Hwaseong (; ) is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

Gyeonggi Province Gyeonggi Province (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Seoul, the nation's largest city and capital, is in the heart of the area but has been separately administered as a provincial-level ''special city'' since 1946. Incheon, ...

, South Korea. It is located on the coast of the

Yellow Sea The Yellow Sea, also known as the North Sea, is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula, and can be considered the northwestern part of the East China Sea. Names It is one of four ...

. It has the largest area of farmland of any city or county in

Seoul Subway Line 1 Seoul Subway Line 1 (dubbed ''The Dark Blue Line'') of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway is a rapid transit and commuter rail line which links central Seoul, South Korea to Yeoncheon station, Yeoncheon in the northeast, Incheon in the southwest, an ...

passes through Hwaseong, stopping at Byeongjeom Station. Suin-Bundang Line also passes through the city, stopping at Eocheon Station.

Hwaseong Fortress Hwaseong Fortress or Suwon Hwaseong () is a Korean fortress surrounding the centre of Suwon, the provincial capital of Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It was built from 1794 to 1796 by King Jeongjo of the Joseon dynasty to house and honour the ...

is located in nearby

Suwon Suwon (; ) is the largest city and capital of Gyeonggi Province, South Korea's most populous province. The city lies approximately south of the national capital, Seoul. With a population of 1.2 million, Suwon has more inhabitants than Ulsan, tho ...

History

During the time of the early

Three Kingdoms of Korea The Three Kingdoms of Korea or Samhan (Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla) competed for hegemony over the Korea, Korean Peninsula during the ancient period of History of Korea, Korean history. During the Three Kingdoms period (), many states and statele ...

, parts of modern-day Hwaseong was controlled by the state of Wonyang (), a small statelet that was part of the

Mahan confederacy Mahan () was a tribal grouping in southwestern Korea described in Chinese sources from the 3rd century. It was the largest of the 'three Hans' (the Samhan), along with Byeonhan and Jinhan. During the 4th century, the kingdom of Baekje rose in ...

. In 1949, when

was split from the rest of Suwon County, the remaining area of Suwon County was renamed to Hwaseong County, after

in Suwon. On January 1, 1989, the

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

Osan Osan (; ) is a Subdivisions of South Korea, city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea, approximately south of Seoul. The population of the city is around 200,000. The local economy is supported by a mix of agricultural and industrial enterprises. ...

was promoted to a city, splitting from Hwaseong County. On March 21, 2001, Hwaseong County would also be promoted to the status of city.

Universal Studios

On November 27, 2007 the city was chosen as the site for the future

Universal Studios South Korea Universal Studios South Korea (USSK; 유니버설 스튜디오 코리아) was a proposed Universal Studios theme park in the vicinity of Hwaseong, South Korea. Originally scheduled to open in 2020, a bid for the project was won by a Universal S ...

theme park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often fea ...

. Originally set to open in 2016, it would have been the world's largest Universal Studios theme park, being larger than all the other four combined. The US$3.1 billion park was expected to create at least 58,000 new jobs. In 2014, the project was put on hold. The plan was restarted in 2015, and K-Water (Korean Water Resources Corporation) was chosen as a business partner. Universal Studios South Korea is no longer under development .

Aricell battery factory fire

On June 24, 2024, a fire at a

lithium battery Lithium battery may refer to: * Lithium metal battery, a non-rechargeable battery with lithium as an anode ** Lithium–air battery ** Lithium–iron disulfide battery ** Lithium–sulfur battery ** Nickel–lithium battery ** Rechargeable li ...

factory owned by Aricell killed 23 workers, and a further 8 workers were wounded. The fire was caused by the explosion of a series of battery cells.

Climate

Hwaseong 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 cold ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

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

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(

: ''Cwa'') using the isotherm. The city is located in the western area of the

Korean Peninsula Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically divided at or near the 38th parallel between North Korea (Dem ...

. The temperatures in winter are low along the coast since it is located in the lower plains and close to the

(West Sea), where the water is shallow. Additionally, Siberian air flows directly into the western flatlands of the Korean peninsula, making several areas colder. Gungpyeong Port (9521509283).jpg, Gungpyeong Port

Demographics

Hwaseong is populated by 49% male South Korean citizens, 46% female South Korean citizens, and 5% foreign residents. With 236,241 homes, there are on average 2.8 people per registered place of residence in the city. With the exceptions of Byeongjeom 2-dong, Dongtan 2-dong and Dongtan 3-dong, there is a larger number of males than females in every division of the city. Administrative divisions Hwaseong has 4 towns (eup), 9 townships (myeon) and 13 neighborhoods (dong). Each eup and myeon is further divided into villages (ri). In October 2014, Namyang-dong was downgraded to an eup- the first case in South Korea. Hwaseong's name comes from

, built by

King Jeongjo Jeongjo (; 28 October 1752 – 18 August 1800), personal name Yi San (), sometimes called Jeongjo the Great (), was the 22nd monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. He was the second son of Crown Prince Sado and Lady Hyegyŏng, and succeeded ...

. The most populous areas of Hwaseong are Namyang (to the west), Hyangnam and Bongdam (central), and Dongtan to the east. Dongtan has had an SRT high speed rail station since December 2017. The Seohae Expressway runs through western Hwaseong, while the

Gyeongbu Expressway The Gyeongbu Expressway (; Asian Highway Network ) is the second oldest and most heavily travelled expressway in South Korea, connecting Seoul to Suwon, Daejeon, Gumi, South Korea, Gumi, Daegu, Gyeongju, Ulsan and Busan. It has the route numb ...

runs through the east of the city..

Local products

Many special products are sold in the Hwaseong area that are different from other regions of

. There are many facilities that grow products ranging from honey melons to

herb Herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal purposes, or for fragrances. Culinary use typically distingu ...

s. Additionally, meat and dairy products are also available.

Hangwa () is a general term for traditional Korean confections. With ''tteok'' (rice cakes), forms the sweet food category in Korean cuisine. Common ingredients of include grain flour, fruits and roots, sweet ingredients such as honey and ''yeot'', ...

is also made by local companies as a specialty.

Sports

Hwaseong is home to the V-League women's volleyball team

Hwaseong IBK Altos Hwaseong IBK Altos () is a South Korean women's professional volleyball team founded in 2011. In the 2012−13 V-League season, just one year after the team was founded, the club won both the regular season title, having won 25 out of 30 regular ...

and the

K League 2 The K League 2 () is the men's second-highest division of the South Korean football league system. It is contested between thirteen professional clubs and operates on a promotion and relegation system with K League 1. History In 2011, the or ...

football team

Hwaseong FC Hwaseong FC () is a South Korean professional Association football, football club based in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. They play in K League 2, the second tier of Football in South Korea, South Korean football. Founded in 20 ...

, both of which are based at

Hwaseong Sports Town Hwaseong Sports Complex Town () is a group of sports facilities in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, South Korea. The complex consists of Hwaseong Stadium, Hwaseong Indoor Arena, and an auxiliary stadium. Facilities Hwaseong Stadium T ...

. This sports complex hosted football and basketball matches at the

2014 Asian Games The 2014 Asian Games (), officially known as the 17th Asian Games () and also known as Incheon 2014 (), were a pan-Asian multi-sport event held from 19 September to 4 October 2014 in Incheon, South Korea. On 17 April 2007, Incheon was awarded ...

, while the shooting events were held elsewhere in Hwaseong.

Notable companies

U-JIN Tech Corp. U-JIN Tech Corp. is a South Korean manufacturer of friction welding machines and automated cellular manufacturing, manufacturing cells. History U-JIN Tech Corp. was founded in February 2009. It stablished its own R&D center within the Korea In ...

, friction welding machines

Notable people

Cha Bum-kun Cha Bum-kun (; or ; born 22 May 1953) is a South Korean former football manager and player. A forward, he was nicknamed Tscha Bum or "Cha Boom" in Germany because of his name and thunderous ball striking ability. He showed explosive pace an ...

, South Korean football player * Chaeun Lee, South Korean snowboarder *

Cho Yong-pil Cho Yong-pil (; born March 21, 1950) is a South Korean singer-songwriter who is considered one of the most influential figures in South Korean popular music (K-pop). He debuted as a member of the rock band Atkins in 1968 and made his solo debut ...

, South Korean singer *

Hong Shin-seon Hong Shin-seon (; born 1944) is a Korean poet. His writing career dates back to the 1960s, when he was active as a modernist poet. During the 1970–80s, his poetry engaged critically with the politics of the time. From the 1990s, Hong's focus sh ...

, South Korean poet *

Lee Yong-jin Lee Yong-jin (; born on November 18, 1985) is a South Korean comedian and singer. He is most known for his work on the tvN sketch comedy show '' Comedy Big League''. Lee also owns famous sashimi restaurant '960' in Sokcho, Gangwon-do province. ...

, South Korean comedian * Seo Soo-jin, South Korean singer * Yoon Jeong-han, South Korean singer

Sister cities

Burnaby Burnaby is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula, it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrard In ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, Canada *

Weihai Weihai ( zh, t=, p=Wēihǎi), formerly Weihaiwei ( zh, s=, p=Wēihǎiwèi, l=Mighty Sea Fort, first=t), is a prefecture-level city and major seaport city in the easternmost Shandong province of China. It borders Yantai to the west and the Yellow ...

Shandong Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...

, China * Wujiang District,

Suzhou Suzhou is a major prefecture-level city in southern Jiangsu province, China. As part of the Yangtze Delta megalopolis, it is a major economic center and focal point of trade and commerce. Founded in 514 BC, Suzhou rapidly grew in size by the ...

Jiangsu Jiangsu is a coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province in East China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its capital in Nanjing. Jiangsu is the List of Chinese administra ...

, China *

Phú Thọ Province Phú Thọ is a Provinces of Vietnam, province in Đông Bắc, northern Vietnam. Its capital is Việt Trì, which is from Hanoi and from Noi Bai International Airport, Nội Bài International Airport. The province covers an area of and, as ...

, Vietnam *

Aksaray Aksaray () is a city in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. It is the seat of Aksaray Province and Aksaray District.

, Türkiye

References

External links

City government website

City Council website
{{Authority control Cities in Gyeonggi Province Hwaseong, Gyeonggi