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Gwangmyeong (; Korean: 광명시) 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 ...
in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It borders Seoul to the east, north and northeast,
Anyang Anyang (; ) is a prefecture-level city in Henan province, China. The northernmost city in Henan, Anyang borders Puyang to the east, Hebi and Xinxiang to the south, and the provinces of Shanxi and Hebei to its west and north respectively. It had a ...
to the southeast, Siheung to the southwest, and
Bucheon Bucheon () is a administrative divisions of South Korea, city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Bucheon is located away from Seoul, of which it is a satellite town, satellite city. It is located between Incheon and Seoul. Bucheon is the second ...
to the northeast. Gwangmyeong is home to one of the world's largest
IKEA IKEA (; ) is a Dutch multinational conglomerate based in the Netherlands that designs and sells , kitchen appliances, decoration, home accessories, and various other goods and home services. Started in 1943 by Ingvar Kamprad, IKEA has been t ...
stores at 59,000 square meters (640,000 square feet), along with a large Costco store and a Lotte Premium Outlet.


History

Gwangmyeong City area was part of the old (or original) Siheung County as with Yeongdeungpo, Guro, and Geumcheon areas. It belonged to West (, seo-myeon) and South townships () of original Siheung County. In 1914, the two townships were merged into West township of "expanded" Siheung County. In 1963, the northern part of Gwangmyeong (at that time, the northern part of West Township in Siheung County) area was merged into an expanded Seoul (i.e. districts for urban planning in Seoul. ) as with Gwacheon (at that time Gwacheon was a township in Siheung County) and Sindo township of
Goyang Goyang (''Goyang-si''; ) is a city in Gyeonggi Province in the north of South Korea. It is part of the Seoul Capital Area, making Goyang one of Seoul's satellite cities. It is one of the largest cities in the Seoul Capital Area, with a populatio ...
County (now parts of Goyang City which borders Seoul). The neighbourhood of Gwangmyeong (Gwangmyeong-dong) and Cheolsan (Cheolsan-dong) were developed as a residence zone next to Seoul and it was provisionally planned to be administratively merged with Seoul Metropolitan City. In 1974, Gwangmyeong-ri and Cheolsan-ri became a part of the county branch of Gwangmyeong ( gwang-myeong-chul-jang-so) and in 1979 southern part of Gwangmyeong area became Soha town ( so-ha-eub). In 1981, the annexation to Seoul foundered as Seoul's unexpected rapid growth greatly concerned government officials. Consequently, the county branch of Gwangmyeong and Soha town merged and formed a new city of Gwangmyeong, instead of being annexed to Guro-gu, Seoul. In the 1980s and the early 1990s, many apartment complexes were built in Cheolsan-dong and Haan-dong. The population increased up to 300,000. In 1995, the Seoul-Gwangmyeong boundary was readjusted, in which a tiny part of Cheolsan-dong was merged into the newly created
Geumcheon-gu 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 ...
, Seoul. In 2004, Gwangmyeong Station was open, and in 2010, apartment complexes in Soha-dong were built up.


Districts

There are 18 administrative districts ('' dong'' in Korean language) in Gwangmyeong. Specifically, these are: Gwangmyeong Dong (from 1-7; Gwangmyeong 6-dong is also known as Okgil dong), Cheolsan Dong (4 dongs), Ha-an Dong (4 dongs), Soha Dong (2 dongs; The southern part of Soha 2-dong is also known as Iljik dong), and Hak-on dong (Gahak-dong and No-onsa dong). In 1995, a tiny section of Gwangmyeong was ceded to Seoul's newly created
Geumcheon-gu 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 ...
.


Disputes on municipal annexation to Seoul

Due to its history of being part of the urban planning districts of Seoul until December 1982, the living sphere of Gwangmyeong is similar to Seoul's Yeongdeungpo ( seo-ul yeong-deung-po saeng-hwal-kwon) rather than 'Western Gyeonggi's living sphere' ( gyeong-gi seo-bu-saeng-hwal-kwon) such as
Bucheon Bucheon () is a administrative divisions of South Korea, city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Bucheon is located away from Seoul, of which it is a satellite town, satellite city. It is located between Incheon and Seoul. Bucheon is the second ...
and
Anyang Anyang (; ) is a prefecture-level city in Henan province, China. The northernmost city in Henan, Anyang borders Puyang to the east, Hebi and Xinxiang to the south, and the provinces of Shanxi and Hebei to its west and north respectively. It had a ...
. The sewage system is linked to Seoul, though the nearest sewage treatment plant is located on the boundary between Gwangmyeong and Anyang, and the city heavily relies on Seoul's telephone and transport systems ( local dial code. The phone area code for Gwangmyeong is Seoul's 02 and many
Seoul buses Seoul Buses are public transit buses operated by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and/or private bus operators. Bus types There are four types of buses: * Trunk Bus (Blue) : Trunk buses are operated partly by private bus companies and partly ...
and taxis are in business in that city); advertisements of firms in Yeongdeungpo area can be easily seen in the city. Gwangmyeong not belonging to Seoul, Gwangmyeong residents have to go to a district court office and a reserve soldier's drill camp (of the 51st Infantry Division, Capital Corps) in 'farther' Ansan City other than a district court in nearby Sinjeong-dong and a reserve soldier's drill camp (of the 52nd Infantry Division, CDC) in Anyang. Proponents of the incorporation in Seoul argue that by
annexing Annexation (Latin ''ad'', to, and ''nexus'', joining), in international law, is the forcible acquisition of one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. It is generally held to be an illegal act ...
the city into capital Seoul, in which Gwangmyeong City of Gyeonggi Province becomes Gwangmyeong District of Seoul, the discord between a life zone and administrative districts, in terms of metropolitan governance, can be resolved. They also insist that by the annexation, residents in Gwangmyeong can benefit from metropolitan services and governance of Seoul Metropolitan City, especially in public transport. Congressman and former mayor of Gwangmyeong Baek Jae-hyeon presented a special bill for "municipal annexation to Seoul for Gwangmyeong" on the floor in September 2009, though his attempt turned out in vain at last. Opponents insist that the annexation would tarnish municipal
autonomy In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy, from , ''autonomos'', from αὐτο- ''auto-'' "self" and νόμος ''nomos'', "law", hence when combined understood to mean "one who gives oneself one's ...
in Gwangmyeong and it would also worsen balanced development of non-capital areas on the national level. The central government once proposed that Gwangmyeong be merged with
Bucheon Bucheon () is a administrative divisions of South Korea, city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Bucheon is located away from Seoul, of which it is a satellite town, satellite city. It is located between Incheon and Seoul. Bucheon is the second ...
other than being annexed to Seoul.


Education

There are nine high schools, ten middle schools, and 21 elementary schools in Gwangmyeong. Prior to 2013, middle school students who wished to go to high school had to take the entrance exam. Gwangmyeong-buk High School and Jinseong High School are traditionally well known for higher standards of students' academic ability.


Libraries

*Gwangmyeong Central Library (광명 중앙도서관 gwang-myeong-jung-ahng-do-seo-gwan) *Cheolsan Library (철산 도서관 cheol-san-do-seo-gwan) *HaAn Library (하안 도서관 ha-an-do-seo-gwan) *Chunghyeon Library (충현 도서관 chung-hyeon-do-seo-gwan) *Soha Library (소하도서관 so-ha-do-seo-gwan) *Cheolsandong Library (철산동 연서 도서관 cheol-san-dong-yeon-seo-do-seo-gwan) Completed in June 2020


Residential areas

Since Gwangmyeong is a commuter town bordering Seoul, it's mostly a residential area. The northwestern part of Gwangmyeong, namely Gwangmyeong-dong, is mostly composed of low-storeyed detached houses, while the eastern part, namely Cheolsan-dong and Haan-dong, consists of high-storeyed apartment complexes. Throughout the late 2000s, old public low-storeyed apartment complexes (저층 주공아파트 jeo-cheng ju-gong-ah-pa-teu) in Cheolsan-dong were rebuilt into private high-storeyed apartment complexes (고층 민간아파트 go-cheng min-gan-ah-pa-teu). In 2010, some parts of Soha-dong was developed to newly built public apartment complexes.


Shopping

Gwangmyeong is home to one of the world's largest
IKEA IKEA (; ) is a Dutch multinational conglomerate based in the Netherlands that designs and sells , kitchen appliances, decoration, home accessories, and various other goods and home services. Started in 1943 by Ingvar Kamprad, IKEA has been t ...
stores, with the second largest store located in
Goyang Goyang (''Goyang-si''; ) is a city in Gyeonggi Province in the north of South Korea. It is part of the Seoul Capital Area, making Goyang one of Seoul's satellite cities. It is one of the largest cities in the Seoul Capital Area, with a populatio ...
, and a large Lotte Premium Outlet that is connected to the IKEA. The city is also home to a large Costco warehouse which also serves as the headquarters of Costco Korea. A large Korean-style traditional market, Gwangmyeong Market, is located in the Gwangmyeong crossroads with Gwangmyeongsageori Station. Modern shopping malls are in
Cheolsan Station Cheolsan Station is a station on the Seoul Subway Line 7. It is one of the three metro stations in the suburban city of Gwangmyeong. Station layout Vicinity *Exit 1 : Wangjaesan Park, Cheolsan Market *Exit 2 : Gwangmyeong Police Station, Gwa ...
, Haan crossroads, and Soha-dong ( E-mart and Costco). Gwangmyeong residents can also use shopping malls ( Lotte Mart and
Homeplus Homeplus () is a Korean discount store retail chain running about 140 branches with 25,000 employees throughout South Korea. Homeplus is the second largest retailer in South Korea, behind Shinsegae Group's e-mart chain. Homeplus operates its ...
) in nearby Guro-gu and Geumcheon-gu. Clothes outlets are located in nearby Gasan-dong in Seoul.


Medical services

A local general hospital, Gwangmyeong Sungae Hospital is in Cheolsan-dong and it is recently affiliated with Medical School of Kwandong University. A university hospital,
Korea University Medical Center The Korea University Medical Center (KUMC) is a collection of several hospitals, as well as the College of Medicine and College of Nursing associated with Korea University in Seoul, South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Kore ...
at Guro (구로고대병원 gu-ro-go-dae-byeong-weon) is located in nearby Guro-dong, Seoul. A public medical centre is in southernmost Haan-dong. Many private clinics are located along with business areas in the city.


Climate

Gwangmyeong has a humid continental climate ( Köppen: ''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° ...
( Köppen: ''Cwa'') using the isotherm.


Transportation


Railroads

*
Korail The Korea Railroad Corporation (Korean: 한국철도공사, Hanja: ), branded as KORAIL (코레일, officially changed to in November 2019), is the national railway operator in South Korea. Currently, KORAIL is a public corporation, managed ...
;* Seoul Subway Line 1
Doksan Station Doksan Station is a station on Line 1 of the Seoul Subway. It is an above-ground station located in southwestern Seoul, with service between Uijeongbu and Suwon/ Cheonan. It is a relatively new addition to this section of Line 1, having been op ...
Gwangmyeong Shuttle ;;;(
Geumcheon-gu 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 ...
, Seoul) ←
Gwangmyeong Gwangmyeong (; Korean: 광명시) is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It borders Seoul to the east, north and northeast, Anyang to the southeast, Siheung to the southwest, and Bucheon to the northeast. Gwangmyeong is home to one of the ...
;*
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 ...
;;;( Seoul) ←
Gwangmyeong Gwangmyeong (; Korean: 광명시) is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It borders Seoul to the east, north and northeast, Anyang to the southeast, Siheung to the southwest, and Bucheon to the northeast. Gwangmyeong is home to one of the ...
→ (Southern Gyeonggi Province) * SMRT ;* Seoul Subway Line 7 ;;;() ← CheolsanGwangmyeongsageori → ()


Buses

* Hwayeong Bus Corporation : a local bus firm in Gwangmyeong * many Seoul buses are in business in Gwangmyeong, as their garages are located in that city.


Taxis

As of 1999 (provisional)/2004 (permanent), Gwangmyeong's taxi business district was consolidated to Guro and Geumcheon, Seoul. The taxi fare is the same as that of Seoul taxis.


Attractions

The tombs of Yi Sun-sin (not to be confused with the more famous admiral of the same name) and Lee Won-ik are in the city, just north of Gwangmyeong Station. Lee Won Ik's cultural relics are also on display here. The city is also home to the
Gwangmyeong Velodrome The Gwangmyeong Speedom is a velodrome in Gwangmyeong, South Korea. It opened in 2006, and has a seating capacity of 10,863 spectators. The venue was designed to resemble a racing cycle sport, cyclist's helmet; and is the largest domed structure ev ...
, the largest domed structure in South Korea.
Gwangmyeong Cave Gwangmyeong Cave () is a man-made cave in Gwangmyeong Gwangmyeong (; Korean: 광명시) is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It borders Seoul to the east, north and northeast, Anyang to the southeast, Siheung to the southwest, and Buch ...
, a former mine, now tourist attraction, is located near Gwangmyeong station.


Industry

The city, though small, hosts many firms. In total, there are 630 companies employing 11,636 people. The city was officially planned to promote small businesses. Such workers can take merits of getting fee of rent, land and even costs for investment.


Kia Motors Sohari Plant

In 1973, The Kia Motors located its Sohari Plant in Soha-dong, Gwangmyeong City, becoming the country's first integrated automobile assembly plant. As Kia's car factory nearest to Seoul, it has convenient access to labor and other resources and can conveniently provide completed goods to the Seoul metropolitan area.


Notable people

;Historical figures *General Yi Sun-sin – military officer who fought under the more famous admiral Yi Sun-sin during the Imjin war ;Entertainers * Onew ( Shinee) – born in Gwangmyeong * The Quiett – born in Gwangmyeong * Yang Hyun-suk (YG) *
Yoo Yeon-jung Yoo Yeon-jung (; born August 3, 1999), known mononymously as Yeonjung, is a South Korean singer signed under Starship Entertainment and Yuehua Entertainment. She is best known for being a member of the South Korean-Chinese girl group WJSN, and f ...
( WJSN) – born in Gwangmyeong * Kim Jun-hyun – attended school in Gwangmyeong


Twin towns – sister cities

Gwangmyeong is twinned with: *
Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
, United States *
Jecheon Jecheon () is a city in North Chungcheong Province, South Korea. The city is a major railway junction or a transportation mecca, served by the Jungang, Chungbuk and Taebaek Lines. Jecheon has scenic surroundings and several tourist spots like the ...
, South Korea * Yesan, South Korea * Taean, South Korea *
Seocheon Seocheon County () is a county in Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea. It is famous for its seafood and location near the mouth of the Geum River. Administrative divisions Seocheon county has two major centers, Janghang-eup and Seocheon-eup. Seocheon- ...
, South Korea *
Liaocheng Liaocheng (), is a prefecture-level city in western Shandong province, China. It borders the provincial capital of Jinan to the southeast, Dezhou to the northeast, Tai'an to the south, and the provinces of Hebei and Henan to the west. The Grand ...
, China * Osnabrück, Germany *
Yamato was originally the area around today's Sakurai City in Nara Prefecture of Japan, which became Yamato Province and by extension a name for the whole of Japan. Yamato is also the dynastic name of the ruling Imperial House of Japan. Japanese his ...
, Japan


See also

*
Geography of South Korea South Korea is located in East Asia, on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula located out from the far east of the Asian landmass. The only country with a land border to South Korea is North Korea, lying to the north with of the border ...


References


External links


City government website


{{Authority control Cities in Gyeonggi Province