Gongju ([]; Gongju-si) is a city in South Chungcheong province, South Korea.

History

Gongju was formerly named

Ungjin Ungjin, also known as Gomanaru (Hangul: 고마나루, literally "bear port") is a former city on the Korean Peninsula. It was located in modern-day Gongju, South Chungcheong province, South Korea. It was the capital of Baekje from AD 475 to 538 ...

and was the capital of

Baekje Baekje or Paekche (, ) was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BC to 660 AD. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla. Baekje was founded by Onjo, the third son of Goguryeo's founder J ...

from AD 475 to 538. In this period, Baekje was under threat from

Goguryeo Goguryeo (37 BC–668 AD) ( ) also called Goryeo (), was a Korean kingdom located in the northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula and the southern and central parts of Northeast China. At its peak of power, Goguryeo controlled mos ...

. Goguryeo had overrun the previous capital of

Hanseong 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 ...

(modern-day Seoul), which forced Baekje to find a new center of strength. In 538, King Seong moved the capital to Sabi (in modern-day

Buyeo County Buyeo County (''Buyeo-gun'') is a county in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. Buyeo-eup, the county's capital, was the site of the capital of Baekje from 538-660 AD, during which it was called Sabi Fortress. Famous people associated with B ...

). However, Gongju remained an important center until the kingdom's fall in 660.

New capital

On August 11, 2004, the South Korean Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan announced that the country's capital will be moved from

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...

to Gongju (approximately south of Seoul) and Yeongi commencing in 2007. A site was chosen for the project, which was scheduled to be completed by 2030. It was envisaged that government and administrative functions will move to the new capital, along with (possibly) the National Assembly and supreme court, although no sizable relocation was expected until the first phase of the project has been completed by 2012. The move was intended to reduce Seoul's overcrowding and economic dominance over the rest of South Korea; perhaps not coincidentally, it would have also moved the government and administration out of range of

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

n artillery fire. The projected cost of the project ranged from $45bn to as much as $94bn. The plan has aroused controversy, with opposition parties calling for a

referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a Representative democr ...

to see whether it is endorsed by the population. Some civic groups have also launched a constitutional appeal, and on October 21, 2004, the Constitutional Court ruled that the special law for the relocation of the capital is unconstitutional since the relocation is a serious national matter requiring national referendum or revision of the constitution, thus effectively ending the dispute. Opinion polls showed that a slight majority of South Koreans are opposed to the move, both before and after the ruling. However, late in 2004, the government announced yet another plan that will allow Seoul to be a capital in name only by retaining the Executive Branch, all Legislature Branch, and Judiciary Branch in Seoul, while moving all other branches of government to Gongju. The question remains unresolved to date.

Climate

Gongju 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 freez ...

( 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. It has a mountainous climate in which temperature is drastically different in the day and at night. Annual average temperature is 10.8°C, and the highest temperature of the year is 35°C and the lowest -17°C. Annual average precipitation is 1,251mm, and Namdae Stream, a branch stream of

Geum River The Geumgang River is located in South Korea. It is a major river that originates in Jangsu-eup, North Jeolla Province. It flows northward through North Jeolla and North Chungcheong Provinces and then changes direction in the vicinity of Greater ...

, is flowing through Muju-eup.

Notable people

Kim Jae-joong Kim Jae-joong (; born January 26, 1986), also known mononymously as Jaejoong in South Korea and in Japan, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, actor and director. He is a member of the Korean pop group JYJ and was one of the original member ...

, singer, actor, member of pop group JYJ (former member of

TVXQ TVXQ (stylized as TVXQ!), an initialism for Tong Vfang Xien Qi (), is a South Korean male pop duo consisting of U-Know Yunho and Max Changmin. They are known as in Japanese releases, and are sometimes referred to as DBSK, an abbreviation of ...

) * Chan-ho Park, baseball player *

Taegoon Taegoon (born Kim Tae Goon; ko, 김태군; born January 17, 1986) is a Korean pop singer and dancer. His first television appearance was on the talent search program '' Battle Shinhwa'' in 2005. He reached the final round of the competition a ...

, singer *

Chung Un-chan Chung Un-chan (born March 21, 1947 in Gongju, South Chungcheong Province, South Korea) is a South Korean politician who was the Prime Minister of South Korea (2009–2010). He was a professor of Seoul National University from 1978 to 2009, s ...

(1947–) – former Prime Minister (2009–2010) * Chung Jin-suk (1960-) - former Senior Secretary to the President for Political Affairs (2010-2011), former interim President of the

Saenuri Party The Liberty Korea Party () was a conservative political party in South Korea that was described variously as right-wing, right-wing populist, or far-right. Until February 2017, it was known as the Saenuri Party (), and before that as the Hanna ...

(2016)

Foreign sister cities

* Qabala, Azerbaijan (20 August 2015) *

Shenyang Shenyang (, ; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ), formerly known as Fengtian () or by its Manchu name Mukden, is a major Chinese sub-provincial city and the provincial capital of Liaoning province. Located in central-north Liaoning, it is the provi ...

, China * Nagomi, Japan * Yamaguchi, Japan *

Moriyama 270px, Lake Biwa from Moriyama is a city located in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 85,485 in 34366 households and a population density of 1533.63 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography M ...

, Japan *

Calhoun County, Alabama Calhoun County is a county in the east central part of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census, the population was 116,441. Its county seat is Anniston. It was named in honor of John C. Calhoun, noted politician and US Senator from S ...

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and E ...

(2018)

References

External links

*
City government website
{{Authority control Baekje Cities in South Chungcheong Province