Bucheon (; ) 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. Bucheon is located away from

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 ...

, of which it is a

satellite city A satellite city or satellite town is a smaller municipality or settlement that is part of (or on the edge of) a larger metropolitan area and serves as a regional population and employment center. It differs from mere suburbs, Subdivision (la ...

. It is located between

Incheon Incheon is a city located in northwestern South Korea, bordering Seoul and Gyeonggi Province to the east. Inhabited since the Neolithic, Incheon was home to just 4,700 people when it became an international port in 1883. As of February 2020, ...

and

. Bucheon is the second most densely populated city in South Korea after Seoul, and as a result, administrative districts were abolished in July 2016 in favor of providing greater public service in community centers. Major manufacturing operations are located in the northern areas of the city, while the areas in the south where

Seoul Subway Line 7 Seoul Subway Line 7 of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway was built from 1990 to 1996 (Jangam- Konkuk Univ.) and was completed on August 1, 2000 (central section . Konkuk University to Sinpung); the western section between Sinpung and Onsu was pu ...

and

Seoul Subway Line 1 Seoul Subway Line 1 (dubbed ''The Dark Blue Line'') of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway is a rapid transit and commuter rail line which links central Seoul, South Korea to Yeoncheon station, Yeoncheon in the northeast, Incheon in the southwest, an ...

pass are dense commercial and residential areas.

History

In 1914, the outer areas of

(including Gwangyo-dong, old Incheon's city center) and Bupyeong County were joined under the name ''Bucheon''. In 1931, Gyenam township (''myeon'', 계남면) was renamed Sosa township (''myeon'', 소사면). In 1936, the westernmost part of Bucheon, then part of old Incheon, was incorporated in Incheon and in 1940 some other part of old Incheon belonging to Bucheon Country was incorporated in Incheon again while part of old Bupyeong was annexed to Incheon at the same time. In 1941, Sosa township promoted to ''eup'' (town) status. On January 1, 1963, when the great expansion of Seoul was implemented, several districts were combined to

Yeongdeungpo District Yeongdeungpo District () is one of the List of districts of Seoul, 25 districts of Seoul, South Korea. Although the origin of the name is uncertain, the first two syllables are thought to be from "''yeongdeung''" (靈登) or "divine ascent", a ...

as below. In 1988, two districts were established. Bucheon was divided into Nam-gu ("south", ) and Jung-gu ("central", ) along the Seoul-Incheon trainline. Present day Sosa-gu was formerly called Nam-gu. In 1993, Bucheon's Jung-gu was separated into two further districts, forming Wonmi () and Ojeong () Districts. The three districts were abolished in July 2016 as Bucheon decided to become a unified city without any administrative districts. However, on January 1, 2024, the Bucheon municipal government decided to return the three districts, along with the creation of 37 new administrative districts (or dongs). Bucheon-map English

Statistics

Arts and education

Bucheon promotes itself as the cultural centre of the Seoul Metropolitan Area. The

Bucheon Philharmonic Orchestra The Bucheon Philharmonic Orchestra is an orchestra based in Bucheon, South Korea. The orchestra is resident at the Bucheon Arts Centre (BAC) Concert Hall. History The orchestra was founded in 1988, with Seo Hoon as the founding principal conduc ...

is located there, an annual international film festival is held in July called the

Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival The Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (), or BiFan, formerly known as Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival or PiFan, is an international film festival held annually in July in Bucheon, South Korea. Inaugurated in 1997, the fe ...

or BiFan, and an annual international

bboy Breakdancing or breaking, also called b-boying (when performed by men) or b-girling (women), is a style of street dance originated by African Americans and Puerto Ricans in The Bronx borough of New York City. Breakdancing consists mainly of ...

competition called Bucheon Bboy International Championship (BBIC) held by

Jinjo Crew Jinjo Crew (), is a South Korean b-boy crew formed in 2001. Jin (오를 진 𨳌) and Jo (불사를 조 𤍒) means 'Rising Fire (불살라 오르다) '. Jinjo Crew is famous for winning the world's top 5 major tournaments, including UK B-Boy Champ ...

since 2016. Bucheon's institutions of higher education include:

Bucheon College Bucheon University is a private technical college in Bucheon City, Gyeonggi province, South Korea. Although private, it has strong cooperative relationships with the Bucheon city government. The school employs about 90 instructors, and offers ...

Yuhan College Yuhan University is a private college in Sosa-gu, Bucheon City, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. The current president is Kwon-Hyun Lee. It offers technical training in a variety of fields. The college's academic offerings are divided under fiv ...

Catholic University of Korea The Catholic University of Korea () is a private Roman Catholic university in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It was established in 1855. The Catholic University of Korea operates campuses in Seoul and in the neighboring Bucheon. The uni ...

Bucheon campus, and

Seoul Theological University Seoul Theological University is an evangelical bible college founded in 1911 to cultivate Christian workers and leaders on the basis of the traditions and precepts of the Korea Evangelical Holiness Church. The university was established to uphol ...

. The city was designated "City of Literature" and has been part of the

UNESCO Creative Cities Network The UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) is a flagship city programme of UNESCO launched in 2004 to promote cooperation among cities which have recognized culture and creativity as strategic drivers of sustainable urban development Urban means ...

since 2017.

Festival

* Bucheon Aiins World festival - The miniature theme park Aiins World is hosting the World Nightview Fantasy Lighting Festival. There are famous buildings like the Eiffel Tower in France. The festival runs from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. all year long, and is closed on rainy days. The last admission is at 10 p.m. * Bucheon B-Boy International Championship (BBIC) - An international B-Boy competition held by world-famous B-Boy group

. {, class="wikitable" , - ! Year ! Winner ! Runner up ! Semi-finalists ! Quarter-finalists , - , 2016 , , Gamblerz , , Body Carnival , , * Drifterz * Knucklehead Zoo , , * Red Bull BC One All-Stars * Predatorz * Skechers All-Stars * The Ruggeds , - , 2017 , , Vagabonds , , Red Bull BC One All-Stars , , * Flooriorz * Gamblerz , , * Polskee Flavou * Team China * K-Rookiez * Navi , - , 2018 , , Team Europe , , {Red Bull BC One All-Stars , , * Fusion MC * Bboy World Asia , , * Hustle Kidz * Flow Mo * Body Carnival * Monster Bboys , - , 2019 , , Red Bull BC One All-Stars , , Modern Skillz , , * Squadron * Green Panda , , * Project China * 11 High Low * Good Vibration * Foundnation , - , 2020 , Flooriorz , The Ruggeds , * Red Bull BC One All-Stars * Drifterz , * Dream Runnerz * Vinotinto * Top 9 * Super Cr3w , - , 2021 , Seoul Skillz , Fusion MC , * Artistreet * Last for One , * TG Breakers * Jeju Steez * South Indianz * Nexxo , - , 2022 , Alvin , Phil Wizardz , * Vero * Gravity , * Kae * Issin * Amir * Robb , -

Climate

Bucheon 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.

Transportation

Bucheon has an extensive bus network of local and area buses that connect the city to Seoul, Incheon and other surrounding cities. Bucheon Bus Terminal has buses connecting to different cities and provinces throughout the country. The Seoul Subway System Line 1 and Line 7 runs through Bucheon. There are currently five stations in Seoul Subway Line Line 1 within Bucheon, including Bucheon station and Songnae station, and seven stations in the Line 7, including Kkachiul,

Bucheon Stadium Bucheon Stadium () is a multi-purpose stadium in Bucheon, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. It is currently used mostly for association football, football matches and has been the home stadium of Bucheon FC 1995 since 2008. The stadium has a seating cap ...

, Chunui, Sinjung-dong, Bucheon City Hall, and Sang-dong, which continues through Incheon ending at

Bupyeong station Bupyeong station () is a subway station located in Bupyeong District, Incheon, South Korea. This station is on the Seoul Subway Line 1 and Incheon Subway Line 1. It is one of the busiest stations on the Incheon line because of its central loca ...

. Two more subway lines were recently added. The Sosa-Wonsi Line opened in 2018, connecting Bucheon's Sosa station of the Line 1 with

Ansan Ansan (, ) is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It lies southwest of Seoul and is part of the Seoul Metropolitan Area. It is connected to Seoul by rail via Seoul Subway Line 4. It is situated on the Yellow Sea coast and some islands lie ...

's Choji station of

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 ...

. The Daegok-Sosa Line opened in 2022, connecting with the Sosa-Wonsi Line as a single line. It will provide subway service in the northern area of Bucheon and connect the city to

Gimpo International Airport station Gimpo International Airport Station is a subway, railway and light rail station on Seoul Subway Line 5, Line 9, AREX, the Gimpo Goldline and the Seohae Line. True to its name, it serves the nearby Gimpo Airport, the hub of domestic flights in ...

where transfers to

Seoul Subway Line 5 Seoul Subway Line 5 of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway, dubbed ''the purple line'', is a long line crossing from west to the east across the Seoul National Capital Area, South Korea. It is one of two subway lines in Seoul to cross ''under'' the Han ...

Seoul Subway Line 9 Seoul Subway Line 9, operated by Seoul Line9 Operation, is a subway line in Seoul, part of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway. The line runs east from Gaehwa station (local train terminal) or Gimpo International Airport station (express train termin ...

AREX AREX (Airport Railroad Express; ) is an airport rail link and commuter rail line in the Seoul Metropolitan Area of South Korea, linking Incheon International Airport and Gimpo International Airport with Seoul Station. The section between the ...

and

Gimpo Goldline The Gimpo Goldline ( or ) is a light metro line opened on 28 September 2019. Background Under the third mayor of Gimpo City, Kim Dongsik (김동식), the line was going to be an extension of Line 5. This idea was rejected by Seoul Metropolit ...

will be available. The line terminates at Daegok station in

Goyang Goyang (; ) is a city in Gyeonggi Province in the north of South Korea. It is part of the Seoul Metropolitan Area, making Goyang one of Seoul's Satellite city, satellite cities. It is one of the largest cities in the Seoul Metropolitan Area, w ...

, which offers a transfer to

Seoul Subway Line 3 Seoul Subway Line 3 (dubbed ''The Orange Line'') of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway is a rapid transit service that connects Eunpyeong District to Gangnam and southeastern Seoul. Most trains head further northwest to serve Goyang via the Ilsa ...

and Gyeongui-Jungang Line. In addition, the city is getting a completely new subway line in the future which will connect Bucheon's northern Wonjeong area to Hongik University station.

Religion

There are a number of churches in Bucheon, including a Full Gospel Church near Lotte Department Store and the English-language "Bucheon Onnuri English Ministry" (BOEM) in Sang Dong. There is also a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located a short ways north of Bucheon station. Evangelism and mission is a key expression of Christianity in the Bucheon churches. There is also Seogwangsa Temple, beside Weonmisan Mountain.

Notable people

* Choi Sang-hyun, illustrator and character designer *

Chu Ye-jin Chu Ye-jin (; born October 11, 2001) is a South Korean actress. She was a contestant on Mnet's girl group survival program ''Produce 101 ''Produce 101'' () is a reality television talent competition franchise created by South Korean enter ...

, actress *

Baekhyun Byun Baek-hyun (; born May 6, 1992), known mononymously as Baekhyun, is a South Korean singer and actor. He is a member of the South Korean-Chinese boy band Exo, its subgroup Exo-K and its subunit Exo-CBX. In 2019, Baekhyun became a leader of ...

, singer and actor, member of boy band

Exo Exo (; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean-Chinese boy band based in Seoul formed by SM Entertainment in 2011 and debuted in 2012. The group consists of nine members: Xiumin, Suho, Lay Zhang, Lay, Baekhyun, Chen (singer), Chen, Chanyeol, ...

Kim Seol-hyun Kim Seol-hyun (; born January 3, 1995), better known by her mononym Seolhyun, is a South Korean actress and singer. She is a former member of the South Korean girl group AOA (group), AOA and she has starred in television dramas ''Orange Marmala ...

, singer and actress *

Lee Hi Lee Ha-yi (; born September 23, 1996), known by her stage name Lee Hi, is a South Korean singer and songwriter. She first garnered attention as the runner-up of '' K-pop Star season 1''. She debuted with single "1, 2, 3, 4" on October 28, 2012, ...

, singer-songwriter * Kim Hee-jung, actress *

Ryu Soo-young Ryu Su-young (born Eo Nam-seon on September 5, 1979) is a South Korean actor. He made his first appearance on television as a college student on a cooking show in 1998, then starred in the controversial film '' Summertime'' (2001). This was follo ...

, actor *

Moonbyul Moon Byul-yi (, born December 22, 1992), known professionally as Moonbyul (; stylized as Moon Byul), is a South Korean rapper and songwriter under RBW Entertainment. She is a member of the South Korean girl group Mamamoo and its sub-unit Mama ...

, singer-songwriter, rapper and dancer, member of girl group

Mamamoo Mamamoo (; commonly stylized in all caps) is a South Korean girl group formed and managed by RBW (company), RBW. The group is composed of four members: Solar (singer), Solar, Moonbyul, Wheein, and Hwasa. Known for their strong live vocals, Harm ...

Yuna Kim Yuna Kim (; born September 5, 1990), also credited in eastern name order as Kim Yuna or Kim Yeon-a, is a South Korean figure skater. Known for her well-rounded skills, achievements, popularity, and impact on the sport, she is one of the most ...

, retired figure skater and Olympic gold medallist *

Sora Choi Sora Choi (; born September 5, 1992) is a South Korean fashion model. She won the third cycle of the reality television show ''Korea's Next Top Model''. She currently ranks on models.com's 'Industry Icons' list and is known as being one of t ...

, fashion model * Katie Kim, singer * Bada, singer, composer, musical actress and television presenter *

Jinho Jo Jin-ho (; born April 17, 1992), commonly known by the mononym Jinho, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, composer, vocal coach and member of South Korean boy group Pentagon under Cube Entertainment. In 2023, he participated in the JTBC sing ...

, singer-songwriter, member of boy band

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 ...

Song I-han Song Byeong-hwa (; born August 11, 1994), known professionally as Song I-han (), is a South Korean singer-songwriter. He competed in the blind audition program ''Blind Musician'' in 2018 and won the competition, immediately releasing his debut ...

, singer-songwriter *

Won Ji-an Kim In-seon (; born August 17, 1999), better known by the stage name Won Ji-an (), is a South Korean actress. She is best known for her roles in the dramas ''D.P.'' (2021–2023), '' Heartbeat'' (2023), and the second season of ''Squid Game'' ( ...

, actress *

ATEEZ Ateez (; stylised in all caps) is a South Korean boy band formed by KQ Entertainment. The group consists of eight members: Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung and Jongho. They debuted on October 24, 2018, with the extende ...

Mingi, idol, rapper, dancer

Sports

Bucheon is home to the

K League 2 The K League 2 () is the men's second-highest division of the South Korean football league system. It is contested between thirteen professional clubs and operates on a promotion and relegation system with K League 1. History In 2011, the or ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

team

Bucheon FC 1995 Bucheon Football Club 1995 () is a South Korean professional football club based in Bucheon, that competes in the K League 2, the second tier of South Korean football. The club was founded in 2007 by a group of former Bucheon SK supporters afte ...

and the

Women's Korean Basketball League The Women's Korean Basketball League (WKBL) (Hangul: 한국여자프로농구) is the premier professional women's basketball league in South Korea. The league was established in 1998. Current clubs See also * Korean Basketball League Ex ...

women's basketball Women's basketball is the team sport of basketball played by women. It was first played in 1892, one year after men's basketball, at Smith College in Massachusetts. It spread across the United States, in large parts via women's college compet ...

team Bucheon Hana Bank.

Twin towns – sister cities

Bucheon is twinned with: *

Bakersfield Bakersfield is a city in and the county seat of Kern County, California, United States. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley, which is located in the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's population as of the ...

, United States (2006) *

Harbin Harbin, ; zh, , s=哈尔滨, t=哈爾濱, p=Hā'ěrbīn; IPA: . is the capital of Heilongjiang, China. It is the largest city of Heilongjiang, as well as being the city with the second-largest urban area, urban population (after Shenyang, Lia ...

, China (1995) *

Khabarovsk Khabarovsk ( ) is the largest city and the administrative centre of Khabarovsk Krai, Russia,Law #109 located from the China–Russia border, at the confluence of the Amur and Ussuri Rivers, about north of Vladivostok. As of the 2021 Russian c ...

, Russia (2002) *

Valenzuela Valenzuela may refer to: Places * Valenzuela, Paraguay * Valenzuela, Metro Manila, Philippines * Valenzuela, Spain * Valenzuela de Calatrava, Spain * Valenzuela, Louisiana Other uses * Valenzuela (surname), including a list of people with the ...

, Philippines (2008)

Friendship cities

Okayama is the prefectural capital, capital Cities of Japan, city of Okayama Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of Japan. The Okayama metropolitan area, centered around the city, has the largest urban employment zone in the Chugoku region of western J ...

, Japan (2002) * Kawasaki, Japan (1996) *

Weihai Weihai ( zh, t=, p=Wēihǎi), formerly Weihaiwei ( zh, s=, p=Wēihǎiwèi, l=Mighty Sea Fort, first=t), is a prefecture-level city and major seaport city in the easternmost Shandong province of China. It borders Yantai to the west and the Yellow ...

, China (2000)

References

External links

City government website (in Korean)

City government website (in English)

Bucheon
at ''Encyclopedia of Korean Local Culture'' {{Authority control Cities in Gyeonggi Province