Geochang County (''Geochang-gun,'' ) is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

South Gyeongsang South Gyeongsang Province (, ) is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, 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 Heri ...

Province,

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 and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

. The Geochang International Festival of Theater, which was started in 1989, is renowned as the best play festival in Korea. The District Office is located in Geochang-eup, and has jurisdiction over 1 eup and 11 myeon.

The origin of Geochang's name

Geochang County has been called ''Geoyeol'', ''Geota'' and ''Arim'' since ancient times, in the meaning of a large bright place, a very wide field, a wide field, or a large bright one. It was first called a Geochang in the 16th year of King Gyeongdeok of Silla in 757 and was called a geochang after being divided and annexed by surrounding cities.

History

*At the beginning of the Shilla Dynasty was referred to as Gayeol. *1896 Gyeongsangnam-do, Geochang-gun *1928 Gadong-myeon and Gaseo-myeon consolidated into Gajo-myeon. *1931 Eupwoe-myeon renamed to Wolcheon-myeon. *1937 Geochang-myeon elevated to Geochang-eup. *1957 Wolcheon-myeon consolidated into Geochang-eup.

Festivals

* Keochang International Festival of Theatre (KIFT) In Korea, it is called the four major theatrical festivals along with Ansan Street Arts Festival, Puppet Festival Chuncheon, and Andong Maskdance Festival. It is an international theater festival that is held every July and August under the theme of "Nature, Humanity, and Drama".

Twin towns and districts

Geochang is twinned with: * Gokseong,

(1998) * Gangdong-gu,

(1999) *

Gaoyou Gaoyou (), is a county-level city under the administration of Yangzhou, Jiangsu province, China, located in the Yangtze River Delta on the north side of the Yangtze River. History Recent archaeological finds at the Longqiuzhuang site in Gaoyou has ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

(2005) * Yeongdo-gu,

(2006) * Suseong-gu,

(2006) *

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 ...

(2007)

Climate

Geochang 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.

Geography

*Geochang-gun is situated at the far west side of Gyeongsangnam-do, and faces Gyeongsangbuk-do and Jeollanam-do. It does not have good transportation access.

Administrative Regions

The administrative region of Geochang-gun is made up of Geochang-eup, and 11 myeons. With an area of 804.14 km², it occupies 7.65% of Gyeongsangnam-do. As of August 2012, it has a population of 27,111 households, or 63,122 people, with 62.4% residing in Geochang-eup. Its highest ever population was 125,995, which was much higher than present day Changwon-si.

Notable people from Geochang County

* Shin Yong-Mok (), South Korean poet * Choi Ri (), South Korean actress * Shin Mi-hwa (), South Korean bobsledder * Kim Tae-ho (), South Korean politician * Shin Dalja (), South Korean poet * V (Real Name: ''Kim Tae-hyung'', ), singer-songwriter, 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 ...

boygroup

BTS BTS (), also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010. The band consists of Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook, who co-write or co-produce much of their material. Originally a hip hop group, they ...

(Originally from Seo-gu, Daegu, South Korea)

References

External links

County government website
{{coord, 35, 41, N, 127, 54, E, type:city, display=title Counties of South Gyeongsang Province