| Icheon | |
| Native Name: | Korean: 이천시 |
| Settlement Type: | Municipal City |
| Translit Lang1: | Korean |
| Blank Emblem Type: | Emblem of Icheon |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Type2: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Sudogwon |
| Subdivision Name2: | Gyeonggi |
| Parts Type: | Administrative divisions |
| Parts: | 2 eup, 8 myeon, 4 dong |
| Area Total Km2: | 461.3 |
| Population Total: | 224,077 |
| Population As Of: | October, 2022 |
| Population Density Km2: | 485.8 |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Dialect |
| Population Blank1: | Seoul |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Kyung Hee Kim (김경희) |
| Website: | icheon.go.kr |
| Translit Lang1 Type1: | Hangul |
| Translit Lang1 Info1: | Korean: 이천시 |
| Translit Lang1 Type2: | Hanja |
| Translit Lang1 Info2: | Korean: {{linktext|利|川|市 |
| Translit Lang1 Info3: | Icheon-si |
| Translit Lang1 Info4: | Ich'ŏn-si |
| Coordinates: | 37.2667°N 153°W |
Icheon (; pronounced as /ko/) is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea.
Together with Yeoju, Icheon is known as a center of South Korean ceramic manufacturing and is a UNESCO City of Crafts and Folk Art. Other famous local products include peaches and rice. Local institutions of higher learning include Korea Tourism College and Chungkang College of Cultural Industries.
Icheon is home to Hynix, the world's second largest memory chip maker.
Major building fires occurred on 7 January 2008 and on 29 April 2020.
Neighboring districts include Yeoju City, Gwangju City, Yongin City, and Anseong City within Gyeonggi Province, as well as Eumseong County in North Chungcheong Province.
The Yeongdong Expressway and Jungbu Naeryuk Expressway pass through Icheon. In 2016, the city will connect into the Seoul Metropolitan Subway via Yeoju Line's Icheon Station.[1]
Icheon-si is divided into 2 towns (eup), 8 townships (myeon), and 4 neighbourhoods (dong).
| Hangul | Hanja | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Janghowon-eup | 장호원읍 | 長湖院邑 | |
| Bubal-eup | 부발읍 | 夫鉢邑 | |
| Sindun-myeon | 신둔면 | 新屯面 | |
| Baeksa-myeon | 백사면 | 栢沙面 | |
| Hobeop-myeon | 호법면 | 戶法面 | |
| Majang-myeon | 마장면 | 麻長面 | |
| Daewol-myeon | 대월면 | 大月面 | |
| Moga-myeon | 모가면 | 暮加面 | |
| Seolseong-myeon | 설성면 | 雪星面 | |
| Yul-myeon | 율면 | 栗面 | |
| Changjeon-dong | 창전동 | 倉前洞 | |
| Jeungpo-dong | 증포동 | 增浦洞 | |
| Jungni-dong | 중리동 | 中里洞 | |
| Gwango-dong | 관고동 | 官庫洞 |
There are 230,000 people living, including about 220,000 Koreans and 11,000 foreigners. More than 1,200 companies employ about 40,000 people.[2]
Icheon has a humid continental climate (Dwa in the Köppen climate classification).
The Icheon Ceramics Village features 300-plus ceramics-making firms in the area of Sugwang-ri, Sindun-myeon, Saeum-dong, and a popular visitor attraction.[3] They use traditional skills and produce porcelains in some 40 traditional firewood kilns. This pottery is recognized both at home and abroad for its quality.
The Saeum-dong and Sindun-myeon areas also include a ceramics village with many ceramics stores. Potters have researched traditional methods and revived the manufacture of ceramics in the style of Goryeo celadon and Joseon white porcelain here. The village is the center of the effort to preserve these traditions.[4]
Icheon was designated as a UNESCO Creative City for Crafts and Folk Art, in in 2010. In 2018, the city was elected as the first designated city for Craft and Folk Art among South Korea's creative cities. It served as the designated city until September 2021.[5]
See also: International students in South Korea.
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in South Korea. Icheon is twinned with:[6]
Jingdezhen, China (1997)
Kōka, Japan (2005)
Santa Fe, United States (2013) Seto, Japan (2006) Wuxi, China (2005)
Limoges, France (2015) Santa Clara, United States (2019)