| Chuncheon 춘천 |
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| — Municipal City — | |||
| Korean transcription(s) | |||
| • Hangul | 춘천시 | ||
| • Hanja | 春川市 | ||
| • Revised Romanization | Chuncheon-si | ||
| • McCune-Reischauer | Ch'unch'ŏn-si | ||
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Chuncheon
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | South Korea | ||
| Region | Gwanseo | ||
| Administrative divisions | 1 eup, 9 myeon, 15 dong | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 1,116.43 km2 (431.1 sq mi) | ||
| Population (June 2009) | |||
| • Total | 265,526 | ||
| • Density | 225/km2 (582.7/sq mi) | ||
| • Dialect | Gangwon | ||
Chuncheon (Korean: 춘천) is the capital of Gangwon Province, South Korea. The city lies in the northeast of the country, located in a basin formed by the Soyang River and Han River. There are some large lakes around the city, most notably Lake Soyang and Lake Uiam. The area is renowned for its small river islands, such as Sangjungdo, Ha-Jungdo, Bungeo Island, and Wido.
It is now a popular destination among East Asian tourists as it was featured in the popular Korean drama Winter Sonata. It is where the resort island of Namiseom is located.
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The area now occupied by the city was first settled about 1000 years ago by tribal communities. In 637 the city was called Usooju. In 757 it was renamed Saku and again in 940 as Chunju (春州) before receiving its current name in 1413. In 1896, Chuncheon became the capital city of Gangwon province. The city was largely destroyed during the Korean War, but has since been reconstructed.
In 1995 Chuncheon city merged politically with the government of the surrounding Chuncheon county.
In the spring, the Chuncheon International Mime Festival is organized, as well as the Spring Season Art Festival. In the summer, the Chuncheon Puppet Festival takes place. There is also a festival for Makguksu, a food that Chuncheon is famous for. Also celebrated in the summer, is the International Animation Festival. The city has had its own annual marathon race since 1946; the Chuncheon Marathon is held every October. In winter, snow and ice festivals are organized. Currently, MAC Architects-Consultants Group Ltd. (명승건축그룹) is building the Design and Arts Arcadia of Myungseung in Chuncheon and will serve to become an internationally recognized cultural landmark.
Chuncheon is famous for its "dak galbi", which translates as chicken ribs. It consists of chicken, Chinese cabbage, sweet potatoes, tteok (rice cakes), and scallions, mixed with a spicy sauce heavy on gochujang. It is usually cooked in a big iron pan in the center of the table, but the traditional method is over charcoal. Despite the name, the dish is traditionally made from leg meat, not ribs. [1]
The city was historically known as a centre for chicken farms. There is even a street in the city dedicated to restaurants serving the dish, with some 25 restaurants populating the area.[2]
The other major dish famous in Chuncheon is makguksu.
Chuncheon is the market centre for agricultural produce from the surrounding lands. The main products are rice and soybeans. Since the 1960s light industry has become dominant in the city. After the huge success of the TV drama Winter Sonata, the city has also become a major "Korean wave" (Han-ryu, 한류) tourist destination, attracting visitors from around East Asia.[3]
There are hydroelectric powerplants in the area around Chuncheon. The Soyang Dam is the largest sand gravel dam in East Asia.[4]
Chuncheon is home to 5 universities: Chuncheon National University of Education, established in 1939, Kangwon National University, founded 1947, and Hallym University, established in 1982, Hallym Sungsim University, Korea Politec 3 University.
As of February 2011, the two important train stations in metropolitan Chuncheon are, the terminus of the Gyeongchun Line, Chuncheon Station, and hugely used by the city's most poplulated southern (Toegye-dong and Seoksa-dong) residents, Namchuncheon Station. Both of them are on the run successfully. This is a double track rapid transit connecting the city to Sangbong Station in Seoul. As of December 21, 2010, a new realigned twin track electrified line has been successfully constructed and several new stations are being constructed to replace the existing halts. It is also the northern terminus of the Jungang Expressway, eastern terminus of the new Seoul-Chuncheon Expressway, and various national and regional roads connect it to the outlying regions of Gangwon or Gyeonggi, with Chuncheon Bus Terminal. Highway buses to Daegu and Gwangju (both "metropolitan city") also operates in Highway-bus Terminal, which nears. There are also river transport facilities in Soyangho (Lake Soyang), which connects to Cheongpyeongsa (청평사, Buddhist) temple.[4]
Chuncheon has cold winters and hot summers. The lowest measured temperature was −27.9°C (February 6, 1969),[5] and the highest was 36.6°C (July 21, 1972).[6] The annual precipitation is an average of 1347.3 mm.
| Climate data for Chuncheon (1981−2010) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 1.3 (34.3) |
5.1 (41.2) |
11.1 (52.0) |
19.1 (66.4) |
23.9 (75.0) |
27.6 (81.7) |
29.1 (84.4) |
29.8 (85.6) |
25.5 (77.9) |
19.6 (67.3) |
11.0 (51.8) |
3.8 (38.8) |
17.2 (63.0) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −4.6 (23.7) |
−1.3 (29.7) |
4.5 (40.1) |
11.6 (52.9) |
17.1 (62.8) |
21.7 (71.1) |
24.5 (76.1) |
24.6 (76.3) |
19.4 (66.9) |
12.5 (54.5) |
5.0 (41.0) |
−1.7 (28.9) |
11.1 (52.0) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −9.9 (14.2) |
−6.9 (19.6) |
−1.3 (29.7) |
4.4 (39.9) |
10.8 (51.4) |
16.5 (61.7) |
20.8 (69.4) |
20.8 (69.4) |
14.8 (58.6) |
7.1 (44.8) |
0.1 (32.2) |
−6.4 (20.5) |
5.9 (42.6) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 20.3 (0.799) |
23.8 (0.937) |
41.7 (1.642) |
62.3 (2.453) |
104.0 (4.094) |
123.1 (4.846) |
383.8 (15.11) |
317.5 (12.5) |
160.9 (6.335) |
44.3 (1.744) |
44.7 (1.76) |
20.9 (0.823) |
1,347.3 (53.043) |
| % humidity | 69.3 | 65.4 | 63.1 | 59.2 | 66.2 | 71.8 | 79.6 | 79.8 | 78.0 | 75.3 | 73.1 | 71.7 | 71.0 |
| Avg. precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 6.8 | 6.3 | 7.8 | 7.3 | 9.1 | 10.1 | 15.5 | 13.7 | 8.2 | 6.0 | 7.9 | 7.3 | 106 |
| Sunshine hours | 165.7 | 172.4 | 197.6 | 215.5 | 221.3 | 200.6 | 144.2 | 169.1 | 173.8 | 174.1 | 141.3 | 148.7 | 2,124.2 |
| Source: Korea Meteorological Administration [7] | |||||||||||||
Chuncheon-si protested against the enactment of "Day of Takeshima" ordinance of Shimane Prefecture and announced to suspend the sisterhood relationship with Kakamigahara in March, 2005. [8]
| City | State | Country | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Higashichikuma District | Nagano Prefecture | Japan | June 8, 1984 |
| Hōfu | Yamaguchi Prefecture | Japan | October 29, 1991 |
| Kakamigahara | Gifu Prefecture | Japan | October 31, 2003 |
| Addis Ababa | Addis Ababa (State) | Ethiopia | May 2, 2004 |
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