Gyeongsang Province Explained

Type:province of the kingdom of Great Joseon
Gyeongsang Province
Translit Lang1:Korean
Translit Lang1 Type:Korean
Translit Lang1 Info:경상도
Translit Lang1 Type1:Hanja
Translit Lang1 Info2:Gyeongsang-do
Translit Lang1 Info3:Kyŏngsang-do
Translit Lang2:Short name
Translit Lang2 Type:Korean
Translit Lang2 Info:경상
Translit Lang2 Type1:Hanja
Translit Lang2 Info2:Gyeongsang
Translit Lang2 Info3:Kyŏngsang
Mapsize:189px
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Korea
Subdivision Type1:Region
Subdivision Name1:Yeongnam
Seat Type:Capital
Parts Style:para
Leader Title:Mayor
Blank Name Sec1:Dialect
Blank Info Sec1:Gyeongsang

Gyeongsang (Korean: 경상도|Gyeongsang-do; pronounced as /ko/) was one of the Eight Provinces of Joseon Korea. Gyeongsang was located in southeastern Korea.

The provincial capital of Gyeongsang was Daegu. The region was the birthplace of the kingdom of Silla, which unified Korea in 668 CE. The region also has a highly significant role in modern Korean history; every non-acting South Korean president from 1963 to 2022 except Choi Kyu-hah (1979-1980) had ancestry from Gyeongsang, and all except Lee Myung-bak were also born in Gyeongsang.

Today, the historical region is divided into five administrative divisions: the three independent cities of Busan, Daegu and Ulsan, and the two provinces of North Gyeongsang Province (Gyeongsangbuk-do, often shortened to Gyeongbuk) and South Gyeongsang Province (Gyeongsangnam-do, often shortened to Gyeongnam). The largest city in the historical region is Busan, followed by Daegu.

History

The predecessor to Gyeongsang Province was formed during the Goryeo (918-1392), replacing the former provinces of Yeongnam, Sannam and Yeongdong.

Gyeongsang acquired its current name in 1314. The name derives from names of the principal cities of Gyeongju and Sangju .

In 1895, Gyeongsang was replaced by the districts of Andong in the north, Daegu in the centre, Jinju in the southwest, and Dongnae (; now Busan) in the southeast.

In 1896, Andong, Daegu, and northern Dongnae Districts were merged to form North Gyeongsang, and Jinju and southern Dongnae districts were merged to form South Gyeongsang. North and South Gyeongsang are part of South Korea today.

Language

The language used in Gyeongsang province (south and north) is the Yeongnam dialect of Korean, also called the Gyeongsang dialect, and the intonation and vocabulary is different from the standard Seoul dialect (표준어, pyojuneo) in several ways. Yeongnam dialect itself is further subdivided into several dialects. For example, Busan dialect is slightly different from Andong dialect and Uljin dialect.

Examples of different intonation and vocabulary
English Seoul dialect Gyeongsang dialect
key 열쇠 yeolsoe 쇳대 soetdae (in Busan)
whole, every, all 모두 modu, 언제나 eonjena, 항시 hangsi 마카 maka (in Yaecheon county)
Why do you do that? (asking reason of an action-sentence) 왜 그래요? Wae geuraeyo?, 왜 그러세요? Wae geureoseyo? 와 그랑교? Wa geuranggyo? (in Southern Gyeongsang, Busan, Ulsan)
와 그리니껴? Wa geurinikkyeo? (in Northern Gyeongsang)

Geography

Gyeongsang Province was bounded on the west by Jeolla and Chungcheong Provinces, on the north by Gangwon Province, on the south by Korea Strait, and on the east by the Sea of Japan. The region is ringed by the Taebaek and Sobaek Mountains and is drained by the Nakdong River.

The largest cities in the region are Busan, Daegu, and Ulsan. Other cities of note are Gyeongju (the former capital of Silla), Andong, Yeongju, Sangju, Gimcheon, Miryang, Gimhae, Changwon (the capital of South Gyeongsang), Masan, and Jinju.

The Gyeongsang region as a whole is often referred to by the regional and former provincial name of "Yeongnam" (The term "Yeongdong" is applied today to Gangwon Province).

External links