-pop group Fromis 9 *Seo Woobin – member of K-pop group Cravity *Oh Seunghee - member of K-pop group
CLC CLC may refer to: Religion * Christian Life Centre, a number of individual and networked Pentecostal churches in Australia * Christian Life Community, an international association of lay Christians * Church of the Lutheran Confession, an American ...
* Lee Su-jeong (stage name Babysoul)- leader and member of K-pop group Lovelyz * Bae Seung-min - member of K-pop group
Golden Child Golden means made of, or relating to gold. Golden may also refer to: Places United Kingdom *Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall *Golden Cap, Dorset * Golden Square, Soho, London *Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome in Gloucesters ...
* Park Soeun - member of K-pop group Weeekly * Lee Taeyeob (stage name Yoojung) - member of K-pop group OnlyOneOf


Sports

*
Ki Sung-yueng Ki Sung-yueng (Hangul: ; Hanja: ; ; born 24 January 1989) is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder or a defensive midfielder for the K League 1 club FC Seoul. From 2008 to 2019, Ki was a full international f ...
– International
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
. *
An San An San (Hangul: 안산; Hanja: 安山, born 27 February 2001) is a South Korean archer Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the La ...
– Olympic gold medalist in women's team, mixed team, and individual archery at the 2021 Tokyo Summer Games. *
An Se-young An Se-young (; born 5 February 2002) is a South Korean badminton player from Gwangju, who was awarded as 2019 Most Promising Player of the Year by the BWF. In 2018, An was selected to join the national team and became the first junior high sc ...
- Badminton Player.


Politics

* Elizabeth Lee – Australian politician and Leader of the Opposition of the Australian Capital Territory


See also

*
Gwangju Castle Gwangju Castle () was a Joseon-period castle in Gwangju, Korea (present-day South Korea). According to the ''Gwangju Eupji'' () published in 1879, it was made of stone. It was 8253 in circumference and 9 (m?) in height. Design The castle had fo ...
* List of cities in South Korea


Notes


References


Citations


Bibliography

* .


External links

*
Gwangju :Official Site of Korea Tourism Org
{{Authority control 50s BC establishments 57 BC Special Cities and Metropolitan Cities of South Korea