| Gijang County | |
|---|---|
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 기장군 |
| Hanja | 機張郡 |
| Revised Romanization | Gijang-gun |
| McCune–Reischauer | Kijang kun |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 217.9 km2 (84.1 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) | 103,784 |
| Population density | 476.3/km2 (1,233.6/sq mi) |
| Administrative divisions | 2 eup, 3 myeon |
Gijang County is a gun, or county, located between Haeundae-gu and Ulsan in northern Busan, South Korea.
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Gijang first appears under its current name in the annals of the year 757, during the Unified Silla period. At that time it was made the hyeon of Gijang, part of Dongnae-gun. The Samguk Sagi records that it was known as Gaphwayanggok (甲火良谷) previously.
Historical landmarks in the county include the Buddhist temple of Jangansa, said to have been first built by Wonhyo in the 7th century. The 14th-century Gijang fortress wall has been preserved, as has a Japanese fortress dating from Hideyoshi's invasions of Korea in the 1590s.
Gijang is the most rural of Busan's districts, and consists mostly of vacant and agricultural land. Approximately 156.7 of its 217.9 square kilometers are empty and forested, mostly hilly land. The county's population has risen steadily since 1990, when it stood at 56,847.
Due to its location along the coast of the Sea of Japan (East Sea), Gijang is known as a center for the production of various kinds of seafood. These include anchovies and brown seaweed (miyeok).
Gijang is also the current residence of the new Busan International Foreign School, which the Ministry of Education recently spent 46.9 Billion won. It offers a world-class education and is the upmost preferred school amongst expats living in Busan.
Apart from the culture-historical and Buddhist sites mentioned above, other points of interest in Gijang include Toam Pottery Park and Ilgwang Beach.
Gijang is divided into five parts:
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