Gangseo District (; ) is one of the 25 districts (''gu'') of

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

, South Korea. It is located on the south side of the Han River. South Korea's third busiest airport,

Gimpo International Airport Gimpo International Airport , sometimes referred to as Seoul–Gimpo International Airport but formerly rendered in English as Kimpo International Airport, is located in the far western end of Seoul, some west of the Jung District, Seoul, cen ...

, is located in

Gonghang-dong Gonghang-dong () is a '' dong'' (neighborhood) of Gangseo District, Seoul, South Korea. The name ''gonghang'' literally means "airport", which is due to Gimpo International Airport located in the area. Korean Air's headquarters, Korean Airport Se ...

, where many flights fly to cities like

Busan Busan (), officially Busan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's second list of cities in South Korea by population, most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.3 million as of 2024. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economi ...

Jeju Jeju may refer to: South Korea * Jeju Island (Jejudo), South Korea * Jeju Province (formerly transliterated Cheju), a province of South Korea comprising Jejudo ** Jeju City, its capital ** Jeju dog, a dog native to Jejudo ** Jeju language ** The ...

, and

Gwangju Gwangju (; ), formerly romanized as Kwangju, is South Korea's list of cities in South Korea, sixth-largest metropolis. It is a designated Special cities of South Korea, metropolitan city under the direct control of the central government's Home ...

. The Magok Industrial Complex, located in Magok-dong, is a major hub for research and development, housing numerous R&D centers and corporate headquarters.

History

Origins

The earliest recorded name of the area was Jechapa-ui (齊次巴衣), which appears in the

Samguk Sagi ''Samguk sagi'' () is a historical record of the Three Kingdoms of Korea: Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla. Completed in 1145, it is well-known in Korea as the oldest surviving chronicle of Korean history. The ''Samguk sagi'' is written in Classical ...

(History of the Three Kingdoms) under the

Goguryeo Goguryeo (37 BC – 668 AD) (; ; Old Korean: Guryeo) also later known as Goryeo (; ; Middle Korean: 고ᇢ롕〮, ''kwòwlyéy''), was a Korean kingdom which was located on the northern and central parts of the Korea, Korean Peninsula an ...

section. Jecha (齊次) is derived from Jegye (齊戒), meaning ritual or sacrifice, while Pa-ui (巴衣) is an ancient word meaning “rock.” Together, the name means “rock for offering rituals.” During the Hanseong

Baekje Baekje or Paekche (; ) was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BCE to 660 CE. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla. While the three kingdoms were in separate existence, Baekje had the h ...

period, the Baekje king conducted rituals inside a cave at Heogabawi Rock, praying to the land gods for prosperity. This led to the name Jechapa-ui being used for the area.

Three Kingdoms Period

During the

Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu dominated China from AD 220 to 280 following the end of the Han dynasty. This period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and followed by the Jin dynasty (266–420), Western Jin dyna ...

period, the Gangseo region was occupied by both

and

. It consisted of five prefectures: Geompo-hyeon (黔浦縣), Jechapa-ui-pyeonghoepa (齊次巴衣平淮把), Dongjahol (童子忽), and Suihol-hyeon (首爾忽縣).

Unified Silla Period

In 757, during the Unified Silla period, King Gyeongdeok renamed Geompo to Gimpo-hyeon (金浦縣), making it a subordinate prefecture of Jangje-gun (長堤郡).

Goryo Dynasty

In 1018, under King Hyeonjong of Goryeo, the region became part of Yanggwang-do (楊廣道) and was placed under Sujoo (樹州, present-day

Bucheon Bucheon (; ) is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Bucheon is located away from Seoul, of which it is a satellite city. It is located between Incheon and Seoul. Bucheon is the second most densely populated city in South Korea after Seo ...

). In 1391, during King Gongyang’s reign, Gyeonggi Province was divided into left and right regions, with all prefectures except Yangcheon-hyeon (陽川縣) incorporated into Gyeonggi Right Province.

Joseon Dynasty

In 1414, under

King Taejong Taejong (; 16 May 1367 – 10 May 1422), personal name Yi Pangwŏn (), was the third monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea and the father of Sejong the Great. He was the fifth son of King Taejo, the founder of the dynasty. Before ascending t ...

, Gimpo and Yangcheon were merged into Geumyang-hyeon (衿陽縣). However, in October of that year, the two regions were separated again, with Gimpo incorporated into Bupyeong-bu (富平府). In 1416, Gimpo regained its status as an independent prefecture. In 1632, during King Injo’s reign, Gimpo was elevated to county (gun) status.

19th-20th Centuries

By 1895, during King Gojong’s 32nd year, Korea was reorganized into 23 districts (bu), and Gimpo, Tongjin (通津), and Yangcheon became separate counties. The present-day Gangseo District was historically part of Gimpo County and the northernmost section of present-day

Geography

Location

This area is part of the Gimpo Plain, located along the banks of the Han River. The underlying bedrock consists of Precambrian granite gneiss and banded gneiss, which have been eroded over a long period, forming hilly terrain. The northern region along the Han River is a floodplain with thick sedimentary deposits, historically utilized as fertile farmland through the construction of embankments. Several low residual hills remain in the hilly areas, including Gaehwa Mountain (131.2m), Maebong Mountain (117.7m), Ujang Mountain (93.6m), Gung Mountain (74.8m), and Kkachi Mountain (75m). These hills are surrounded by expansive gentle slopes. Additionally, the area is home to streams such as Gayangcheon and Banghwacheon, which flow northward into the Han River. Notably, Banghwacheon features an irrigation channel that takes advantage of the Han River’s reverse flow effect.

Climate

Gangseo District experiences an average annual temperature of 13.3°C, with a January average of 0.4°C and an August average of 26.5°C. The annual precipitation is approximately 1,212.3 mm.

Administrative divisions

Balsan-dong Balsan-dong () is a '' dong'' (neighborhood) of Gangseo District, Seoul, South Korea. Overview Balsan-dong derives its name from Sumeongsan Mountain, also known as Palyeosan or Balsan, which is said to resemble an overturned rice bowl. Due to th ...

(발산동 鉢山洞) *

Banghwa-dong Banghwa-dong () is a ''Dong (administrative division), dong'' (neighborhood) of Gangseo District, Seoul in Seoul, South Korea. Eastarjet has its headquarters in Banghwa 2-dong. Name The dong was named banghwa, because of the flowers that were a ...

(방화동 傍花洞) *

Gaehwa-dong Banghwa-dong () is a '' dong'' (neighborhood) of Gangseo District, Seoul in Seoul, South Korea. Eastarjet has its headquarters in Banghwa 2-dong. Name The dong was named banghwa, because of the flowers that were abundant on the mountain . Gae ...

(개화동 開花洞) --- called "''beopjeongdong''" administered by

Deungchon-dong Deungchon-dong () is a ''Dong (administrative division), dong'' (neighborhood) of Gangseo District, Seoul, South Korea. Attractions Jin Air has its headquarters in Deungchon-dong. SBS Open Hall, located in Deungchon-dong, is the broadcast and re ...

(등촌동 登村洞) *

Gayang-dong Gayang-dong () is a '' dong'' (neighborhood) of Gangseo District, Seoul, South Korea. Overview The name ''Gayang-dong'' originated from the combination of two former localities: ''Gamadong'' (加麻洞) and ''Goyang-ri'' (古陽里). The name was ...

(가양동 加陽洞) *

Magok-dong Magok-dong () is a '' dong'' (neighbourhood) of Gangseo District, Seoul, South Korea. It is a legal dong (법정동 ) managed by its administrative dong (행정동 ), Gayang 1-dong. See also *Administrative divisions of South Korea South ...

(마곡동 麻谷洞) --- called "''beopjeongdong''" administered by

(공항동 空港洞) * Gwahae-dong (과해동 果海洞) --- called "''beopjeongdong''" administered by

* Ogok-dong (오곡동 五谷洞) --- called "''beopjeongdong''" administered by

Osoe-dong Osoe-dong () is a ''dong (neighbourhood), dong'' (neighbourhood) of Gangseo District, Seoul, South Korea. It is a legal dong (법정동 ) managed by its administrative dong (행정동 ), Gonghang-dong. Asiana Airlines maintains its headquarters, ...

(오쇠동 五釗洞) --- called "''beopjeongdong''" administered by

* Hwagok-dong (화곡동 禾谷洞) * Yeomchang-dong (염창동 鹽倉洞)

Economy

Since the

is located in gangseo district number of aviation headquarters are located nearby. The

Korea Airports Corporation Korea Airports Corporation (KAC; ) was established in 1980 in Seoul, South Korea, to carry out construction, checks and balances, management and operation of airports and to manage air transportation efficiently. As an organization specializing ...

headquarters,

Korean Air Korean Air Lines Co., Ltd. (KAL; ) is the flag carrier of South Korea and its largest airline based on fleet size, international destinations, and international flights. It is owned by the Hanjin, Hanjin Group. The present-day Korean Air tra ...

's headquarters, Korean Airport Service, Ltd., and Air Total Service are located in

Asiana Airlines Asiana Airlines Inc. ( ) is a South Korean airline headquartered in Seoul.Home
." Asiana Airlines. Retrieved 13 September 2 ...

's headquarters are located in Asiana Town in

Jin Air Jin Air Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean low-cost airline. As of April 2018, it operates flights to six domestic cities and 26 international destinations. It launched its first long haul route, between Incheon and Honolulu, in December 2015. It has ...

has its headquarters in

. Eastarjet has its headquarters in Banghwa 2-dong.

Government and infrastructure

The

Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board The Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board (ARAIB, ) is an agency of the South Korean government that investigates aviation and railway accidents, subservient to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) and headquart ...

(ARAIB) FDR/CVR Analysis and Wreckage Laboratory is on the property of

in Gwahae-dong, Gangseo District. Previously the ARAIB had its headquarters in

, Gangseo District. The ARAIB headquarters are now in

Sejong City Sejong or Sejong City (; ), officially Sejong Special Self-Governing City (), is a List of special cities of South Korea, special self-governing city and the ''de facto'' administrative capital of South Korea. Sejong was founded in 2007 as the ...

Attractions

* Heojun Museum * SBS Open Hall *Gyeomjae

Jeong Seon Jeong Seon (; 1676 – 20 April 1759) was a Korean landscape painter, also known by the art names Gyeomjae and Nangok and courtesy name Wonbaek. His works include ink and oriental water paintings, such as ''Inwangjesaekdo'' (1751), ''Geumgang j ...

Art Museum
LG Arts CenterCoex Magok Lewest
*One Grove

Transportation

Railway

*Airport Railroad Co., Ltd. ;*

AREX AREX (Airport Railroad Express; ) is an airport rail link and commuter rail line in the Seoul Metropolitan Area of South Korea, linking Incheon International Airport and Gimpo International Airport with Seoul Station. The section between the ...

;;;(

Gyeyang District Gyeyang District (, IPA: /kje.jaŋ.ɡu/) is a ward in Incheon, South Korea. History The first historical record of Gyeyang District goes back to the Goguryeo kingdom in 470 AD under the name of Jubuto-gun. It was renamed to Bupyeong-dohobu in 1 ...

Incheon Incheon is a city located in northwestern South Korea, bordering Seoul and Gyeonggi Province to the east. Inhabited since the Neolithic, Incheon was home to just 4,700 people when it became an international port in 1883. As of February 2020, ...

) ←

Gimpo Airport Gimpo International Airport , sometimes referred to as Seoul–Gimpo International Airport but formerly rendered in English as Kimpo International Airport, is located in the far western end of Seoul, some west of the central district of Seou ...

→ (

Goyang Goyang (; ) is a city in Gyeonggi Province in the north of South Korea. It is part of the Seoul Metropolitan Area, making Goyang one of Seoul's Satellite city, satellite cities. It is one of the largest cities in the Seoul Metropolitan Area, w ...

), (

Eunpyeong District Eunpyeong District () is one of the 25 districts of Seoul, South Korea. Eunpyeong is divided into 16 '' dong'' (administrative neighborhoods). Eunpyeong is located in northwestern Seoul, bordering Gyeonggi Province city of Goyang to the west, and ...

) *

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

Seoul Subway Line 2 Seoul Subway Line 2 (), also known as the Circle Line, is a orbital (metro), 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 "outer circle ...

Sinjeong Branch ;;;(

Yangcheon District Yangcheon District () is one of the 25 districts of Seoul, South Korea, located on the southwest side of the Han River. At the centre of this district is the Mok-dong area, which is home to numerous shopping outlets, bars and restaurants, an i ...

) ← Kkachisan *

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 operat ...

Seoul Subway Line 5 Seoul Subway Line 5 of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway, dubbed ''the purple line'', is a long line crossing from west to the east across the Seoul National Capital Area, South Korea. It is one of two subway lines in Seoul to cross ''under'' the Han ...

;;; Banghwa — Gaehwasan —

— Magok — Balsan — Ujangsan — Hwagok — Kkachisan → (

) *Seoul Metro Line 9 Corporation ;*

Seoul Subway Line 9 Seoul Subway Line 9, operated by Seoul Line9 Operation, is a subway line in Seoul, part of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway. The line runs east from Gaehwa station (local train terminal) or Gimpo International Airport station (express train termin ...

;;; Gaehwa —

— Airport Market — Sinbanghwa — Magongnaru — Yangcheon Hyanggyo — Gayang — Jeungmi — Deungchon — Yeomchang → (

)

Notable people

* Lee Guk-jong (born 1969), South Korean

doctor Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to: Titles and occupations * Physician, a medical practitioner * Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree ** Doctorate ** List of doctoral degrees awarded b ...

Kim Gun-mo Kim Gun-mo (; born January 13, 1968) is a South Korean singer-songwriter who is considered the country's most successful musical artist of the 1990s. His 1995 album, ''Wrongful Meeting,'' previously held the Guinness World Records, Guinness Wor ...

(born 1968),

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

n singer-songwriter (Originally from

, but raised in Gangseo-gu) *

Gong Hyo-jin Gong Hyo-jin (; born April 4, 1980) is a South Korean actress. She is best known for her leading role in the film '' Crush and Blush'' (2008), as well as for her popular television series '' Sang Doo! Let's Go to School'' (2003), ''Thank You'' ...

(born 1980), South Korean actress (born in Sinwol-dong) *

Solar Solar may refer to: Astronomy * Of or relating to the Sun ** Solar telescope, a special purpose telescope used to observe the Sun ** A device that utilizes solar energy (e.g. "solar panels") ** Solar calendar, a calendar whose dates indicate t ...

(Real Name: ''Kim Yong-sun'', , born 1991), singer-songwriter, dancer, lyricist,

YouTuber A YouTuber is a content creator and social media influencer who uploads or creates videos on the online video-sharing website YouTube, typically posting to their personal YouTube channel. The term was first used in the English language in 2006 ...

, digital influencer and

K-pop idol An idol () is a type of entertainer who works in the field of Korean popular music (K-pop), either as a member of a group or as a solo act. They typically work for an entertainment agency that operates a highly managed star system that idols ar ...

, leader and member of

K-pop K-pop (; an abbreviation of "Korean popular music") is a form of popular music originating in South Korea. It emerged in the 1990s as a form of youth subculture, with Korean musicians taking influence from Western Electronic dance music, danc ...

girlgroup A girl group is a music act featuring two or more female singers who generally harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female pop music singing groups that f ...

Mamamoo Mamamoo (; commonly stylized in all caps) is a South Korean girl group formed and managed by RBW (company), RBW. The group is composed of four members: Solar (singer), Solar, Moonbyul, Wheein, and Hwasa. Known for their strong live vocals, Harm ...

Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok Lee Sang-hyeok (; born May 7, 1996), better known as Faker, is a South Korean professional ''League of Legends'' player. Debuting in 2013, he has played as the mid-laner for T1 (esports), T1 (formerly SK Telecom T1) for his entire career. He ...

(born 1996), ''

League of Legends ''League of Legends'' (''LoL'', commonly referred to as ''League'', is a multiplayer online battle arena video game developed and published by Riot Games. Inspired by ''Defense of the Ancients'', a Mod (video games), custom map for ''Warcraf ...

'' player, five time

League of Legends World Championship The ''League of Legends'' World Championship (commonly abbreviated as Worlds) is the annual professional ''League of Legends'' world championship tournament hosted by Riot Games and is the culmination of each season. Teams compete for the champ ...

winner with

SK Telecom T1 T1 (previously known as SK Telecom T1 or SKT T1) is a South Korean esports organization operated by T1 Entertainment & Sports, a joint venture between SK Telecom and Comcast Spectacor. The team that would become SKT T1 was originally founded i ...

Hayoung Oh Ha-young (; born July 19, 1996), also known by her mononym Hayoung, is a South Korean singer and actress. She is best known as a member of the South Korean girl group Apink. Life and career 1996–2011: Early life and debut with Apink Oh H ...

(Real Name: ''Oh Ha-young'', , born 1996), singer, dancer, actress and

, member of

Apink Apink (; ) is a South Korean girl group formed by IST Entertainment, (formerly Play M Entertainment, A Cube Entertainment, and Plan A Entertainment) and managed by Choi Creative Lab as of April 2024. The group debuted on April 19, 2011, with the ...

Education

University

Gangseo District is home to several higher education institutions, including Korea Polytechnic University’s Gangseo Campus, Seoul Digital University’s Gangseo Campus, Gangseo University, and a campus of Ewha Womans University College of Medicine.

Sister cities

References

External links

Official site
{{Authority control Districts of Seoul