Jongno-gu, Seoul

upright=1, Bosingak bell pavilion

Jongno District () is one of the 25 districts of Seoul, South Korea. It is the historic center of Seoul that contains Gyeongbokgung, the main royal palace of the Joseon dynasty, and the Blue House, the former presidential residence. Jongno District has a high concentration of historical sites, many dating back to the Goryeo period. Places like Sungkyunkwan,Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, and Dongdaemun are all located within the area of the district.

Etymology

In Korean, the name 'Jongno' means Bell Street. The Jongno District is named after the Jongno Road, which is a major trunk road running through the center of the district. The bell in question refers to Bosingak belfry, which sits at Jonggak intersection, on Jongno Road.

Description

Jongno has been the center of the city for 600 years since it was where the Joseon dynasty established its capital. The district is commonly referred to as the face and heart of Korea because of its important roles in politics, economics, culture, and history as the capital city. The district is home to palaces in which the kings used to reside and work, such as Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung, and Unhyeongung. The South Korean president's former residence, the Blue House, is also located in the Jongno District.

Jongno is a popular tourist destination with attractions that include the restored Cheonggyecheon stream, the traditional neighborhood of Insa-dong, the Confucian Jongmyo shrine, and Jogyesa, the chief temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. The district is also home to the Gwanghwamun Plaza which includes the statue of Admiral Yi Sun-sin and a statue of King Sejong. The district has a number of museums including Art Center Nabi and Gahoe Museum and is home to the main campuses of Sungkyunkwan University.

History

Hanyang

Jongno was historically the center of Joseon and, later, the Korean Empire. It retained its prominence in the modern era after the establishment of South Korea. Hanyang, the capital of Joseon, included Jongno and the Jung District.
In October 1394, King Taejo moved his capital from Gaegyeong to Hanyang. The capital of Goryeo, Gaegyeong, had a strong base of traditional forces against King Taejo. In addition, the topography divination theory states that the new dynasty was unlucky due to its failure, and that it also moved to Hanyang with regard to water transport of rice and military geographical conditions. Following the relocation of the capital city, the Joseon government pushed for the construction of Hanyang, starting with the construction of Jongmyo, Gyeongbokgung, and Changdeokgung. In 1395, it was renamed as Hanyang Department. In 1399, the first year of King Jeongjong's reign, the capital was moved to Gagyeong as a result of the Prince's rebellion. In 1405, the fifth year of King Taejong's reign, the capital was changed back to Hanyang. By King Sejong's time, the city grew into a large city with about 200,000 people.

Economy

As the traditional heart of Seoul, Jongno's central location continues to attract both local and foreign businesses and remains an important business district. Notable companies based in Jongno include Kumho Asiana Group, Kyobo Life, Lotte Group, SK Group, Hyundai Engineering & Construction, Daewoo E&C, Daelim Group, and East Asia Daily. The district also features numerous major business centers and office buildings as well as diplomatic missions.

The headquarters of South Korean skincare retailer, The Face Shop, is located in the LG Gwanghwamun Building on Sinmunno 2-ga.

The head office of Air Seoul is in the Kumho Asiana Main Tower on Sinmunno 1-ga.

Culture and tourism

Tourism plays a major role in Jongno's economy. Several of the most well-known attractions are located in the district, as is Gwanghwamun Plaza which attracts huge numbers of tourists every year given its central location. In addition, the tourist areas of Insa-Dong and Bukchon Hanok Village also attract huge numbers of visitors. Another popular tourist destination is Gwangjang Market, previously called Dongdaemun Market. It is one of the oldest traditional markets in the country and is visited by approximately 65,000 each day.

Politics and government

Jongno is considered the most important district in South Korean politics as it is located in the heart of Seoul, and thus in the heart of South Korea. The district was the home to the Blue House (), the official residence of the president of South Korea, until 2022. It is also home to two of the three largest plazas in Seoul, the first being Gwanghwamun Plaza and the other being Cheonggye Plaza, making the district the first constituency to appear in the National Election Commission's election statistics and exit polls for every nationwide election. Because of the district's political significance, every political party carefully selects its own candidate to run in every election and even most minor parties nominate their candidates to run in the district while they choose not to nominate candidates for other constituencies in Seoul.

Jongno has elected three presidents to represent it in the National Assembly: Yun Posun, Roh Moo-hyun and Lee Myung-bak. Although Jongno is a district, its residents are entitled to elect their own mayor and form their own district council, as 25 districts in Seoul——including Jongno——have city-equivalent status. The City of Seoul has province-equivalent status and its mayor is regarded as a cabinet-minister-level position. The mayorship is regarded as a higher position than all other provincial governors as these positions are regarded as deputy minister level positions.

The district has been traditionally regarded as a conservative stronghold in Seoul as Seoul natives and wealthy people used to form a majority in terms of resident numbers in towns such as Pyeongchang, Samcheong-dong, Sajik-dong, Jongro 1, and Jongro 4. However, as Democrats began to gradually gain power in the Sudogwon region in the 2010s and eventually made the region their stronghold, the party also gained power in the district due to the votes of Sungkyunkwan University

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