Kwangju n : city in southwestern South Korea; an important military base during the Korean War

Gwangju Metropolitan City is the sixth largest city in South Korea. Gwangju 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, Muan in 2005.

Gwang (광,光) means light. Ju (주,州) means province.

History

The city was established in 57 BC, and has been a major political and economic centre of Korea ever since. It was one of the administrative centres of Baekje during the Three Kingdoms Period.

With the construction of a railway to Seoul in 1914, modern industry was established. This includes cotton textiles, rice mills and breweries. Construction of a designated industrial zone in 1967 encouraged marked growth in industry, especially in the sectors linked to the automobile industry.

In 1929, during the period of Japanese occupation, a confrontation between Korean and Japanese students in the city turned into a regional demonstration, which culminated in one of the major nationwide uprisings against Japanese rule during the colonial period.

In May 1980, civil demonstrations took place in Gwangju against the newly installed military government of Chun Doo-hwan. The demonstrations were suppressed by military forces, including elite units of the Special Operations Command. Most commentators agree that the suppression was characterized by its egregious brutality, including several incidents where military forces fired automatic weapons into crowds of unarmed demonstrators. Some commentators assert the United States is partly responsible for the mass killing in the city, because of its tacit endorsement of the Chun Doo-hwan regime and the mobilization of some units which normally required approval from the U.S. military command. Gwangju is sometimes called "the shrine of Korean democracy" because of this incident, which is known today as the Gwangju Massacre. After civilian rule was reinstated, a national cemetery was established honoring the victims of the incident.

Administrative divisions

Gwangju is divided into 5 districts ("Gu").

Amenities

Chonnam National University, Chosun University, Honam University and Gwangju University are the major educational institutions in the city, with several other universities and colleges also located in the region. Areas of exquisite scenery along the outskirts of the city gave birth to gasa, a form of Korean classical poetry. Located in the heart of the agricultural Jeolla region, the city is also famous for its rich and diverse cuisine.

Transportation

Gwangju has one subway line. An extension to the line is under construction. There are also two KTX stations in the city: Gwangju Station and Songjeong-ri Station. Neither of these is yet connected to the subway network, though there are plans to extend include Songjeong-ri in the extension.

Gwangju Airport and Muan International Airport serve Gwangju.

People

Actress Moon Geun Young is one of the notable contemporaries from Gwangju. The city boasts three Major League Baseball players: Choi Hee Seop, Kim Byung Hyun and Seo Jae Weong, who also came from the same high school. Although former president Kim Dae-jung is not a native of the city, he is so widely honoured throughout the city that a convention center was named after him.

Jung Yun Ho a member of popular South Korean boy group Dong Bang Shin Ki and model Kim Eun mi.

Big Bang (group) member, Seungri, is also a notable from Gwangju.

Bass guitarist Trish Doan from the Canadian all-female metal band Kittie was born in and adopted from Gwangju. The first Korean astronaut, Yi So-yeon, was born in Gwangju.

Education

• Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology

Sister cities

• flagicon China Guangzhou, China
• flagicon United States San Antonio, United States http://www.sanantonio.gov/iad/Gwangju.asp
• flagicon Japan Sendai, Japan http://www.city.sendai.jp/soumu/kouhou/press/02-06-19/gwangju-e.html
• flagicon ROC Tainan City, Taiwan
• flagicon Indonesia Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia http://www.kotamedan.com/main/medan.htm

See also

• Gwangju Biennale
• Gwangju National Museum
• List of Korea-related topics
• List of cities in South Korea

commonscat Gwangju

External links

• Official website of Gwangju
• Cafe Gwangju Information Guide to Gwangju City
• The May 18 Memorial Foundation
• Open Directory list of sites related to Gwangju