Ulsan (; ), officially the Ulsan Metropolitan City, is

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 ...

's seventh-largest metropolitan city and the eighth-largest city overall, with a population of over 1.1 million inhabitants. It is located in the south-east of the country, neighboring

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 ...

to the south and facing

Gyeongju Gyeongju (, ), historically known as Seorabeol (, ), is a coastal city in the far southeastern corner of North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It is the second largest city by area in the province after Andong, covering with a population of ...

to the north. Ulsan is the industrial powerhouse of South Korea, forming the heart of the Ulsan Industrial District. It has the world's largest

automobile A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, peopl ...

assembly plant, operated by the

Hyundai Motor Company Hyundai Motor Company, often referred to as Hyundai Motors, ( ) and commonly known as Hyundai (), is a South Korean multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, which ...

; the world's largest

shipyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are shipbuilding, built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Compared to shipyards, which are sometimes m ...

, operated by

Hyundai Heavy Industries HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. (HHI; ) is the world's largest shipbuilding company and a major heavy equipment manufacturer. Its headquarters are in Ulsan, South Korea. History HHI was founded in 1972 by Chung Ju-yung as a division ...

; and the world's third largest

oil refinery An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial processes, industrial process Factory, plant where petroleum (crude oil) is transformed and refining, refined into products such as gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, Bitumen, asphalt base, ...

, owned by

SK Energy SK Innovation Co., Ltd. () is an intermediate holding company of SK Group engaged in petroleum, alternative energy, and oil exploration. It runs its business through eight major subsidiaries, including SK Energy, SK Geo Centric, SK On, SK , SK ...

.http://pda.ulsan.go.kr/Common/Detail.neo?id=U0010711%5B%5D
/ref> In 2020, Ulsan had a

GDP per capita This is a list of countries by nominal GDP per capita. GDP per capita is the total value of a country's finished goods and services (gross domestic product) divided by its total population (per capita). Gross domestic product (GDP) per capita is ...

of $65,352, the highest of any region in South Korea. Ulsan is the city that built the first automobile hydrogen charging station in the country in 2009. In addition, the first hydrogen ship charging station in the country was installed in Jangsaengpo Port in 2021. Currently, the

Ulsan Green Hydrogen Town The Ulsan Green Hydrogen Town () is a hydrogen city being developed as a pilot project in Ulsan, South Korea. As of October 2024, 188km of underground pipelines have been laid to connect hydrogen produced as a byproduct from petrochemical complexe ...

project, a hydrogen city that supplies hydrogen by connecting the city and a hydrogen power plant, is in progress. In December 2016, 10 Hyundai ix35 FCEVs, the first hydrogen fuel cell taxis in the country, entered test operation.

Administrative divisions

Ulsan is divided into four '' gu'' (districts) and one ''

gun A gun is a device that Propulsion, propels a projectile using pressure or explosive force. The projectiles are typically solid, but can also be pressurized liquid (e.g. in water guns or water cannon, cannons), or gas (e.g. light-gas gun). So ...

'' (county): *

Buk District Buk District (), or "Northern District", is the name of a ''gu'' in several South Korean cities: * Buk District, Busan * Buk District, Daegu * Buk District, Gwangju * Buk District, Pohang * Buk District, Ulsan Buk District () is a '' gu'', or di ...

() * Dong District () *

Jung District Jung District (), meaning "Central District", is the name of a ''gu'' (district) in several South Korean cities: *Jung District, Busan *Jung District, Daegu *Jung District, Daejeon *Jung District, Incheon *Jung District, Seoul *Jung District, Ulsan ...

() * Nam District () *

Ulju County Ulju County () is a county occupying much of western Ulsan, South Korea. History Many artefacts and historic sites from the prehistoric age show that a settlement of settlers had already been formed in Ulju-gun in the prehistoric age. Jungsan-ri, ...

()

History

Stone tools found at the Mugeo-dong Ok-hyeon archaeological site indicate that Ulsan was inhabited by humans at least as early as the

Paleolithic era The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic ( years ago) ( ), also called the Old Stone Age (), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone tools, and which represents almost the entire period of human prehist ...

. Other findings indicate human inhabitation in the

Neolithic Era The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

. Ulsan also contains a substantial number of settlement remains from the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

. During the

Jinhan confederacy Jinhan () was a loose confederacy of chiefdoms that existed from around the 1st century BCE to the 4th century CE in the southern Korean peninsula, to the east of the Nakdong River valley, Gyeongsang Province. Jinhan was one of the Samhan (or "T ...

, Ulsan was a site of iron mining and production. In the

Later Silla Unified Silla, or Late Silla, is the name often applied to the historical period of the Korean kingdom of Silla after its conquest of Goguryeo in 668 AD, which marked the end of the Three Kingdoms period. In the 7th century, a Silla–Tang all ...

period, Ulsan served as an important port for the economic hub of

, and likely saw the import of luxury Persian goods such as silver, glass, and peacock tails. In 1592, the future port-town of Ulsan was the site of a major battle when warrior monks joined citizen soldiers in resisting Japanese invasion. On January 29, 1598, a combined military operation between Korea and China tried to besiege the castle, but failed as reinforcements from Japan came to delay the fighting. Records from the

Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

period show that Ulsan was developed as a shipbuilding site as early as 1642. Owing to the two World Wars, Ulsan began to grow as an industrial center. During this time it was part of Keishōnan-dō. In 1962, Ulsan was chosen to become a Special Industrial Zone and in the following year, it formally became a city. The

Hyundai Group Hyundai Group (; ) is a South Korean conglomerate founded by Chung Ju-yung. The group was founded in 1947 Hyundai Engineering & Construction, as a construction company. With government assistance, Chung and his family members rapidly expanded ...

and

SK Group SK Group () is a South Korean multinational manufacturing and services conglomerate headquartered in Seoul. A chaebol (Korean family-owned conglomerate), SK Group is the second largest such conglomerate by revenue in South Korea, after Samsun ...

began setting up large businesses in Ulsan.

established the shipyard in Ulsan and

started there. Later on

developed an oil refinery and petrochemical hub there. Ulsan soon transformed into a modern metropolitan city. On December 31, 1996, legislation on the promotion of Ulsan to a metropolitan city was declared. Ulsan was promoted to a metropolitan city in July 15, 1997.

Geography, geology, ecology

Geographically, Ulsan is located at the southeastern tip of the Korean Peninsula and the southern end of the

Taebaek Mountains The Taebaek Mountains () are a mountain range that stretches across North Korea and South Korea. They form the main ridge of the Korean peninsula. Geography The Taebaek mountains are located along the eastern edge of the peninsula and run alon ...

. The coastline, classified as a mountainous emergent coastline, exhibits relatively simple development and is adjacent to the East Sea. Ulsan is bounded on Busan. Busan is to the south.

Climate

Ulsan has a

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in Atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annu ...

-influenced

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 ...

(

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 ...

: ''Cfa'', bordering on ''Cwa''), with cold but dry winters, and hot, humid summers. Monthly means range from in January to in August, with diurnal temperature ranges generally low. Its location on the Korean peninsula results in a seasonal lag. The warmest days occur in August and averaging very near . Precipitation is relatively low in the winter months, but there is high rainfall from April to September.

Demographics

According to the 2015 census, a majority of Ulsan residents did not belong to any religion. Buddhism was the most common religion with 29.8% of residents being adherents, followed by Protestantism at 10.9% and Roman Catholicism at 4.2%.

Economy

As the centre of the ''Ulsan Industrial District'', the city is the corporate base of the multinational

Hyundai Hyundai is a former South Korean industrial conglomerate ("''chaebol''"), which was restructured into the following groups: * Hyundai Group, parts of the former conglomerate which have not been divested ** Hyundai Asan, a real estate construction ...

conglomerate. Up to 1962, Ulsan operated as a fishing port and market centre. As part of South Korea's first five-year economic plan, Ulsan became an open port. Additionally, the government designated Ulsan as a Special Industrial District, which encouraged development of major industrial plants and factories: an

, fertilizer plants, automobile production, and heavy industries were developed here. The

shipbuilding Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other Watercraft, floating vessels. In modern times, it normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation th ...

port

Bangeojin Bangeojin () is an area in the Dong-gu district of Ulsan, 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 a ...

was annexed by the city in 1962. Hyundai Group founded

in Ulsan in 1973, which effectively turned the city into a company town and drew a large influx of workers into the city. The company's importance to the city can be seen in its name's omnipresence, with a highway named after Hyundai's founder, and the hospital, school, theater, as well as many restaurants and department stores bearing the Hyundai name. Amid a global downturn in shipbuilding, Hyundai Heavy Industries sold $1 billion of assets and laid off large numbers of employees in 2016. The company borrowed money from the state-run

Korea Development Bank Korea Development Bank (KDB Bank) is a South Korean state-owned development bank which aims to encourage the industrial development of South Korea. It was founded in 1954 in accordance with The Korea Development Bank Act to finance and manage ...

in order to purchase

Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Hanwha Ocean Co., Ltd. (), formerly known as Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME; ), is one of the "Big Three" shipbuilders of South Korea, along with Hyundai and Samsung. History On 21 February 2011, the A. P. Moller-Maersk ...

, forming Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, with plans to move corporate headquarters to

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 ...

. Some view this downturn as an indicator of South Korea's over-reliance on

chaebol A chaebol ( , ; , ) is a large industrial South Korean conglomerate run and controlled by an individual or family. A chaebol often consists of multiple diversified affiliates, controlled by a person or group. Several dozen large South Kore ...

s, and fear that a period of

deindustrialization Deindustrialization is a process of social and economic change caused by the removal or reduction of industrial capacity or activity in a country or region, especially of heavy industry or manufacturing industry. There are different interpr ...

for Ulsan mirroring the United States'

Rust Belt The Rust Belt, formerly the Steel Belt or Factory Belt, is an area of the United States that underwent substantial Deindustrialization, industrial decline in the late 20th century. The region is centered in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic (Uni ...

could be on the horizon. The city has the world's third largest

with 840,000 BPD, owned by

. South Korea's no.3 S-oil refinery complex with 669,000BPD and 1.7million PX plant of world single largest facility, 39,000BPD lubricant base oil, owned by Saudi Aramco, is also in Ulsan. Ulsan is the home of the world's largest

assembly plant, with an annual capacity of 1,700,000 units, operated by

Hyundai Motors Hyundai Motor Company, often referred to as Hyundai Motors, ( ) and commonly known as Hyundai (), is a South Korean multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, which was founded in 1967. Currently, the company ow ...

. The plant started with 50,000 capacity in 1968 and has expanded 30 times to become the top complex in the world with its own export piers with logistics competitiveness. Its integrated design of related functions was inspired by the

Ford River Rouge Complex The Ford River Rouge complex (commonly known as the Rouge complex, River Rouge, or The Rouge) is a Ford Motor Company automobile factory complex located in Dearborn, Michigan, along the River Rouge (Michigan), River Rouge, upstream from its c ...

Dearborn, Michigan Dearborn is a city in Wayne County, Michigan, Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. An inner-ring Metro Detroit, suburb of Detroit, Dearborn borders Detroit to the south and west, roughly west of downtown Detroit. In the 2020 United States ...

. In November 2011,

SB LiMotive SB LiMotive was a 50:50 joint company of Bosch and Samsung SDI founded in June 2008. The joint venture developed and manufactured lithium-ion batteries for use in hybrid-, plug-in hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles. It was officially ended ...

opened an advanced

lithium-ion battery A lithium-ion or Li-ion battery is a type of rechargeable battery that uses the reversible intercalation of Li+ ions into electronically conducting solids to store energy. Li-ion batteries are characterized by higher specific energy, energ ...

production plant in Ulsan. SB LiMotive was a 50-50 consortium of

Samsung SDI Samsung SDI Co., Ltd. () is a battery and electronic materials manufacturer headquartered in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. Samsung SDI operates its business with Energy Solutions and Electronic Materials segment. The Energy Solution segment m ...

and

Robert Bosch GmbH Robert Bosch GmbH (; ), commonly known as Bosch (styled BOSCH), is a German multinational engineering and technology company headquartered in Gerlingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The company was founded by Robert Bosch in Stuttgart in 188 ...

. In September 2012, Samsung SDI bought out Robert Bosch GmbH's portion of SB LiMotive for $95 million to gain 100% ownership of the Ulsan production facility. The Ulsan plant is one of Samsung SDI's trio of advanced car-battery production facilities.

Hydrogen Town

The Ulsan Green Hydrogen Town is a

hydrogen Hydrogen is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol H and atomic number 1. It is the lightest and abundance of the chemical elements, most abundant chemical element in the universe, constituting about 75% of all baryon, normal matter ...

city being developed as a pilot project. As of October 2024, 188km of underground pipelines have been laid to connect hydrogen produced as a byproduct from petrochemical complexes to the city center.

Transportation

The city transport department plans to build a

light-rail Light rail (or light rail transit, abbreviated to LRT) is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology National Conference of the Transportation Research Board while also having some features fr ...

line. The bus system shows a specific ETA at most bus stops.

Ulsan Airport Ulsan Airport is an airport in Ulsan, 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 D ...

, constructed in 1970 and expanded in 1997, has more than 20 flights per day to and from

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 ...

and 4 flights per week to and from

Jeju International Airport Jeju International Airport is the second-largest airport in South Korea, just behind Incheon Airport in Incheon near Seoul. It is located in Jeju City. Operations Jeju International Airport, which opened in 1968, serves many mainland destin ...

. In November 2010, Korea's high-speed train network, the KTX, was extended to Ulsan.Ulsan-Seoul high-speed train service to start in November
Koreatimes.co.kr (2010-10-05). Retrieved on 2013-07-12. This provides a high-speed link to Seoul, with a running time of just over 2 hours. The new KTX station, Ulsan Station, is in nearby

Eonyang Eonyang () is an ''eup'', or large village, in Ulju-gun, a largely rural district of Ulsan, South Korea. It is near the Seoknam Nun's Temple. It has a traditional market every five days. Education Eonyang is home to two public schools which fo ...

, with a series of express buses (5001-5005), as well as some city buses serving the new station. The original city station has been renamed Taehwa River Station. In December 2016, 10 Hyundai ix35 FCEVs, the first hydrogen fuel cell taxis in the country, entered test operation.

Sports

The city hosts the

K League 1 The K League 1 () is a professional association football league in South Korea and the highest level of the South Korean football league system. The league is contested by twelve clubs. It is one of the most successful leagues in the Asian Foo ...

football club

Ulsan HD FC Ulsan HD FC (), formerly Ulsan Hyundai FC, is a South Korean professional football club based in Ulsan that competes in the K League 1, the top tier of South Korean football. Founded in 1983 as Hyundai Horang-i, they joined the K League in 1984. ...

. After the

2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea/Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams organized by ...

, they relocated from their former stadium in

, which is now a municipal ground, to the Munsu Stadium, which hosted several matches during the 2002 World Cup. The club have been crowned champions of Asia twice, winning the

AFC Champions League The AFC Champions League Elite (abbreviated as the ACL Elite) is an annual continental club association football, football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's List of top-division football clubs i ...

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

and

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

. Ulsan was home to another football team,

Ulsan Hyundai Mipo Dolphin FC Ulsan Hyundai Mipo Dockyard Dolphin Football Club () was a South Korean football club based in Ulsan. The club competed in the Korea National League between 2003 and 2016 and was owned and operated by Hyundai Mipo Dockyard. They played their home ...

, which played in the

Korea National League The Korea National League () was a South Korean semi-professional football league held annually from 2003 to 2019. It was considered the second-highest division of the South Korean football league system before the K League 2 was launched in 2013 ...

until 2016, when it was dissolved. Currently, Ulsan is home to another football team,

Ulsan Citizen FC Ulsan Citizen Football Club () is a South Korean association football, football club based in the city of Ulsan. The club plays in the K3 League, the third tier of football in South Korea. Following the club's foundation in 2018, it joined the K ...

, which plays in the

K3 League The K3 League is the third-highest division in the South Korean football league system. It was run as an amateur league until 2019, but was relaunched as a semi-professional league after absorbing the Korea National League in 2020. It is cur ...

. It is also home to the

University of Ulsan The University of Ulsan () (UOU) is a private university in Nam-gu, Ulsan, South Korea. It was founded on February 19, 1969 as the Ulsan Institute of Technology. The University was expanded into a four-year university on March 1, 1985. The Univ ...

and its sports programs. Ulsan also hosts

Korean Basketball League The Korean Basketball League () or simply KBL is a professional men's basketball league in South Korea which was established in 1997. The league consists of ten teams and each team plays a total of 54 games (27 home and 27 away) in the regular s ...

team

Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus The Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus is a professional basketball club in the Korean Basketball League. History Foundation and amateur era Before the professional Korean Basketball League was established in 1997, domestic basketball was an amateur s ...

. Their home ground is

Dongchun Gymnasium Dongchun Gymnasium is a multi-purpose indoor sporting arena located in Jung-gu, Ulsan, 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 Pen ...

, which located in Jung-Gu.

Lotte Giants The Lotte Giants () are a South Korean professional baseball, professional baseball team based in Busan. They are a member of the KBO League. The Lotte Giants are owned by Lotte Corporation. From 1982 through 1985, they played at Gudeok Baseball ...

, a

KBO League The KBO League () is a professional baseball league in South Korea. The league comprises ten teams. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers are the most success ...

baseball club in

, plays some of their home matches at the Ulsan Munsu Baseball Stadium.

Tourist attractions

In Yeongnam Alps, there are seven tall mountains ( Gajisan, Sinbulsan, Ganwolsan, Cheonhwangsan, Yeongchuksan, Goheonsan, Jaeyaksan) over 1,000m above sea level. Sinbulsan (MT.) Ridge, where grasses turn silver in autumn, is one of the best sights to see in the

Yeongnam Alps The Yeongnam Alps are a outlying range of the Taebaek Mountains. They consist of a group of relatively tall mountains in the Yeongnam region of southeastern South Korea. They are much shorter than the European Alps, only slightly over 1000 m. ...

. Eoksae festival is held every early October in Ganwoljae, which is best known for its colony of silver grass. Korea's largest traditional folk

Onggi ''Onggi'' () is earthenware extensively used as tableware and storage containers in Korea. The term includes both ceramic glaze, unglazed earthenware, fired near 600 to 700°C, and pottery with a dark brown ceramic glaze, glaze fired at over 1100 ...

(earthware) village is Oegosan. The traditional Onggi (earthware) manufacturing process is carried on here and is open to tourists, including Onggi workshops and kilns. The Ulsan Onggi museum offers a variety of information related to Onggi and displays a diversity of this earthware. As the only whale museum in Korea, Jangsaengpo Whale Museum collects, maintains and displays whaling-related artifacts. They have become more rare since 1986, when whaling was internationally prohibited in order to protect the species. The museum provides a variety of information related to whales and marine ecosystems; it is a space for education, research and experience. Whale cruises depart from Jangsaengpo port. Ulsan Grand Park is claimed as the best ecology park in a downtown area in Korea, boasting a vast area of . "Natural, Clean and Comfortable" are the main themes, and it is a place for urbanites to seek nature. It sponsors a variety of events and festivals for families. It is a pleasant place for relaxation where you can breathe in nature during daily life. In particular, the Rose Festival every June presents a feast for the eyes and nose. Taehwagang (River) National Garden; Simnidaesup (10-ri

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...

grove), one of the 12 scenic beauties of Ulsan, was restored; now the river and the bamboo grove are connected. This space expresses the related ecology of the area, showing the importance of nature and environment. It allows visitors the chance to observe and experience wildlife in its natural environment and to relax while being one of nature. Ulsan has beautiful beaches (Jinha, Ilsan). Daewangam Park features a lush, hundred-year-old pine forest.

Ganjeolgot Ganjeolgot () is a park in Seosaeng-myeon, Ulju County, Ulsan, South Korea. Due to its position on the southeastern side of the peninsula, it has become a popular destination for viewing the first sunrise of the year. Every New Year's Eve, pe ...

Cape is noted as the first place to see the sunrise from the Korean peninsula. A sunrise festival is held every New Year's Day. Ulsan Industry Park has been leading the Pacific Rim industry in the 21st century. Ulsan has

, with the world's largest single-purpose plant; Hyundai Heavy Industries, the biggest heavy industry leader in the world; Hyundai Mipo Shipbuilding, and Petrochemical Park, leaders in Korea's chemistry industry.

Festival

* April : Seo Duk-chul Original Children's Song Competitions * July ~ August : Ulsan Summer Festival * December 31 ~ January 1 : Ganjeolgot Sunrise Festival

In media

Ulsan is one of the filming locations of the

Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC; ) is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters. Its flagship terrestrial television station MBC TV broadcasts as channel 11. MBC News Now broadcasts as channel 12. Establish ...

2012 South Korean television melodrama series ''

May Queen In the British Isles and parts of the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, the May Queen or Queen of May is a personification of the May Day holiday of 1 May, and of Spring (season), springtime and the coming growing season. The May Queen is a ...

.''

Sister cities

The following table lists the

sister cities A sister city or a twin town relationship is International relations, a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there ar ...

of Ulsan:

Notable people

* Kim Young-chul, comedian and singer *

Kim Tae-hee Kim Tae-hee (; born 29 March 1980) is a South Korean actress. Considered one of South Korea's most beautiful actresses, she is best known for her roles in television series such as ''Stairway to Heaven'' (2003–2004), '' Love Story in Harvard ...

, actress *

Han Chae-ah Han Chae-ah (; born March 24, 1982), birth name Kim Seo-hyun (), is a South Korean actress. She is best known for her 2012 television drama In film and television show, television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or do ...

, actress *

Oh Yoon-ah Oh Yoon-ah () is a South Korean actress and a former racing model. Career Oh Yoon-ah began her career as a racing model (" race queen" or "pit babe"), and in 2000 she won the first Cyber Race Queen Contest. She became an entertainment reporte ...

, actress * Raina, singer ( After School and

Orange Caramel Orange Caramel () was the first subgroup of South Korean girl group After School. The subgroup was formed in 2010 with the third generation After School members Nana, Raina, and Lizzy. With no formal announcement of disbandment made, as o ...

) * Tei, singer *

Seo In-guk Seo In-guk (; born October 23, 1987) is a South Korean singer-songwriter and actor. He launched his singing career after winning the talent reality show '' Superstar K'' in 2009, and made his acting breakthrough in '' Reply 1997'' (2012). Since ...

, singer and actor * Yura, singer (

Girl's Day Girl's Day () is a South Korean girl group formed by Dream T Entertainment in 2010. The group consists of members Sojin, Minah, Yura, and Hyeri. Members Jisun and Jiin officially left the group in 2010, while Jihae left in late 2012. Aft ...

) *

Jang Ki-yong Jang Ki-yong (; born August 7, 1992) is a South Korean actor and model. He began his career in the modelling industry and debuted as an actor through a guest appearance on ''It's Okay, That's Love'' (2014). He gained popularity with ''Confessio ...

, model and actor * Kim Min-kyu, actor and former Produce X 101 contestant *

Yumdda Yeom Hyeon-su (; born April 20, 1984), better known as Yumdda (), is a South Korean rapper and former VJ for MTV Korea. On November 25, 2020, he and former Illionaire Records artist The Quiett established their new record label Daytona Ente ...

, rapper *

Lee Wan Lee Wan (; born January 3, 1984), born Kim Hyung-soo (), is a South Korean actor. Career Born as Kim Hyung-soo, he began his career in entertainment after starring in a music video alongside older sister, actress Kim Tae-hee. Using the stage ...

, actor *

Han So-hee Lee So-hee (; born November 18, 1993), better known by the stage name Han So-hee (), is a South Korean actress. She began her career as a supporting character in the television series ''Money Flower'' (2017), ''100 Days My Prince'' (2018), and ...

, actress *

Lee So-hee Lee So-hee (; ; born 14 June 1994) is a South Korean badminton player. She won the women's doubles title at the 2017 All England Open tournament. She also helped the Korean national team to win the world team championships at the 2017 Sudirm ...

, badminton player * Kim Su-ji, diver *

Bibi Bibi is a given name, nickname and surname. People with the nickname or stage name * Bibi Andersson (1935–2019), Swedish actress * Bibi (artist) (born 1964), French visual artist Fabrice Cahoreau * Bibi Baskin (born 1952), Irish former TV an ...

, singer *

Kim Seung-gyu Kim Seung-gyu (; born 30 September 1990) is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for J1 League club FC Tokyo and the South Korea national football team. Club career Kim was a much-anticipated youth player of Ulsan ...

, football player * Jung Woo-young, football player *

Lee Jae-sung Lee Jae-sung (; born 10 August 1992) is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for Bundesliga club Mainz 05 and the South Korea national team. Club career Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Lee joined Jeonb ...

, football player * Seol Young-woo, football player * Jasmine H. Yoon, United States District Judge for the Western District of Virginia

Administrative divisions

History

Geography, geology, ecology

Climate

Demographics

Economy

Hydrogen Town

Transportation

Sports

Tourist attractions

Festival

In media

Sister cities

Notable people

See also