| Gwangju | |
| Official Name: | Gwangju Metropolitan City |
| Native Name: | Korean: 광주광역시 |
| Settlement Type: | Metropolitan City |
| Translit Lang1: | |
| Image Blank Emblem: | Emblem of Gwangju.svg |
| Blank Emblem Type: | Logo |
| Pushpin Map: |
|
| Pushpin Label Position: | right |
| Pushpin Relief: | 1 |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Honam |
| Parts Type: | Districts |
| Parts: | 5 |
| Government Type: | Mayor–Council |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Title1: | Body |
| Leader Name1: | Gwangju Metropolitan Council |
| Area Total Km2: | 501.24 |
| Population Total: | 1,432,651 |
| Population As Of: | November 2022 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Dialect |
| Population Blank1: | Jeolla |
| Iso Code: | KR-29 |
| Demographics Type2: | GDP |
| Demographics2 Footnotes: | [1] |
| Demographics2 Title1: | Total |
| Demographics2 Info1: | KR₩ 45 trillion US$ 36 billion (2022) |
| Translit Lang1 Type1: | Hangul |
| Translit Lang1 Info1: | Korean: {{linktext|광주|광역시 |
| Translit Lang1 Type2: | Hanja |
| Translit Lang1 Info2: | Korean: {{linktext|光|州|廣|域|市 |
| Blank Name: | Flower |
| Blank Info: | Royal Azalea |
| Blank1 Name: | Tree |
| Blank1 Info: | Ginkgo |
| Blank2 Name: | Bird |
| Blank2 Info: | Dove |
| Area Code: | +82-61 |
| Timezone1: | Korea Standard Time |
| Utc Offset1: | +9 |
Gwangju (pronounced as /ko/), formerly romanized as Kwangju, is South Korea's sixth-largest metropolis. It is a designated metropolitan city under the direct control of the central government's Home Minister. The city was also the capital of South Jeolla Province until the provincial office moved to the southern village of Namak in Muan County in 2005 because Gwangju was promoted to a metropolitan city and was independent of South Jeolla province.
Its name is composed of the words gwang meaning "light" and ju meaning "province". Gwangju was historically recorded as Muju, in which "Silla merged all of the land to establish the provinces of Gwangju, Ungju, Jeonju, Muju and various counties, plus the southern boundary of Goguryeo and the ancient territories of Silla" in the Samguk Sagi.[2] In the heart of the agricultural Jeolla region, the city is also famous for its rich and diverse cuisine.
The city was established in 57 BC. It was one of the administrative centers of Baekje during the Three Kingdoms period.[3]
During the Imperial Japanese rule, the city was known as Kōshū. In 1929, a confrontation between Korean and Japanese students in the city turned into Gwangju Student Independence Movement, a regional demonstration, which culminated in one of the major nationwide uprisings against Imperial Japanese cruelty during the colonial period.
The modern industry was established in Gwangju with the construction of a railway to Seoul. Some of the industries that took hold include cotton textiles, rice mills and breweries. Construction of a designated industrial zone in 1967 encouraged growth in industry, especially in the sectors linked to the automobile industry.
In May 1980, peaceful demonstrations took place in Gwangju against Chun Doo-hwan, leader of the military coup d'état of 12 December 1979. The demonstrations were suppressed by military forces, including elite units of the Special Operations Command. The situation escalated after a violent crackdown, resulting in the Gwangju Uprising, where civilians raided armories and armed themselves. By the time the uprising was suppressed 9 days later, many hundreds of civilians and several police forces / soldiers were dead. After civilian rule was reinstated in 1987, a national cemetery was established to honor the victims of the incident.[4]
In 1986, Gwangju separated from South Jeolla Province to become a Directly Governed City (Jikhalsi), and then became a Metropolitan City (Gwangyeoksi) in 1995.[3]
Due to a variety of factors, including the ancient rivalry between Baekje and Silla, as well as the biased priority given to the Gyeongsang region by political leaders in the 2nd half of the 20th century, Gwangju has a long history of voting for left-leaning politicians and is the main stronghold for the liberal Democratic Party of Korea along with its predecessors, as well as the progressive Justice Party.
Gwangju held many sports events such as 2002 FIFA World Cup, 2015 Summer Universiade, 2019 World Aquatics Championships.
See main article: List of districts of Gwangju. Gwangju is divided into 5 districts ("Gu").
| Map | Name | Korean | Hanja | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
< | -- This section is causing a memory leak of some sort --> | |||
| Districts | ||||
| Buk District | Korean: 북구 | Korean: {{linktext|北區 | ||
| Dong District | Korean: 동구 | Korean: {{linktext|東區 | ||
| Gwangsan District | Korean: 광산구 | Korean: {{linktext|光|山|區 | ||
| Nam District | Korean: 남구 | Korean: {{linktext|南區 | ||
| Seo District | Korean: 서구 | Korean: {{linktext|西區 | ||
According to the census of 2015, 9.5% of the population followed Buddhism and 28.7% followed Christianity (20% Protestantism and 8.7% Catholicism) 61% of the population are irreligious.
The estimated population of Gwangju is as follows:[5]
| Year | Population | |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 409,283 | |
| 1966 | 532,235 | |
| 1970 | 622,755 | |
| 1975 | 737,283 | |
| 1980 | 856,545 | |
| 1985 | 1,042,508 | |
| 1990 | 1,139,003 | |
| 1995 | 1,257,636 | |
| 2000 | 1,352,797 | |
| 2005 | 1,417,716 | |
| 2010 | 1,475,745 | |
| 2016 | 1,500,621 |
Gwangju has a cooler version of the humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cfa/Cwa) with four distinct seasons and rainfall year-round but particularly during the East Asian Monsoon Season in the summer months.
Winters, while still somewhat cold, are milder than in Seoul and cities further north due to the city's southwesterly position in the Korean peninsula. Summers are hot and humid with abundant precipitation, particularly in the form of thunderstorms. Gwangju is one of the warmest cities in Korea in the summer due to its geographic location.
Chonnam National University, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, and Gwangju Education University are public universities in Gwangju.
Honam University, Gwangju University, Gwangshin University, Gwangju Women's University, Nambu University, Chosun University, and Honam Christian University are private universities.
Gwangju Health University is a private community college offering associate degrees in humanities and social sciences, healthcare sciences, and a bachelor's degree in nursing.
Gwangju has 593 schools, consisting of 234 kindergartens, 145 elementary schools, 84 middle schools, 65 high schools, 1 science high school,[9] 7 junior colleges, 9 universities, 38 graduate schools, and 11 others (as of 1 May 2009) with a total of 406,669 students, or 28.5% of the total city population. The average number of students per household is 0.8.
The city is served by the Gwangju Subway. An extension was completed in April 2008 with the remainder being completed in 2012. There are two KTX stations in the city: Gwangju station and Gwangju Songjeong Station. Gwangju Songjeong Station connects to the Gwangju Subway and local bus system. Now the Songjeong station is mainly used.
Gwangju has an extensive system of public buses that traverse the city.[10] Bus stops and buses themselves contain stop information in Korean and in English. Local buses, but not the subway or KTX, connect to the intercity Gwangju Bus Terminal known as U-Square.[11]
Gwangju is also served by the Gwangju Airport.
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in South Korea.
Adelaide, Australia (2002)
Changzhi, China (2014)
Edmonton, Canada (2008) Guangzhou, China (1996)
Medan, Indonesia (1997)
San Antonio, United States (1982)
Sendai, Japan (2002)
Tainan, Taiwan (1968)
Turin, Italy[23]
Seberang Perai, Malaysia (2013)[24]