Jinju (; ) 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 ...

South Gyeongsang Province South Gyeongsang Province (, ) is a province in the southeast of South Korea. The provincial capital is at Changwon. It is adjacent to the major metropolitan center and port of Busan. The UNESCO World Heritage Site Haeinsa, a Buddhist temple tha ...

, South Korea. It was the location of the first (1592) and second (1593) Sieges of Jinju by Japanese forces during the

Imjin War The Imjin War () was a series of two Japanese invasions of Korea: an initial invasion in 1592 also individually called the "Imjin War", a brief truce in 1596, and a second invasion in 1597 called the Chŏngyu War (). The conflict ended in 159 ...

. The Republic of Korea Air Force Education and Training Command is located in the eastern part of the city. There are cultural-historical tourist attractions in Jinju such as

Jinju Fortress Jinjuseong (), was a walled city now in Jinju, South Korea. It was designated Historic Site of South Korea No. 118 on 21 January 1963. Located on the Nam River and close to the port of Busan, Jinju has long been a key city for invasions from ...

, the

Jinju National Museum Jinju National Museum () is a national museum located in Jinju Fortress, Jinju, South Korea. It opened in February 1984 with the purpose of specializing in the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598), or Imjinwaeran. See also * List of muse ...

, and the Nam-gang Prehistoric Site Museum.

History

Jinju was an ancient city of Goryeonggaya in the Gaya Era. This city was called 'Geoyeolseong' of Baekje during the Three Kingdom Era, and was called 'Geoyeolju', 'Cheongju', and 'Gangju' during the Unified Silla Era. Name of this city was changed into 'Jinju' for the first time in 940, the 23rd year of King Taejo of the Goryeo Dynasty. It became 'Jinju-mok', one of 12 moks (local administrative units in Goryeo and Joseon Dynasty) in the 2nd year of King Seongjong (983). The second siege of Jinju during the Japanese invasion of Korea ended in the massacre of the entire garrison and a substantial portion of the population. Korean accounts mention that the death toll at Jinju was 60,000. According to Japanese accounts, they had sent 20,000 heads back to Japan after their victory. In the 33rd year of King Gojong of the Joseon Dynasty (1896), administrative district of the nation was reorganized with 13 provinces. At that time Jinju began to belong to Gyeongsangnam-do, and became capital town of Gyeongsangnam-do. And provincial governor started to reside in Jinju. On April 1, 1925, Busan replaced Jinju as provincial capital. On August 15, 1948, the government of the Republic of Korea was established and 'the local self-government system' was started. At that time, Jinju-bu was raised to Jinju-si (city) and started to have mayor of the city. On January 1, 1995, in accordance with 'the Law pertaining to the establishment of Urban-Rural Integrated City', Jinju-si and Jinyang-gun became extinct and were merged into one integrated Jinju-si (city).

Culture and festivals

There are cultural events held in Jinju every year. Among these are the Jinju Namgang Lantern Festival which is held in October for approximately ten days. This nationally designated cultural tourism festival, found only in Jinju, features a spectacle of lanterns floating on the Nam River to commemorate the patriotic spirit of the 70,000 militia corps and government troops who died for their country defending Jinju from the Japanese forces during the

(1592–1598). Other major festivals include: the

Nongae Nongae or Ju Nongae (; 1574–1593) was a gisaeng of Jinju during the Joseon period of Korea. A popular legend tells the story of her Suicide attack, sacrificial assassination of the Japanese general Kida Magobee, Keyamura Rokusuke. Biograp ...

Festival, the Korea Drama Festival, the Gaecheon Arts Festival and the Jinju National Bullfighting Contest. The Nongae Festival, held in May each year commemorates and celebrates the sacrifice of the patriotic

gisaeng ''Kisaeng'' (), also called ''ginyeo'' (), were enslaved women from outcast or enslaved families who were trained to be courtesans, providing artistic entertainment and conversation to men of upper class. First emerging in Goryeo dynasty. were ...

(professional Korean entertainer)

's suicide-assassination of a Japanese general together with the 70,000 Koreans who lost their lives in the battle of Jinju Castle during the

. The festival features an emotional reenactment of Nongae's suicidal drowning of a Japanese general from ''uiam bawi'' (righteous rock) below Chokseongnu (Jinju castle pavilion) on the banks of the Nam River. Gaecheon Arts Festival is annually held from October 3 to 10 and the entire city turns to the streets for celebration at Korea's first provincial culture art festival, which awakens the artistic spirit of the Korean people. The festival falls around

Gaecheonjeol Gaecheonjeol () is a public holiday in South Korea on 3 October. Also known by the English name National Foundation Day, this holiday celebrates the legendary formation of the first Korean state of Gojoseon by legendary king Dangun in 2333 ...

(National Foundation Day) and is widely regarded as one of Korea's finest. The Jinju National Bullfighting Contest is recognized as Korea's oldest bullfighting event and spectators can witness a test of strength at this bullfighting contest held at a purpose-built traditional Korean sports arena near Jinyang lake. The

2023 Asian Weightlifting Championships The 2023 Asian Weightlifting Championships was held in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea from 5 to 13 May 2023. Doping These are from Kazakhstan who tested positive: # Arli Chontey 55 kg Men Rank 3 # Nurgissa Adiletuly 102&nb ...

was held in Jinju.

Population

At just over a third of a million, Jinju is a relatively small city by Korean standards. The annual growth of the population is 0.4% since 1995. People between the ages of 20 and 29 represent 17.5% of the city's total population, and justify the city's long-standing reputation as an educational city. The senior population (65 years or older), representing 7.6% of the city's total population, is higher than the provincial average (6.8%).

Local personality

Gang Se-hwang (son of Kang Hyeon), a high ranking government official and representative painter, calligrapher and art critic, was born here in 1713.

Jinju cuisine

Jinju has a number of distinctive local delicacies which reflect the tastes of Jinju people. Perhaps most celebrated is Jinju

bibimbap Bibimbap * ( ; ), sometimes Romanization of Korean, romanised as bi bim bap or bi bim bop, is a Korean rice dish. The term ''bibim'' means "mixing" and ''Bap (rice dish), bap'' is cooked rice. It is served as a bowl of warm white rice topped wi ...

, which distinguishes itself from the common Korean rice and vegetable dish by its use of ''

yukhoe ''Yukhoe'' () is a raw meat dish in Korean cuisine. It is most commonly made of beef but it can come in various kinds and cuts of meat. ''Yukhoe'' literally means 'sliced and raw (meat or fish)' (''hoe'', ) 'meat' (''yuk'', ). Therefore, in the s ...

'', made with raw beef and generous amounts of sesame oil. Also famous is Namgang (Nam River) grilled eel (), which is caught locally and served in any one of the numerous restaurants overlooking the Nam River. Enjoying their food spicy, Jinjuites have also perfected a spicey pepper (''ttaengcho'') version of the popular Korean side dish ''

pajeon ''Pajeon'' () is a variety of '' jeon'' with scallion as its prominent ingredient, as ''pa'' () means scallion. It is a Korean dish made from a batter of eggs, wheat flour, rice flour, scallions, and often other ingredients depending on the var ...

'' (scallion pancake) known by its colloquial name

jijimi ''Jijimi'' () is a type of Korean stew A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been Cooking, cooked in Soup, liquid and served in the resultant gravy. Ingredients can include any combination of vegetables and may include ...

. This is best enjoyed with a bowl of local rice wine

makkeolli ''Makgeolli'' (), sometimes anglicized to makkoli (, ), is a Korean alcoholic drink. It is a milky, off-white, and lightly sparkling rice wine that has a slight viscosity, and tastes slightly sweet, tangy, bitter, and astringent. Chalky sediment ...

. Cheonhwang Sikdang, founded here in 1927, is among the oldest active restaurants in South Korea.

Silk industry

Since ancient days, silk processed in Jinju has been known for its superior quality, which is a result of the combination of natural resources (such as clean water of Mt. Jirisan and so on) and human resources. Silk factories in Jinju annually produce around 70% of the nation's production. Jinju silk has a soft, refined feeling and elegant colors because of superior dyeing techniques.

Education

Jinju is an educational city and home to

Gyeongsang National University Gyeongsang National University (GNU, 경상국립대학교) is one of ten Flagship Korean National Universities located in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province. Gyeongsang National University has twelve colleges such as arts, social science, natur ...

and

Chinju National University of Education Chinju (Jinju) National University of Education () is one of several national universities of education in South Korea. It provides training to many planning on careers in the country's public education system. The campus is located in Jinju City ...

Gyeongnam National University of Science and Technology Gyeongnam National University of Science and Technology (GNTECH; ) is a national university located in Jinju, South Korea. The university was integrated in the Gyeongsang National University Gyeongsang National University (GNU, 경상국� ...

. It is also home to

International University of Korea International University of Korea () was a private university located in Jinju, South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula ...

, catering mostly to foreign students. It also has a number of community colleges that serve the local area. Jinju's high schools offer high quality education and have a wide catchment area, reaching beyond the city limits to attract students from surrounding towns such as

Sacheon Sacheon (; ) is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. Sacheon's chief fame comes from its being the site of two naval battles in the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598), Seven Year War. ...

Hadong Hadong County () is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, county in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It is located on the far-west side of the province, bordering South Jeolla Province. The county office is located at Hadeong-eup. Hist ...

, and

Sancheong Sancheong County (''Sancheong-gun'') is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, county in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. History After the unification of Silla, the Danseong region was known as Jipumcheon prefecture (知品川縣), an ...

. Universities

Economy and business

Jinju was named as one of several 'enterprise cities' by the South Korean government which had supported Jinju as a hub of bio-industrial technological innovation since December 2000. The government provided 5 billion won in support from 2000 to 2004 for biological and chemical material industries. There are 618 manufacturing companies (11,806 employees), 1 local industrial complex and 4 rural industrial complexes as part of an integrated urban and rural city. Jinju Hyeoksin Dosi (New Innovation City) established by President

Roh Moo-hyun Roh Moo-hyun (, ; 1 September 1946 – 23 May 2009) was a South Korean politician and lawyer who served as the ninth president of South Korea from 2003 to 2008. Roh's pre-presidential political career was focused on human rights advocacy for ...

with headquarters of vast LH Corporation (State-run Land & Housing corp Toji Jutaek gongsa) and Namdong Thermal Power. Namdong Thermal Power is one of 5 thermal power subsidiaries: Nambu (Southern) Thermal in Busan, Dongseo Thermal in Ulsan, Seobu (Western) in Taean, Jungbu (Central) in Boryeong, Chungnam of Korea Monopoly Utility Co. of the giant Kepco in Naju of Gwangju metro head office.

Transportation

The main highway in Jinju is National Highway 10 or

Namhae Expressway The Namhae Expressway ( Korean: 남해고속도로, Namhae Gosok Doro; ) is a freeway in South Korea, connecting Yeongam to Suncheon, Gwangyang, Jinju, Changwon, and Busan. It was opened in 1973 with Honam Expressway's Jeonju - Suncheo ...

. The closest airports to Jinju are

Sacheon Airport Sacheon Airport is an airport in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea . It also serves the city of Jinju. The airport passenger service began in 1977 after years of delays. The airport has a small single storey terminal building for ...

(domestic) and

Gimhae International Airport Gimhae International Airport is located on the western end of Busan, South Korea. Opened in 1976, the airport is named after the nearby city of Gimhae. A new international terminal opened on October 31, 2007. Gimhae International Airport i ...

. Jinju is served by passenger rail service at

Jinju Station Jinju Station is a railway station in Jinju, South Korea, and is a stop along the Gyeongjeon Line. KTX service from Seoul to Jinju started with KTX-I / KTX-II trains on December 5, 2012. The station consists of a small two-story building with a ...

along the

Gyeongjeon Line The Gyeongjeon Line () is a railway line serving South Gyeongsang and South Jeolla Provinces in South Korea. It covers a total of 300.6 km, from Samnangjin Station in Miryang, South Gyeongsang, to Gwangju Songjeong Station in Gwangju, ...

Climate

Twin towns – sister cities

Jinju is twinned with: *

Eugene Eugene may refer to: People and fictional characters * Eugene (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Gene Eugene, stage name of Canadian born actor, record producer, engineer, composer and musi ...

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

, United States (1961) *

Kitami is a city in Okhotsk Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the most populous city and the commercial center in the subprefecture, although the subprefecture capital is Abashiri. Kitami is physically in the middle of Okhotsk Subprefecture. Th ...

, Japan (1985) *

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

, Canada (1992) *

Xi'an Xi'an is the list of capitals in China, capital of the Chinese province of Shaanxi. A sub-provincial city on the Guanzhong plain, the city is the third-most populous city in Western China after Chongqing and Chengdu, as well as the most populou ...

Shaanxi Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...

, China (2016)

Friendship cities

Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...

, Japan (1999) *

Matsue is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Shimane Prefecture, Japan, located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. , the city had an estimated population of 196,748 in 91287 households and a population density of 340 persons per km². The total area of ...

, Japan (1999) *

Omsk Omsk (; , ) is the administrative center and largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Omsk Oblast, Russia. It is situated in southwestern Siberia and has a population of over one million. Omsk is the third List of cities and tow ...

, Russia (2007) *

Zhengzhou Zhengzhou is the capital of Henan, China. Located in northern Henan, it is one of the nine National central city, national central cities in China, and serves as the political, economic, technological, and educational center of the province. Th ...

Henan Henan; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty () and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Lu ...

, China (2000)

Gallery

File:Jinjuseong Fortress 01.jpg,

File:Nam River in Jinju 02.jpg, Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival File:Korean sword dance-Jinju geommu-09.jpg,

Jinju geommu Geommu (also transliterated ''Gummu'', ''Kommu'') is a traditional sword dance practiced in Korea. Geommu is performed with special costume, dance moves, and music. The dance is known for its grace in performance. Extra emphasis is placed on the m ...

File:Korean dance-Jinju pogurakmu-09.jpg, Jinju pogurakmu File:View of Jinju 02.jpg, Jinju at night

Notable people

* Non-Gae — notable

who jumped off a cliff into a river with Keyamura Rokusake resulting in both of their deaths. (Originally from

Jangsu County Jangsu County () is a county in Jeonbuk State, South Korea. It is well known for Jangsu- Galbi. Climate Twin towns – sister cities Jangsu is twinned with: * Anyang, South Korea (1996) * Hapcheon, South Korea (1999) * Jinhae-gu, Sout ...

North Jeolla Province North Jeolla Province, officially Jeonbuk State (), is a Special Self-governing Province of South Korea in the Honam region in the southwest of the Korean Peninsula. Jeonbuk borders the provinces of South Chungcheong to the north, North Gyeo ...

) *

Yoo Yeon-seok Ahn Yeon-seok (; born April 11, 1984), better known by the stage name Yoo Yeon-seok, is a South Korean actor. After making his acting debut in 2003 with a small role in '' Oldboy'', he resumed his acting career in 2008. His notable works includ ...

— actor. *

Kang Ho-dong Kang Ho-dong (born July 14, 1970) is a South Korean television host and comedian, who first became known to Koreans as one of the top Korean traditional wrestlers. In 2008, Kang became the first comedian in history to win the Baeksang Arts ...

— host,

comedian A comedian (feminine comedienne) or comic is a person who seeks to entertainment, entertain an audience by making them laughter, laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolishly (as in slapstick), or employing prop c ...

, former Korean traditional wrestler. *

Go A-ra Go Ara (; born February 11, 1990) is a South Korean actress and model. She is best known for starring in the television series ''Sharp'' (2003), '' Heading to the Ground'' (2009), ''Reply 1994'' (2013), ''You're All Surrounded'' (2014), '' Hw ...

— actress, model. *

Jung So-min Kim Yoon-ji (; born March 16, 1989), known professionally as Jung So-min (), is a South Korean actress. She made her acting debut with a supporting role in the Korean drama, television series ''Bad Guy (TV series), Bad Guy'' (2010). Jung is know ...

— actress. *

ASTRO Astro may refer to: Entertainment and media * Astro (South Korean band), a South Korean boy band * Astro (UB40) (born Terence Wilson) (1957–2021), rapper and member of the British reggae band UB40 * Astro (Chilean band), a Chilean indie ro ...

Rocky ''Rocky'' is a 1976 American independent film, independent sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the Rocky (film series), ''Rocky'' franchise and also star ...

(''Park Min-hyuk'', ) — idol. *

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 ...

Seonghwa (''Park Seong-hwa'', ) — idol. *

San (''Choi San'', ) — idol, born in Jinju, raised in Namhae. *

GreatGuys GreatGuys () was a South Korean boy band signed to DNA Entertainment. The group consisted of nine members: Jaei, Uiyeon, Horyeong, Daun, Baekgyeol, Donghwi, Hwalchan, Haneul, and Dongin. The nonet (music), nonet debuted on August 25, 2017, with ...

Horyeong (''Jeong Yeong-ki'', ) — idol.

References

External links

City government website
{{Authority control Cities in South Gyeongsang Province