Gwangyang (; ) 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 ...
in
South Jeolla Province
South Jeolla Province (), formerly South Chŏlla Province, also known as Jeonnam (), is a province in the Honam, Honam region, South Korea, and the Provinces of Korea, southernmost province in mainland Korea. South Jeolla borders the provinces of ...
, South Korea. Gwangyang is the home of
POSCO
POSCO (formerly Pohang Iron and Steel Company) is a South Korean steel manufacturer headquartered in Pohang, South Korea. It had an output of of crude steel in 2015, making it the List of steel producers, world's sixth-largest steelmaker by thi ...
's Gwangyang Steel Works, the largest facility of its kind in the world.
The city is also home to
K League Classic football side
Jeonnam Dragons.
Gwangyang is at the centre of development for the Gwangyang Bay Area Free Economic Zone (GFEZ), the third-largest among the six
free economic zone
A free-trade zone (FTZ) is a class of special economic zone. It is a geographic area where goods may be imported, stored, handled, manufactured, or reconfigured and re- exported under specific customs regulation and generally not subjec ...
s of South Korea, covering 92.7 square kilometers. The Free Economic Zone focus on port container handling, steel production, shipbuilding as well as leisure facilities. The area has become a mega business hub, exploiting its accessibility to China.
Famous people from Gwangyang include
National Intelligence Service head
Kim Seung-kew. To the north of the city is the county of Gurye, to the east along the Seomjin River is the county of Hadong in Gyeongsangnam-do, and to the south is the Gwangyang Bay. Mountains in the city include Baegunsan (백운산, 1,217m), to the south is Gayasan (가야산, 497m) and Gubonghwasan (구봉화산, 473m). Baegunsan is the second-highest mountain in Jeollanam-do with the exception of Jirisan (지리산, 1,915 m).
The average yearly temperature is , the average in January is , and the average in July is . The average yearly precipitation is
As of October 14, 2007, plans are being set up and a referendum is being planned for a merging of the cities of
Yeosu
Yeosu, formerly romanized as Yosu, is a coastal city located on the southern shore of South Korea. With a population of 268,823, Yeosu is the second largest city in South Jeolla Province. In 1998, the Old Yeosu City, Yeocheon City and Yeocheon C ...
,
Suncheon
Suncheon (; ) is the largest city in South Jeolla Province, South Korea, with a population of 280,719 as of 2022. It is located in the southeast of the province and is a scenic agricultural and industrial city, known for tourist attractions, suc ...
and Gwangyang into a new metropolitan city, taking advantage of the Gwangyang Bay Free Economic Zone, Yeosu's Expo 2012 bid and port facilities, Suncheon's educational institutes and Gwangyang's POSCO plan
Symbols
* Tree : Gorosoe
* Bird : Sea gull
* Flower : Camellia
Gwangyang Steel Works
The
steel mill, Steel Works in Gwangyang is
POSCO's second mill in the country after the mill in
Pohang
Pohang (; ), formerly spelled Po-Hang, is the largest city in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea, with a List of cities in South Korea, population of 499,363 as of 2022, bordering the Sea of Japan, East Sea to the east, Yeongcheon to the w ...
. The mill boasts having the largest
steel
Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high Young's modulus, elastic modulus, Yield (engineering), yield strength, Fracture, fracture strength a ...
plant in the world, the most modern technology, and the best facilities for steel
manufacturing
Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of the
secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer ...
. It presently produces coil used for making
bridge
A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...
s, iron structures,
car
A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people rather than cargo. There are around one billio ...
s, refrigerators, and more. Its production capacity averages about 18 million tons per year. This plant is also a
tourist destination for many people, attracting more than 300,000 people from around the globe.
Location
Gwangyang is a strategically important city situated in the southern center of the Korean peninsula. For these geopolitical reasons, Gwangyang is a city which functions as an axis for the balanced development of the country covering South Jeolla area with western parts of
Mokpo
Mokpo (; ) is the List of cities in South Korea, third largest and most densely populated city in South Jeolla Province, South Korea, located at the southwestern tip of the Korean Peninsula, close to Yudal mountain. Mokpo has frequent high-speed ...
and
Muan.
Places of interest
Gwangyang is home to many unique natural and cultural sites as well as many different festivals during the four seasons. Points of interest include:
* The Baegun mountains
* Maehwa Village
* Yudang Park
* The Natural Resort Park
* Gwangyang Cultural Center
The festivals include:
* The Baegun Mountain Medicinal Water Festival
* The Maehwa Culture Festival
* The Jeoneo Fish Festival
File:Gwangyang Cultural Center, in South Jeolla Province, South Korea 03.jpg, Gwangyang Cultural Center
File:Gwangyang-eup office.JPG, Gwangyang-eup office
File:광양 옥룡사 동백나무 숲 오솔길2 (촬영년도 2015년).jpg, Okryongsa Camellia Forest
File:Gwangyang Station 20160815 145452.jpg, Gwangyang Station
File:Gwangyang City Hall.JPG, Gwangyang City Hall
File:Gwangyangstadium4.jpg, Gwangyang Stadium
File:Gwangyang Maehwa Festival in Spring - 4403554076.jpg, The Maehwa Culture Festival
File:02 컨부두 배후부지 서측.jpg
Festival
Gwangyang is famous for its beautiful apricot trees. In Korean, the ume flower is called ''maehwa'' () and it has been honored for its early blooming. Because of its characteristic, the Gwangyang Maehwa Festival is the earliest opened festival in the whole
South Jeolla Province
South Jeolla Province (), formerly South Chŏlla Province, also known as Jeonnam (), is a province in the Honam, Honam region, South Korea, and the Provinces of Korea, southernmost province in mainland Korea. South Jeolla borders the provinces of ...
area.
Other festivals in Gwangyang are the Baegunsan Mountain Gorosoe Festival, Seomjingang Culture Festival and the Gwangyang Sutbulgui Festival.
International relations
Twin towns – Sister cities
Gwangyang is
twinned with:
See also
*
Hwanggeum-dong, Gwangyang
*
List of cities in South Korea
The largest cities of South Korea have an autonomous status equivalent to that of provinces. Seoul, the largest city and capital, is classified as a ''teukbyeolsi'' (List of special cities of South Korea#Position in hierarchy and types, Special ...
References
External links
Gwangyang City government home page (in Korean)Gwangyang City government home page (in English)
{{coord, 34, 56, N, 127, 41, E, display=title, region:KR-46_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki
Cities in South Jeolla Province
Port cities and towns in South Korea