Gwangju () is

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 ...

's sixth-largest metropolis. It is a designated

metropolitan city A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big c ...

under the direct control of the central government's Home Minister. The city was also the capital of

South Jeolla South Jeolla Province (; ''Jeollanam-do''; ), also known as Jeonnam, is a province of South Korea. South Jeolla has a population of 1,902,324 (2014) and has a geographic area of located in the Honam region at the southwestern tip of the Korean ...

Province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outsi ...

until the provincial office moved to the southern village of Namak in

Muan County Muan County (''Muan-gun'') is a county in South Jeolla Province (''Jeollanam-do''), South Korea. In 2005, Muan County became the capital of ''Jeollanam-do'' following the transfer of the provincial office from its previous location, Gwangju to th ...

in 2005 because Gwangju was promoted to a

and was independent of

province. Its name is composed of the words ''Gwang'' () meaning "light" and ''Ju'' () meaning "province". Gwangju was historically recorded as ''Muju'' (), in which "

Silla Silla or Shilla (57 BCE – 935 CE) ( , Old Korean: Syera, Old Japanese: Siraki2) was a Korean kingdom located on the southern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula. Silla, along with Baekje and Goguryeo, formed the Three Kingdoms of ...

merged all of the land to establish the provinces of Gwangju, Ungju, Jeonju, Muju and various counties, plus the southern boundary of

Goguryeo Goguryeo (37 BC–668 AD) ( ) also called Goryeo (), was a Korean kingdom located in the northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula and the southern and central parts of Northeast China. At its peak of power, Goguryeo controlled mos ...

and the ancient territories of Silla" in the ''

Samguk Sagi ''Samguk Sagi'' (, ''History of the Three Kingdoms'') is a historical record of the Three Kingdoms of Korea: Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla. The ''Samguk Sagi'' is written in Classical Chinese, the written language of the literati of ancient Kore ...

.'' In the heart of the agricultural

Jeolla Jeolla Province (, ) was one of the historical Eight Provinces of Korea during the Kingdom of Joseon in today Southwestern Korea. It consisted of the modern South Korean provinces of North Jeolla, South Jeolla and Gwangju Metropolitan City as wel ...

region, the city is also famous for its rich and diverse

cuisine A cuisine is a style of cooking characterized by distinctive ingredients, techniques and dishes, and usually associated with a specific culture or geographic region. Regional food preparation techniques, customs, and ingredients combine to ...

History

The city was established in 57 BC. It was one of the

administrative center An administrative center is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune is located. In countries with French as administrative language (such as Belgium, L ...

s of

Baekje Baekje or Paekche (, ) was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BC to 660 AD. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla. Baekje was founded by Onjo of Baekje, Onjo, the third son of Gogurye ...

during the

Three Kingdoms Period The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and was followed by the Wester ...

. In 1929, during the period of Imperial Japanese rule, a confrontation between Korean and Japanese students in the city turned into

Gwangju Student Independence Movement The Gwangju Student Independence Movement (), or Gwangju Student Movement, was a Korean independence movement in Gwangju against the 22 August 1910 to 15 August 1945 Japanese rule of Korea. The Gwangju Student Independence Movement took place ...

, a regional demonstration, which culminated in one of the major nationwide uprisings against Imperial Japanese cruelty during the colonial period. The modern industry was established in Gwangju with the construction of a railway to

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

. Some of the industries that took hold include cotton textiles, rice mills and

breweries A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of beer ...

. Construction of a designated industrial zone in 1967 encouraged growth in industry, especially in the sectors linked to the automobile industry. In May 1980, peaceful demonstrations took place in Gwangju against

Chun Doo-hwan Chun Doo-hwan (; or ; 18 January 1931 – 23 November 2021) was a South Korean army general and military dictator who ruled as an unelected strongman from 1979 to 1980 before replacing Choi Kyu-hah as president of South Korea from 1980 to 19 ...

, leader of the military coup d'état of 12 December 1979. The demonstrations were suppressed by military forces, including elite units of the Special Operations Command. The situation escalated after a violent crackdown, resulting in the

Gwangju Uprising The Gwangju Uprising was a popular uprising in the city of Gwangju, South Korea, from May 18 to May 27, 1980, which pitted local, armed citizens against soldiers and police of the South Korean government. The event is sometimes called 5·18 (Ma ...

, where civilians raided armories and armed themselves. By the time the uprising was suppressed 9 days later, many hundreds of civilians and several police forces / soldiers were dead. After civilian rule was reinstated in 1987, a national cemetery was established to honor the victims of the incident. Now the South Korean constitution admits the

as a root of South Korean democracy. In 1986, Gwangju separated from

Jeollanam-do South Jeolla Province (; ''Jeollanam-do''; ), also known as Jeonnam, is a province of South Korea. South Jeolla has a population of 1,902,324 (2014) and has a geographic area of located in the Honam region at the southwestern tip of the Korean ...

to become a Directly Governed City (Jikhalsi), and then became a Metropolitan City (Gwangyeoksi) in 1995. Due to a variety of factors, including the ancient rivalry between

and

, as well as the biased priority given to the

Gyeongsang Gyeongsang ( ko, 경상도, ''Gyeongsang-do''; ) was one of the eight provinces of Korea during the Joseon dynasty. Gyeongsang was located in the southeast of Korea. The provincial capital was Daegu. The region was the birthplace of the Kingdo ...

region by political leaders in the 2nd half of the 20th century, Gwangju has a long history of voting for left-leaning politicians and is the main stronghold for the liberal

Democratic Party of Korea The Democratic Party of Korea (DPK; ), formerly known as the New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD), is a liberal political party in South Korea. Controlling the unicameral National Assembly as of 2022, the DPK is regarded as one of two ma ...

along with its predecessors, as well as the progressive Justice Party. Gwangju held many sports events such as

2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial football world championship for men's national teams organized by FIFA. It was held from 31 May to 30 June 2002 at sites in South Korea ...

2015 Summer Universiade The 2015 Summer Universiade ( ko, 2015년 하계 유니버시아드, Icheon sip-o nyeon Hagye Yunibeosiadeu), officially known as the XXVIII Summer Universiade ( ko, 제28회 하계 유니버시아드, Jeisippalhoe Hagye Yunibeosiadeu) and also kn ...

2019 World Aquatics Championships The 2019 World Aquatics Championships were the 18th FINA World Aquatics Championships, held in Gwangju, South Korea from 12 to 28 July 2019. The city had previously hosted the 2015 Summer Universiade aquatics events in the same venues.

Administrative divisions

Gwangju is divided into 5 districts ("Gu").

Religion

According to the census of 2015, 9.5% of the population followed

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

and 28.7% followed

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesu ...

(20%

Protestantism Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

and 8.7%

Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

) 61% of the population are irreligious.

Population

The population model of Gwangju is as follows;

Climate

Gwangju has a cooler version of the humid subtropical climate (

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

: ''Cfa/Cwa'') with four distinct seasons and rainfall year-round but particularly during the East Asian Monsoon Season in the summer months. Winters, while still cold, are milder than in Seoul and cities further north due to the city's southwesterly position in the Korean peninsula. Summers are hot and humid with abundant precipitation, particularly in the form of thunderstorms. Gwangju is one of the warmest cities in Korea in the summer due to its geographic location.

Education

Chonnam National University Chonnam National University (CNU) is one of ten Flagship Korean National Universities located in Gwangju and South Jeolla Province, South Korea. In March 2006, Yeosu National University merged with Chonnam National University to become a satellit ...

Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology The Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) is a research-oriented university focused on science and technology that is located in Gwangju, South Korea. GIST is a member of the research-oriented universities group consisting of GIST-K ...

, and Gwangju Education University are public universities in Gwangju.

Honam University Honam University is a university located in Gwangsan-gu, 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 Demil ...

Gwangju University Gwangju University began in 1981 as a four-year college in Jinwol-dong, Nam-gu, Gwangju, named Gwangju Gyeongsang Jeonmun Daehak (). It now has three graduate schools and four colleges with more than fifteen thousand students.Gwangju University, ...

, Gwangshin University, Gwangju Women's University, Nambu University,

Chosun University Chosun University () is one of the oldest private universities in South Korea. Its campus is situated in Gwangju metropolitan city, in southwestern South Korea. Around 33,000 students are enrolled. Academics Undergraduate courses are offered ...

, and Honam Christian University are private universities.

Gwangju Health University Gwangju Health University (GHU) is a private bachelor's degree-granting community college located in Gwangju Metropolitan City, South Korea. Established in 1972, GHU, has received national accreditation by the Ministry of Education as a World ...

is a private community college offering associate degrees in humanities and social sciences, healthcare sciences, and a bachelor's degree in nursing. Gwangju has 593 schools, consisting of 234 kindergartens, 145 elementary schools, 84 middle schools, 65 high schools, 1 science high school, 7 junior colleges, 9 universities, 38 graduate schools, and 11 others (as of 1 May 2009) with a total of 406,669 students, or 28.5% of the total city population. The average number of students per household is 0.8.

Transportation

The city is served by the

Gwangju Subway Gwangju Metro () is the rapid transit system of Gwangju, South Korea, operated by the Gwangju Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation (GRTC, or Gwangju Metro). The subway network first opened in 2004 with 14 stations. The Gwangju Metro consists o ...

. An extension was completed in April 2008 with the remainder being completed in 2012. There are two

KTX Korea Train eXpress (), often known as KTX (), is South Korea's high-speed rail system, operated by Korail. Construction began on the high-speed line from Seoul to Busan in 1992. KTX services were launched on April 1, 2004. From Seoul Station ...

stations in the city:

Gwangju station Gwangju station is a train station located in Gwangju, South Korea, 353 km south of Yongsan station. History The station opened on July 1, 1922, and the station building was moved to its present location on July 25, 1969. On August 10, ...

and Gwangju Songjeong Station. Gwangju Songjeong Station connects to the Gwangju Subway and local bus system. Now the Songjeong station is mainly used. Gwangju has an extensive system of public buses that traverse the city. Bus stops and buses themselves contain stop information in Korean and in English. Local buses, but not the subway or KTX, connect to the intercity Gwangju Bus Terminal known as U-Square. Gwangju is also served by the

Gwangju Airport Gwangju Airport (Hangul: 광주공항, Hanja: 光州空港, Revised Romanization of Korean: Gwangju Gonghang, McCune-Reischauer: Kwangju Konghang) is an airport in the city of Gwangju, South Korea and is managed by the Korea Airports Corporatio ...

Tourism

Asia Culture Center The Asia Culture Center, also referred to as ACC, is an arts complex in Gwangju, South Korea. It was opened in November 2015. It consists of five main buildings: the ACC Culture Exchange; the ACC Children; the ACC Archive & Research; the ACC Cr ...

– The Asia Culture Center (also known as the ACC) is a facility in downtown Gwangju designed to celebrate and explore Gwangju's artistic and democratic culture and history, as well as provide space to host exhibits, experiences, and events from international artists. It is built primarily below street level, though its design incorporates large amounts of natural lighting. There are five facilities: ACC Exchange, ACC Theater, ACC Creation, ACC Archive & Research, and ACC Children. *

Gwangju Biennale The Gwangju Biennale is a contemporary art biennale founded in September 1995 in Gwangju, South Jeolla province, South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part ...

– This is a modern art festival that is held every two years. It was first launched in 1995. The Gwangju Biennale Exhibition Hall is at the Jung-oe Park Culture Center and the Science Center. * Gwangju Culture & Art Center – The Center regularly hosts event
Gwangju Culture & Art Center Official Website
* Gwangju Hyanggyo (Confucian School) – Gwangju Hyanggyo is in the Gwangju Park in Sa-dong. There are traditional houses here estimated as built during the 1st year of the

Joseon Dynasty Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and ...

in 1392. This school continues to hold memorial ceremonies for Confucius twice a year. Admission is free
More about Gwangju Hyanggyo
*

(GIST) is one of the greatest research institutes in Korea. Laser research equipment with 4PW output is located within GIST. *

Gwangju National Museum Gwangju National Museum is a national museum located in Gwangju, South Korea. The museum opened in 1978. See also *List of museums in South Korea There are over 500 museums and galleries in South Korea. National museums Museums in Seoul P ...

– The museum houses a permanent collection of historical art and cultural relics that date back to the old Joseon and Goryeo periods of Korean history. The museum also organizes exhibitions and cultural learning activities that are open to the public. * Gwangju 5.18 Road is the course about the Democracy Movement of 1980. The courses include the historical places
More about 5.18Road
* May 18th National Cemetery *Food streets - Gwangju has numerous designated Food Streets where multiple restaurants serving dishes renowned to Gwangju can be found. These include Mudeungsan Boribap Street (a meal of barley with a variety of side dishes), Duck Cook Street (oritang, a duck stew, and grilled duck), Folk Tteokgalbi Street (a meal of grilled minced pork or beef patties eaten wrapped in lettuce and served with ox bone soup and a variety of side dishes) and Kotgejang Baekban Street (a meal of crabs preserved in soy sauce served with a variety of side dishes). *

Gwangju World Cup Stadium The Gwangju World Cup Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in the South Korean city of Gwangju. It is managed by the Sports Support Division of the Culture & Sports Policy Office of the Gwangju Metropolitan city. Initially the stadium was named ''Gw ...

- It is a historical place for Korean soccer history. Because at this stadium in

South Korea national football team The South Korea national football team (; recognized as Korea Republic by FIFA) represents South Korea in men's international football and is governed by the Korea Football Association. South Korea has emerged as a major football power in As ...

beat Spain soccer team in 3:5 at the quarter-Final, and advanced to the Semi-Final match with Germany in that World Cup, for the first time in the Asian soccer history.

Sport and culture

* It is the home of

Kia Tigers Kia Tigers ( ko, KIA 타이거즈) are a South Korean professional baseball team founded in 1982 and based in the southwestern city of Gwangju. Until 2001, they were known as the Haitai Tigers. The Tigers are a members of the KBO League and are ...

of the Korea Professional Baseball League ( KBO). *

–

was one of the venues used for the World Cup, and was where the

advanced to the semi-finals for the first time in its history, by defeating Spain. * It is the home of

Gwangju FC Gwangju FC (Korean: 광주 FC) is a South Korean professional football club based in Gwangju that competes in the K League 1, the top tier of South Korean football. They joined the K League in the 2011 season. History Gwangju FC was founded in ...

of the

K League K League (Hangul: K리그) is South Korea's professional football league. It includes first division K League 1 and second division K League 2. History Until the 1970s, South Korean football operated two major football leagues, the National ...

. *

Universiade The Universiade is an international multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The name is a portmanteau of the words "University" and " Olympiad". The Universiade is referr ...

– It was the venue for the 2015 Summer

games. * The 3rd Asia Song Festival an annual Asian pop music festival hosted by the ''Korea Foundation for International Culture Exchange'', in 2006, was held at the

. * The International Design Alliance (IDA) appointed Gwangju as the host destination of the 2015 IDA Congress. * Festivals are held in Gwangju. ( :ko:광주광역시의 축제 목록) * 2019

FINA World Aquatics Championships The FINA World Championships or World Aquatics Championships are the World Championships for aquatics sports: swimming, diving, high diving, open water swimming, artistic swimming, and water polo. They are run by FINA, and all swimming events ar ...

* 2014 Gwangju ACE Fair (Asia Content & Entertainment Fair) * The Ministry of SMEs said Gwangju Metropolitan City was selected as the site for the creation of the ''"Green-Startup-Town."'' It is said that it will benchmark

King's Cross Station King's Cross railway station, also known as London King's Cross, is a passenger railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden, on the edge of Central London. It is in the London station group, one of the busiest stations in the United Kin ...

, a successful case of urban regeneration in the UK, to establish a start-up hub (private research institute, research and development company, start-up company, etc.) at Gwangju Station. * It is the home of Gwangju AI Peppers of the

V-League V-League or V.League may refer to: * V.League (Japan), a professional volleyball league * V-League (South Korea), a professional volleyball league * V-League (Philippines), a collegiate volleyball league * V.League 1 The V.League 1 ( vi, Gi� ...

Cityscape

Mudeungsan Mudeungsan () is a mountain in South Korea. It extends over the district of Buk-gu in the city of Gwangju, as well as Hwasun County and Damyang County in the province of Jeollanam-do. Mudeungsan has an elevation of and is a part of Mudeungsan N ...

– It is a mountain that is part of

Mudeungsan National Park Mudeungsan National Park, previously Mudeungsan Provincial Park, is located in the city of Gwangju and the province of Jeollanam-do, South Korea. The park was designated a provincial park on 22 May 1972 and was upgraded to national park stat ...

International relations

Twin towns – sister cities

Gwangju is

twinned Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to: * In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so; * Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning * Twinning inst ...

with: *

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater A ...

, Australia (2002) *

Changzhi Changzhi () is a prefecture-level city in the southeast of Shanxi Province, China, bordering the provinces of Hebei and Henan to the northeast and east, respectively. Historically, the city was one of the 36 administrative areas (see Administrat ...

, China (2014) *

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city anc ...

, Canada (2008) *

Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong ...

, China (1996) *

Medan Medan (; English: ) is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of North Sumatra, as well as a regional hub and financial centre of Sumatra. According to the National Development Planning Agency, Medan is one of the four ma ...

, Indonesia (1997) *

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

, United States (1982) *

Sendai is the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture, the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,091,407 in 525,828 households, and is one of Japan's 20 designated cities. The city was founded in 1600 by the ''daimyō'' Date M ...

, Japan (2002) *

Tainan Tainan (), officially Tainan City, is a special municipality in southern Taiwan facing the Taiwan Strait on its western coast. Tainan is the oldest city on the island and also commonly known as the "Capital City" for its over 200 years of hi ...

, Taiwan (1968)

Partnerships and cooperations

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. Th ...

, Italy *

Seberang Perai Seberang Perai is a city in the Malaysian state of Penang. It is situated on the Malay Peninsula opposite Penang Island, bordering Kedah to the north and east and Perak to the south. Its city centre is located in Butterworth, while its local ...

, Malaysia (2013)

Notable people

Literature

Han Kang Han Kang (; born November 27, 1970) is a South Korean writer. She won the Man Booker International Prize for fiction in 2016 for '' The Vegetarian'', a novel about a woman's descent into mental illness and neglect from her family. The novel i ...

– author of ''

The Vegetarian ''The Vegetarian'' () is a South Korean three-part novel written by Han Kang and first published in 2007. Based on Han's 1997 short story "The Fruit of My Woman", ''The Vegetarian'' is set in modern-day Seoul and tells the story of Yeong-hye, a ...

'' and ''Human Acts''

Entertainers

*Jung Ho-seok (stage name

J-Hope Jung Ho-seok (; born February 18, 1994), better known by his stage name J-Hope (stylized as j-hope), is a South Korean rapper, singer-songwriter, dancer, and record producer. He made his debut as a member of South Korean boy band BTS in 201 ...

) – member of K-pop group ''

BTS BTS (), also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010 and debuting in 2013 under Big Hit Entertainment. The septet—consisting of members Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook—co-writes and co-p ...

'' *

Kevin Moon Kevin John Moon (born 8 June 1987) is a Scottish footballer, who last played as a midfielder for Scottish League Two club Stirling Albion. He began his career with St. Johnstone and was part of the side which gained promotion to the Scottish ...

- member of K-pop group ''

The Boyz Boyz or The Boyz may refer to: Music Bands * The Boyz (German band), a German boy band of the 1990s * The Boyz (American band), an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, established in 1975 *The Boyz (South Korean band) The Boyz () ...

''(born in Gwangju, raised in Canada) *Jeong Yun-ho (stage Name Yunho) - member of K-pop group ATEEZ *

Moon Geun-young Moon Geun-young (; born May 6, 1987) is a South Korean actress. Affectionately called the " Nation's Little Sister," Moon began modeling at the age of 10, then made her acting debut in 1999 as a child actress. She first rose to stardom through h ...

– South Korean actress and singer *Lee Seung-hyun (stage name

Seungri Lee Seung-hyun (; born December 12, 1990), better known by his stage names Seungri (Hangul: ) and V.I (when performing in Japan), is a former South Korean singer, songwriter, actor, businessman and sex offender convicted of facilitating prosti ...

) – former member of K-pop group ''

Big Bang The Big Bang event is a physical theory that describes how the universe expanded from an initial state of high density and temperature. Various cosmological models of the Big Bang explain the evolution of the observable universe from t ...

'' *Jung Yun-ho (stage name

U-Know Jung Yun-ho (; born February 6, 1986), also known by his stage name U-Know Yunho () or simply U-Know, is a South Korean singer-songwriter, actor, and a member of the pop duo TVXQ. Born and raised in Gwangju, South Korea, Yunho started his music ...

) – member of K-pop group ''

TVXQ TVXQ (stylized as TVXQ!), an initialism for Tong Vfang Xien Qi (), is a South Korean male Pop music, pop duo consisting of Yunho, U-Know Yunho and Changmin, Max Changmin. They are known as in Japanese releases, and are sometimes referred to as ...

'' *

Seo Hye-lin Seo Hye-lin (Hangul: 서혜린; born August 23, 1993), referred to as Hyelin, is a South Korean singer. She is best known as a member of the South Korean girl group EXID. Career In 2011, she participated in Mnet's ''Superstar K3'', making it t ...

– member of K-pop group ''

EXID EXID (; ; short for "Exceed in Dreaming") is a South Korean girl group formed in 2012. The group currently consists of five members: Solji, Elly, Hani, Hyelin and Jeonghwa. EXID debuted in February 2012, with the single "Whoz That Girl". Tho ...

'' * Lee Gi-kwang – member of K-pop group '' Highlight'' *

Lee Sung-jong Lee Sung-jong ( Hangul: 이성종; hanja: 李成種; born September 3, 1993), commonly known as Sungjong, is a South Korean singer. He is a vocalist of the South Korean boy band Infinite under Woollim Entertainment. He is also the vocalist of ...

– member of K-pop group ''

Infinite Infinite may refer to: Mathematics *Infinite set, a set that is not a finite set *Infinity, an abstract concept describing something without any limit Music *Infinite (group) Infinite ( ko, 인피니트; stylized as INFINITE) is a South Ko ...

'' * Chae Hyung-won – member of K-pop group ''

Monsta X Monsta X (; stylized as MONSTA X) is a South Korean boy group formed through the reality survival program ''No.Mercy'' under Starship Entertainment. The group is currently composed of six members: Shownu, Minhyuk, Kihyun, Hyungwon, Joohon ...

'' *Im Chang-kyun (stage name I.M.) – member of K-pop group ''Monsta X'' (originally from

Suwon Suwon (, ) is the capital and largest city of Gyeonggi-do, South Korea's most populous province which surrounds Seoul, the national capital. Suwon lies about south of Seoul. It is traditionally known as "The City of Filial Piety". With a populati ...

) *Bae Su-ji (stage name Suzy) – former member of K-pop group ''

Miss A Miss A (stylized as "MISS A" or "miss A", Hangul: ) was a South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment. The group debuted in July 2010 with the single " Bad Girl Good Girl" as a quartet consisting of Fei, Jia, Min, and Suzy. Their d ...

'' *Gong Min-ji (stage name

Minzy Gong Min-ji (; born January 18, 1994), better known by her stage name Minzy, is a South Korean singer, rapper, and dancer. She debuted in 2009 as a member of South Korean girl group 2NE1, which became one of the best-selling girl groups worldwi ...

) – member of K-pop group ''

2NE1 2NE1 (, ) was a South Korean girl group formed by YG Entertainment, which was active between 2009 and 2016. The group was composed of four members: Bom, CL, Dara, and Minzy. Known for breaking typical stereotypes of K-pop, musical experim ...

'' * Kim Yu-bin – former member of K-pop group ''

Wonder Girls Wonder Girls () was a South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment. The group debuted in February 2007 with the single " Irony" and 5 members: Yeeun, Sunye, Sunmi, Hyuna and Sohee. After Hyuna's departure in July, Yubin was added i ...

'' *

Hong Jin-young Hong Jin-young (born August 9, 1985) is a South Korean trot singer and entertainer. She was a member of the short-lived South Korean girl group SWAN, which debuted in 2007. In 2009, she returned to the music scene, debuting as a trot singer. She ...

– a trot singer *

Park Shin-hye Park Shin-hye (, born February 18, 1990) is a South Korean actress and singer. She gained recognition as a child on TV shows such as '' Stairway to Heaven'' (2003), and '' Tree of Heaven'' (2006). Later on, she would achieve further success whe ...

– South Korean actress * Jung Woo-seok – member of K-pop group ''

Pentagon In geometry, a pentagon (from the Greek language, Greek πέντε ''pente'' meaning ''five'' and γωνία ''gonia'' meaning ''angle'') is any five-sided polygon or 5-gon. The sum of the internal angles in a simple polygon, simple pentagon is ...

'' *

Lee Na-gyung Fromis 9 (; stylized as fromis_9) is a South Korean girl group formed by CJ E&M through the 2017 reality show '' Idol School''. The group is composed of eight members: Roh Ji-sun, Song Ha-young, Lee Sae-rom, Lee Chae-young, Lee Na-gyung, Park J ...

– member of K-pop group

Fromis 9 Fromis 9 (; stylized as fromis_9) is a South Korean girl group formed by CJ E&M through the 2017 reality show '' Idol School''. The group is composed of eight members: Roh Ji-sun, Song Ha-young, Lee Sae-rom, Lee Chae-young, Lee Na-gyung, Park ...

* Song Ha Young – member of K-pop group

*Seo Woobin – member of K-pop group

Cravity Cravity () is a South Korean boy band formed by Starship Entertainment. The group is composed of nine members: Serim, Allen, Jungmo, Woobin, Wonjin, Minhee, Hyeongjun, Taeyoung, and Seongmin. They debuted on April 14, 2020, with their extended ...

*Oh Seunghee - member of K-pop group CLC * Lee Su-jeong (stage name Babysoul)- leader and member of K-pop group

Lovelyz Lovelyz () is a South Korean girl group formed in 2014 by Woollim Entertainment and is the company's first girl group. The group consists of eight members: Baby Soul, Jiae, Jisoo, Mijoo, Kei, Jin, Sujeong and Yein. Their debut album, '' Girls ...

* Bae Seung-min - member of K-pop group

Golden Child Golden means made of, or relating to gold. Golden may also refer to: Places United Kingdom *Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall *Golden Cap, Dorset * Golden Square, Soho, London *Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome in Gloucesters ...

* Park Soeun - member of K-pop group

Weeekly Weeekly ( ko, 위클리) is a South Korean girl group under IST Entertainment (formerly Play M Entertainment). The group is Play M Entertainment's second girl group in 10 years, after Apink. The group consists of six members: Lee Soo-jin, Mond ...

* Lee Taeyeob (stage name Yoojung) - member of K-pop group

OnlyOneOf OnlyOneOf (온리원오브) is a South Korean boy band formed by 8D Entertainment in 2019. The group debuted on May 28, 2019, with ''Dot Point Jump''. History 2019: Debut with ''Dot Point Jump'' and first comeback ''Line Sun Goodness'' On May ...

Sports

Ki Sung-yueng Ki Sung-yueng ( Hangul: ; Hanja: ; ; born 24 January 1989) is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder or a defensive midfielder for the K League 1 club FC Seoul. From 2008 to 2019, Ki was a full internatio ...

– International

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

. *

An San An San (Hangul: 안산; Hanja: 安山, born 27 February 2001) is a South Korean archer competing in women's recurve events. She won three gold medals at the 2020 Summer Olympics, in the women's team, mixed team and Individual events, becom ...

– Olympic gold medalist in women's team, mixed team, and individual archery at the 2021 Tokyo Summer Games. *

An Se-young An Se-young (; born 5 February 2002) is a South Korean badminton player from Gwangju, who was awarded as 2019 Most Promising Player of the Year by the BWF. In 2018, An was selected to join the national team and became the first junior high sc ...

- Badminton Player.

Politics

* Elizabeth Lee – Australian politician and Leader of the Opposition of the Australian Capital Territory

Notes

References

Citations

Bibliography

* .

External links

*
Gwangju :Official Site of Korea Tourism Org
{{Authority control 50s BC establishments 57 BC Special Cities and Metropolitan Cities of South Korea