Dongdaemun District (, "Great Eastern Gate") is one of the 25

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivision ...

s of

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

. Dongdaemun has a population of 346,770 (2010) and has a geographic area of 14.22 km² (5.49

sq mi The square mile (abbreviated as sq mi and sometimes as mi2)Rowlett, Russ (September 1, 2004) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved February 22, 2012. is an imperial and US unit of measure for area. One square mile is an are ...

), and is divided into 14 '' dong'' (administrative neighborhoods). Dongdaemun is located in northeastern Seoul, bordering the city districts of Seongbuk to the northwest,

Jongno Jongno or Jong-ro ( ko, 종로), literally meaning "Bell Street", is a trunk road and one of the oldest major east–west thoroughfares in Seoul, South Korea. Jongno connects Gwanghwamun Plaza to Dongdaemun. The area surrounding Jongno is a p ...

to the west, Seongdong to the south, Gwangjin to the southeast, and Jungnang to the east. Dongdaemun is part of the '' Seongjeosimni'' (Outer old Seoul) area and is named after

Heunginjimun Heunginjimun, literally "Gate of Rising Benevolence" or more commonly known as Dongdaemun, is one of The Eight Gates of Seoul in the Fortress Wall of Seoul, a prominent landmark in central Seoul, South Korea. The Korean name "Dongdaemun" means "G ...

, one of the Eight Gates of Seoul which is not located within the district. Dongdaemun is home to the

University of Seoul The University of Seoul (UOS; ) is a municipal public university in Seoul, South Korea. UOS is famous in South Korea for a large number of alumni working as national or municipal government officials. UOS is specialized in urban science and has ...

, Cheongnyangni station, and to

Gyeongdong Market Gyeongdong Market or Kyungdong Market, located in Dongdaemun District, Seoul, is one of the largest herbal medicine and ginseng markets of South Korea. Since its establishment in 1960, the market supplies 70 percent of the nation's herbal medicin ...

, one of the largest

herbal medicine Herbal medicine (also herbalism) is the study of pharmacognosy and the use of medicinal plants, which are a basis of traditional medicine. With worldwide research into pharmacology, some herbal medicines have been translated into modern remedie ...

and

agricultural Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peopl ...

markets in South Korea. Yoo Deok-yeol (유덕열) of the Democratic Party has been the mayor of Dongdaemun since July 2010.

History

Dongdaemun District was first created in 1943 when the "gu" system started and was larger in area than it is today.

Seongbuk District Seongbuk District (Seongbuk-gu) is one of the 25 '' gu'' which make up the city of Seoul, South Korea. It is located in the mid-north part of the city. The current Mayor is Kim Young-bae (김영배), who has been mayor since July 1, 2010. Seongbuk ...

separated from the district in 1949, and Changsin Dong and Sungin Dong were given to

Jongno District Bosingak bell pavilion Jongno District () is a district () in central Seoul, South Korea. It takes its name from a major local street, Jongno, which means "Bell Road". Characteristics Jongno District has been the center of the city for 600 ye ...

in 1975. An additional 17 ''dong'' (neighborhoods) separated to become

Jungnang District Jungnang District (Jungnang-gu) is one of the 25 ''gu'', or districts, of Seoul, South Korea. It is located on the north side of the Han River. It is characterized by a typical residential area with many natural green areas such as Yongma, Mang ...

in 1988.

Administrative divisions

Dongdaemun District currently comprises 14 ''dongs''. *

Cheongnyangni-dong Cheongnyangni-dong is a neighbourhood, '' dong'' of Dongdaemun-gu in Seoul, South Korea. At this dong, there are many convenient buildings like many kinds of financial companies and banks, a branch of Lotte Department Store, and Cheongnyangni S ...

* Dapsimni 1-dong * Dapsimni 2-dong *

Hoegi-dong Hoegi-dong is a '' dong'', neighbourhood of Dongdaemun-gu in Seoul, South Korea. See also *Administrative divisions of South Korea South Korea is made up of 17 first-tier administrative divisions: 6 metropolitan cities (''gwangyeoksi'' ) ...

* Hwigyeong 1-dong * Hwigyeong 2-dong * Imun 1-dong * Imun 2-dong * Jangan 1-dong * Jangan 2-dong * Jegi-dong * Jeonnong 1-dong * Jeonnong 2-dong * Yongsin-dong

Transportation

Underground

Korail The Korea Railroad Corporation ( Korean: 한국철도공사, Hanja: ), branded as KORAIL (코레일, officially changed to in November 2019), is the national railway operator in South Korea. Currently, KORAIL is a public corporation, manag ...

(Korean Railway) and

Seoul Metro Seoul Transportation Corporation, branded as Seoul Metro (Hangul: ), is a municipal-owned corporation owned by Seoul Metropolitan Government, and one of the two major operators of Seoul Metropolitan Subway with Korail. History * May 31, 2017 ...

;* Underground Line 1 ;;;(

Jongno-gu file:Korea-Seoul-Bosingak-05.jpg, Bosingak bell pavilion Jongno District () is a district () in central Seoul, South Korea. It takes its name from a major local street, Jongno, which means "Bell Road". Characteristics Jongno District has been th ...

) ← Sinseol-dong — Jegi-dong — Cheongnyangni — Hoegi —

Hankuk University of Foreign Studies Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (abbreviated as HUFS; Korean: 한국외국어대학교) is a private research university based in Seoul, in South Korea. HUFS consistently ranks as one of the best universities in South Korea. The university ...

— Sinimun → (

Seongbuk-gu Seongbuk District (Seongbuk-gu) is one of the 25 '' gu'' which make up the city of Seoul, South Korea. It is located in the mid-north part of the city. The current Mayor is Kim Young-bae (김영배), who has been mayor since July 1, 2010. Seongb ...

) *

;* Underground Line 2 ;;; Sinseol-dong — Yongdu → (

Seongdong-gu Seongdong District (Seongdong-gu) is one of the 25 '' gu'' which make up the city of Seoul, South Korea. It is situated on the north bank of the Han River. It is divided into 20 ''dong'' (neighbourhoods). Administrative divisions Seongdong Dist ...

) *

Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation (SMRT) was established in 1994 to operate the Seoul Subway lines 5, 6, 7, 8 in Seoul, South Korea. The corporation operated a total of 201 subway trains at 148 stations on lines 5-8. The operatio ...

;* Underground Line 5 ;;;(

) ← Dapsimni — Janghanpyeong → (

Gwangjin-gu Gwangjin District (Gwangjin-gu) is one of the 25 wards (''gu'') of Seoul, South Korea. It is located on the north bank of the Han River, to the eastern end of Seoul. It was created from neighboring Seongdong District in 1995. Gwangjin District ...

) *

(Korean Railway) ;* Jungang Section Line from Yongsan to Paldang ;;;(

) ← Cheongnyangni (aboveground) — Hoegi → (

Jungnang-gu Jungnang District (Jungnang-gu) is one of the 25 ''gu'', or districts, of Seoul, South Korea. It is located on the north side of the Han River. It is characterized by a typical residential area with many natural green areas such as Yongma, Mang ...

) There are more stations will add.

Geography

Dongdaemun District borders

to the north-west,

to the east (with the

Jungnangcheon The Jungnangcheon (hangul: 중랑천) is a tributary of Seoul's Han River. It is generated in the valley of Dorak Mountain of Yangju, Gyeonggi-do. Cheonggyecheon is a tributary of Jungnangcheon. Its whole river basin extends to 299.9 km² ...

stream forming the border),

Gwangjin District Gwangjin District (Gwangjin-gu) is one of the 25 wards (''gu'') of Seoul, South Korea. It is located on the north bank of the Han River, to the eastern end of Seoul. It was created from neighboring Seongdong District in 1995. Gwangjin District ...

to the south-east,

Seongdong District Seongdong District (Seongdong-gu) is one of the 25 '' gu'' which make up the city of Seoul, South Korea. It is situated on the north bank of the Han River. It is divided into 20 ''dong'' (neighbourhoods). Administrative divisions Seongdong Dist ...

to the south, meets Jung District at a point in the south-west and borders

to the west. The busiest neighbourhood of the district is the Cheongnyangni area - a large commercial zone formed around Cheongnyangni Station, one of the secondary CBDs of Seoul. Dongdaemun District is named after the east gate in Seoul's city walls,

Dongdaemun Heunginjimun, literally "Gate of Rising Benevolence" or more commonly known as Dongdaemun, is one of The Eight Gates of Seoul in the Fortress Wall of Seoul, a prominent landmark in central Seoul, South Korea. The Korean name "Dongdaemun" means "G ...

, but Dongdaemun itself is actually located in

. This is due to an administrative border change.

Education

Universities

Kyunghee University Kyung Hee University (abbreviated to KHU) (Hangul: 경희대학교; Hanja: 慶熙大學校) is a private research university in South Korea with campuses in Seoul and Suwon. Founded in 1949, it is widely regarded as one of the best universities i ...

Research

Korea Institute for Advanced Study The Korea Institute for Advanced Study (KIAS) is an advanced research institute in South Korea. It is located on a campus in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul. KIAS was founded in 1996, aiming to become a world leading research institute where interna ...

Attractions

* Dongseo Market * King Sejong Memorial * Seoul City Cultural Asset: Seonnongdan (선농단 先農壇), King Sejong Sindobi (세종대왕신도비 世宗大王神道碑, monumental stone) * National Treasure: Supyo (수표 水標) * Historical Site: Yeonghuiwon (영휘원永徽園) The grave sites of Kim Byeongro (김병로 金炳魯), Han Yongwoon (한용운 韓龍雲),

Ahn Changho Ahn Changho, sometimes An Chang-ho (; , November 9, 1878 – March 10, 1938) was a Korean independence activist and one of the early leaders of the Korean-American immigrant community in the United States. He is also referred to by his pen ...

and Oh Sechang (오세창 吳世昌) are also located in this district.

Sister cities

Anguo Anguo (), nicknamed "Medicine Capital" (), is a county-level city under the administration of and south of Baoding, central Hebei province, China. It has a provincially protected Temple of the God of Medicine () established around 100. In pre ...

, China * Yanqing, China *

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four Direct-administered municipalities of China, direct-administered municipalities of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the ...

, China *

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, United States *

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

, United States *

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

, France *

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of ...

, France *

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, England

References

External links

Official site
{{Authority control Districts of Seoul