Gaeun is an '' eup'' in Mungyeong, Gyeongsangbuk-do,

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 ...

. It was formerly a center of coal-mining, but the last mines closed in the 1990s. The dominant local industries are now tourism and agriculture. There are also several operating kilns. Gaeun occupies an area of 152.4 km², of which more than 80% is vacant land, largely rugged hill country. These hills are home to a variety of wild animals including deer and

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...

s. The population numbers 5,594, of which about 60% are involved in farming. Since it gained ''eup'' status in 1973, Gaeun has lost three quarters of its population. Much of this is due to the loss of the mining industry. The

Gaeun Line Gaeun is an ''Administrative divisions of South Korea, eup'' in Mungyeong, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea. It was formerly a center of coal-mining, but the last mines closed in the 1990s. The dominant local industries are now tourism and agric ...

railroad formerly connected the town with the

Mungyeong Line Mungyeong ( ko, 문경 ' ()) is a city in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. The local government, economy, and transportation networks are all centered in Jeomchon, the principal town. Mungyeong has a lengthy history, and is known today fo ...

, providing passenger and freight connections to the nationwide rail grid by way of

Jeomchon Jeomchon is the urbanized center of Mungyeong city, in Gyeongsangbuk-do province, South Korea. The name literally means "mountain-pass village", and may refer to the low hills that run along the edge of town. It has a population of about 45,000 ...

. The line is now abandoned. City buses connect Gaeun to the nearby towns of

Mungyeong-eup Mungyeong-eup (문경읍; 聞慶邑) is an '' eup'' in Mungyeong city in Gyeongsangbuk-do. It was formerly the seat of government of Mungyeong County, until its merger with Jeomchon in 1995 to form Mungyeong city. The eup contains the provincial ...

, and

Hamchang Hamchang is an ''eup'' in Sangju City, North Gyeongsang province, South Korea. It comprises 30 distinct ''ri'' (the smallest South Korean administrative division), and has a population of 8,427 (from 2003 registration figures). There are two e ...

. In addition, there are limited bus connections to

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

. Local attractions include the

Gaeun Coal Museum Gaeun is an '' eup'' in Mungyeong, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea. It was formerly a center of coal-mining, but the last mines closed in the 1990s. The dominant local industries are now tourism and agriculture. There are also several operatin ...

, a monument to ''

uibyeong Righteous armies, sometimes called irregular armies or militias, are informal civilian militias that have appeared several times in Korean history, when the national armies were in need of assistance. The first righteous armies emerged during th ...

'' general

Yi Gang-nyeon Yi or YI may refer to: Philosophic Principle * Yì (义; 義, righteousness, justice) among the 三綱五常 Ethnic groups * Dongyi, the Eastern Yi, or Tung-yi (Chinese: , ''Yí''), ancient peoples who lived east of the Zhongguo in ancient Ch ...

, and the putative birthplace of the Hubaekje king Gyeon Hwon. Anglers also visit the area in order to fish the

Yeong River The Yeong River is a river in Mungyeong City, North Gyeongsang province, South Korea. It flows into the Nakdong River, which in turn flows into the Sea of Japan (East Sea). The river rises from Hwabuk-myeon in Sangju, and drains most of western M ...

, which flows through the town on its way to the Jinnam Bridge area and the

Nakdong River The Nakdonggang River or Nakdonggang () is the longest river in South Korea, and passes through major cities such as Daegu and Busan. It takes its name from its role as the eastern border of the Gaya confederacy during Korea's Three Kingdoms Er ...

beyond.

External links

Gaeun-eup local government website, in Korean
{{coord, 36, 39, N, 128, 04, E, display=title, region:KR_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki Mungyeong Towns and townships in North Gyeongsang Province

See also

External links