Gwacheon (; ) is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

Gyeonggi Province Gyeonggi Province (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Seoul, the nation's largest city and capital, is in the heart of the area but has been separately administered as a provincial-level ''special city'' since 1946. Incheon, ...

, South Korea. It lies close to

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

in the heart of the

Seoul National Capital Area The Seoul Metropolitan Area (Sudogwon; , ) or Gyeonggi region (), is the metropolitan area of Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi Province, located in north-western South Korea. Its population of 26 million (as of 2024) is ranked as the fourth-lar ...

, and also lies just east of

Anyang Anyang ( zh, s=安阳, t=安陽; ) is a prefecture-level city in Henan, China. Geographical coordinates are 35° 41'~ 36° 21' north latitude and 113° 38'~ 114° 59' east longitude. The northernmost city in Henan, Anyang borders Puyang to the eas ...

Seoul Subway Line 4 Seoul Subway Line 4 of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway is a long line crossing from the southwest to the northeast across the Seoul Metropolitan Area. The central section in Seoul City is operated by Seoul Metro with some trains offering throug ...

passes through the city. Various attractions usually associated with Seoul, including

Seoul Grand Park Seoul Grand Park () or Gwacheon Seoul Grand Park () is a park complex to the south of Seoul, South Korea, in the city of Gwacheon. Opened on May 1 in 1984. Facilities at Seoul Grand Park include hills and hiking trails, Seoul Grand Park Zoo, Chil ...

, National Museum of Contemporary Art,

Seoul Land Seoul Land () is an amusement park opened in 1988, in Gwacheon, a city in Gyeonggi-do province, South Korea. Located in the Seoul Grand Park complex, it opened just before the 1988 Summer Olympics. It has about 40 rides, including roller coaster ...

Gwacheon National Science Museum Gwacheon National Science Museum () is a national museum in Gwacheon, South Korea. It opened in 2008. Hall of Fame Main exhibitions The hall of fame is a place to praise the achievements of the scientists who contributed in the development of sc ...

, and

Seoul Race Park LetsRun Park Seoul, also known a Seoul Race Park or Seoul Racecourse Park is a 40,000 capacity Korean thoroughbred racetrack in Gwacheon, South Korea. It is host to many of Korea's most valuable thoroughbred horse races including the Korean Der ...

are actually located in Gwacheon or its immediate jurisdiction. It is also home to a major administrative center of the

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

n government.

History

Early history

In 475 CE, the land that would one day become Gwacheon was a part of Yulmok-

gun A gun is a device that Propulsion, propels a projectile using pressure or explosive force. The projectiles are typically solid, but can also be pressurized liquid (e.g. in water guns or water cannon, cannons), or gas (e.g. light-gas gun). So ...

, a county of the

Korean Peninsula Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically divided at or near the 38th parallel between North Korea (Dem ...

Goguryeo Goguryeo (37 BC – 668 AD) (; ; Old Korean: Guryeo) also later known as Goryeo (; ; Middle Korean: 고ᇢ롕〮, ''kwòwlyéy''), was a Korean kingdom which was located on the northern and central parts of the Korea, Korean Peninsula an ...

dynasty. Later, in 757,

Unified Silla Unified Silla, or Late Silla, is the name often applied to the historical period of the Korean kingdom of Silla after its conquest of Goguryeo in 668 AD, which marked the end of the Three Kingdoms period. In the 7th century, a Silla–Tang alli ...

dubbed the area Yuljin-gun, a county of Hansan-ju, and the

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean state founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korea, Korean Peninsula until the establishment of Joseon in 1392. Goryeo achieved what has b ...

dynasty renamed it Gwaju in 940. From 990 to 994, Gwaju was also known as "Bulim" and "Buan". The year 1018 saw Goryeo christen the area Gwaju-

hyeon Korea has had administrative districts that can be considered provinces since the 7th century. These divisions were initially called ''ju'' () in Unified Silla and Later Baekje, and there were nine in total. After Goryeo conquered these states in t ...

, but the

Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

dynasty changed its name to Gwacheon-hyeon in 1413. Gwacheon-hyeon was a part of Gwangju-mok,

. Much larger than today's Gwacheon- si, Gwacheon-hyeon included such territory as modern-day

Gunpo Gunpo (; ), formerly romanized as Kunp'o, is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It is south of Seoul and in the Seoul National Capital Area. It borders Anyang to the north, Uiwang to the east, and Ansan to the south and west, and is connec ...

. May 26, 1895 saw Gwacheon-hyeon become Gwacheon-gun, and on March 1, 1914, Gwacheon- and Ansan-gun were annexed to nearby Siheung-gun. The area containing present-day Gwacheon was deemed Gwacheon- myeon, a division of Siheung-gun. Gwacheon-myeon was a large farming village just south of

, as it had been for centuries, and its population had topped 6,000 by 1960. In the 1970s, the South Korean government was considering moving its capital south, to a location farther from the border with North Korea as Seoul lies within the artillery range from any North Korean attacks. A complete relocation of the capital proved financially impossible, but a compromise was reached in 1975: move key government agencies several kilometers south of Seoul's downtown, beyond the range of nearly all of North Korea's artillery capability. Gwacheon-myeon, south of both Seoul and the protective

Gwanaksan ''Gwanaksan'' () is a mountain in southern Seoul, South Korea. Portions lie in the Gwanak District and Geumcheon District of Seoul; other portions lie in the neighboring cities of Anyang, Gyeonggi and Gwacheon. The name ''gwanak'' means "ha ...

mountain range, was chosen as the site of this new administrative city in 1978, and a groundbreaking ceremony in Gwacheon was held in 1979.

Administrative city

Several government ministries were moved from Seoul to Gwacheon throughout the 1980s and 1990s, and residential districts were constructed to house the employees and their families. The nine million square meter

was opened in Gwacheon in 1984 as the new location of Seoul Zoo. Over the next four years, two amusement parks, a botanical garden, and the National Museum of Contemporary Art were also built on the property. On January 1, 1986, Gwacheon was officially elevated to Gwacheon-si (city), and three years later, Siheung-gun was completely disbanded when five other cities in the

were created by the national government. When Seoul won the right to host the

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and officially branded as Seoul 1988 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. 159 nations were represe ...

, it placed the Korean Racing Association in charge of constructing an Olympic Equestrian Park. 280 acres of land in Gwacheon were thus secured by the KRA, and construction began in 1984. Seoul Equestrian Park hosted several Olympic events in 1988, and after the conclusion of the games, the park was renamed Seoul Racecourse Park and converted into a horse racing facility. Gwacheon accordingly replaced Seoul's Ttukseom area as the city's horse racing hub, and the first race at the new location occurred on September 1, 1989. Five stations on

Seoul Metropolitan Subway The Seoul Metropolitan Subway () is a urban rail transit, metropolitan railway system consisting of 23 rapid transit, Medium-capacity rail transport system, light metro, commuter rail and people mover lines located in northwest South Korea. T ...

's Line 4 opened in Gwacheon on April 1, 1994. The line runs southwest through the city from Seoul into Anyang and includes

Seonbawi Station Seonbawi Station is a station on Seoul Subway Line 4 in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi-do Gyeonggi Province (, ) is the most populous administrative divisions of South Korea, province in South Korea. Seoul, the nation's largest city and capital, is ...

, Seoul Racecourse Park Station, Seoul Grand Park Station, Gwacheon Station, and Government Complex Gwacheon Station. In 2012, government offices in Gwacheon began relocating to

Sejong City Sejong or Sejong City (; ), officially Sejong Special Self-Governing City (), is a List of special cities of South Korea, special self-governing city and the ''de facto'' administrative capital of South Korea. Sejong was founded in 2007 as the ...

, a new administrative capital created by the Korean government in the middle of the country, around 150 kilometers south of Seoul. The move had adverse effects on Gwacheon's local economy, with business such as restaurants and cafes losing considerable portions of their customer base. Fifty-four shops shut down at the end of 2012 and beginning of 2013, while others could no longer turn a profit and were forced to lay off employees. The national government hoped to counter the city's economic crisis by moving fourteen new government agencies to Gwacheon.

Characteristics

Gwacheon intended to have a large importance on governmental construction. There is No.2 government building. So it keeps the position of

planned city A planned community, planned city, planned town, or planned settlement is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed on previously undeveloped land. This contrasts with settlements that evolve ...

concerning politics in South Korea. It has been serving as a second center of governmental complex which consists of city hall, welfare management offices, health care department, and many other sub departments of politics. Seoul Grand Park and

( :ko:관악산) occupy a large portion of the city. The presence of mountains and forests accentuates the status of Gwacheon as a destination for Korean nature lovers. In addition, the Seoul Race Park is also located in the city. Gwacheon has few historically preserved sites as well. Gwacheon Hyanggyo (Korean Confucianism institution built in 1389), YeonJudae( :ko:연주대) (YeonJu Temple which is located at the end of cliff), three stepped pagoda of YeonJu Temple, and Portrait of HyoRyung Janggun (general HyoRyung) are listed as treasure of Gyeonggi-do (Gyeonggi Province) and map of Joseon (Old Korean Kingdom) located in History Ministry inside the governmental complex is listed as one of Korean national treasure. In history of Korea, Gwacheon has not only been known for its landscape but also as important center of education and religious practices by Kings. The first foreign-language high school established in Gyeonggi-do,

Gwacheon Foreign Language High School Gwacheon Foreign Language High school () is an Independent High School located in Gyeong-gi province, Gwacheon-si, South Korea. The school was established on 5 May 1990 and It is the first Foreign Language High School established in Gyeonggi Provi ...

is located in Jongang- dong. Gwacheon has the Science and Technology Center and one of the biggest public libraries of Gyeonggi-do.

Climate

Gwacheon has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''Dwa''), but can be considered a borderline

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(

: ''Cwa'') using the isotherm.

Notable people

Gwacheon's notable former residents include: * Jin, a singer and member of

K-pop K-pop (; an abbreviation of "Korean popular music") is a form of popular music originating in South Korea. It emerged in the 1990s as a form of youth subculture, with Korean musicians taking influence from Western Electronic dance music, danc ...

group BTS *

Dennis Hwang Hwang Jeong-mok (; born 1978), known professionally as Dennis Hwang, is a South Korean graphic artist currently working for Niantic, who was the original designer of some of the festive logos for Google. Early life and education Born in Knoxvil ...

, a graphic artist who spent much of his childhood in Gwacheon * Lee Hoe-taek (Hui), a singer and member of

group

Pentagon In geometry, a pentagon () is any five-sided polygon or 5-gon. The sum of the internal angles in a simple polygon, simple pentagon is 540°. A pentagon may be simple or list of self-intersecting polygons, self-intersecting. A self-intersecting ...

born in Gwacheon *

Lee Soo-hyuk Lee Hyuk-soo (; born May 31, 1988), better known by the stage name Lee Soo-hyuk (), is a South Korean model and actor. Life and career Born Lee Hyuk-soo, he debuted as a model in designer Jung Wook-jun's ''Lone Costume'' fashion show in 200 ...

, a model and actor born in Gwacheon. *

Anton Hur Anton Hur (; born April 7, 1981) is a Korean writer and translator of Korean literature into English. He has translated the works of Kyung-Sook Shin, Hwang Sok-yong, and Sang Young Park, whose '' Love in the Big City'' was longlisted for the ...

, a writer and translator whose hometown is Gwacheon.

Home stay

Gwacheon operates a home stay program for foreigners. The city sponsors this program and residents of the city host foreigners living in Korea who want to spend a night in a traditional Korean home. The program helps foreigners understand Korean culture and lifestyle.

Government

The headquarters of the

Ministry of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

is in Building #1 of the Gwacheon Government Complex in Gwacheon. The Korea Correctional Service, an agency of the MOJ, is in this building.Home page

Archive
. Korea Correctional Service. Retrieved on December 23, 2015. "Building #1, Government Complex-Gwacheon, 47, Gwanmun-ro, Gwacheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, 427-700 Republic of Korea."
Korean address
"

27-700 The 7 July 2005 London bombings, also referred to as 7/7, were a series of four co-ordinated suicide attacks carried out by Islamist terrorists that targeted commuters travelling on London's public transport during the morning rush hour. ...

경기도 과천시 관문로 47 정부과천청사 5동 법무부 교정본부" The headquarters of the

Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (MSIP, ) was a ministry of the Government of South Korea. Its purpose is to set, manage, and evaluate science and technology policy, support scientific research and development, develop human resou ...

was previously headquartered in Building #4 of the Gwacheon Government Complex. Several government ministries and agencies formerly residing in Gwacheon are now located in

. The Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs (MLTM, now the

Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT; ) is a cabinet-level division of the government of South Korea. Its headquarters is in the Sejong Government Office in Sejong City. Previously the agency was headquartered in the 4th buil ...

or MOLIT) was previously headquartered in the fourth building of the Gwacheon Government Complex, in Gwacheon.

Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries was a cabinet-level division of the government of South Korea. It is headquartered at the national government complex in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province.Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs) also formerly had its headquarters in the Gwacheon Government Complex. Previously the

Ministry of Environment An environmental ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for the environment and/or natural resources. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of the Environment, ...

had its headquarters in Gwacheon. The

Ministry of Strategy and Finance The Ministry of Economy and Finance (MOEF; ) oversees the financial policies of the South Korean government. It publishes a monthly report on the national economy, known as the "Green Book." The current minister is Choi San-mok. The headquarters ...

previously had its headquarters in Government Complex II. The

Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE; ) is a ministry under the Government of South Korea. It is concerned with regulating economic policy, especially with regard to the industrial and energy sectors. The ministry also works to enc ...

(MOTIE), previously known as the Ministry of Knowledge Economy (MKE) and the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy (MOCIE), was previously located in the government complex in Gwacheon. The

Ministry of Employment and Labor Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL; ) is a cabinet-level ministry of the government of South Korea that oversees labor-related affairs. Its predecessor agency, the Division of Labor, was established under the direction of the Minister of S ...

(MOEL), previously the Ministry of Labor, was located in Buildings 1 and 3 of the Government Complex II.

Utility facilities

* Gwacheon City Facilities Management Corporation * Gwacheon Public Library of Information & Science * The Gyeonggi Gwacheon Library of Education * Munwon Library * Gwacheon City Youth Center * Gwanmun Sports Park * Munwon Sports Park

Symbol

* Tree: chestnut * Flower: royal azalea * Bird: dove * Animal: horse

Transportation

Railroad

Korail The Korea Railroad Corporation () is the national railway operator in South Korea. It is branded as KORAIL () and changed its official Korean name () in November 2019. Currently, KORAIL is a public corporation, managed by Ministry of Land, ...

;;;(

Seocho-gu Seocho District () is one of the List of districts of Seoul, 25 districts which make up the city of Seoul, South Korea. Seocho is a part of the Gangnam (Seoul), Gangnam region, along with the Gangnam District, Gangnam district of Seoul. Seocho D ...

) ← Seonbawi — Racecourse Park —

—

Gwacheon Gwacheon (; ) is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It lies close to Seoul in the heart of the Seoul National Capital Area, and also lies just east of Anyang, Gyeonggi, Anyang. Seoul Subway Line 4 pa ...

—

Government Complex Gwacheon A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a me ...

→ (

)

Twin towns – sister cities

Gwacheon is twinned with: * Burlington, United States *

Nanning Nanning; is the capital of the Guangxi, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in South China, southern China. It is known as the "Green City (绿城) " because of its abundance of lush subtropical foliage. Located in the South of Guangxi, Nanning ...

, China * Shirahama, Japan *

Airdrie, Alberta Airdrie ( ) is a city in Alberta, Canada, within the Calgary Region and the Calgary Metropolitan Area, It is located north of Calgary within the Calgary–Edmonton Corridor at the intersection of Queen Elizabeth II Highway (Highway 2) and ...

, Canada

References

External links

City government website

City government website

{{Authority control Cities in Gyeonggi Province Planned communities in South Korea