Jangseong County () 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 ...
in
South Jeolla 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 ...
.
Jangseong is in the southern region of the Korean peninsula and
Gwangju
Gwangju (; ), formerly romanized as Kwangju, is South Korea's list of cities in South Korea, sixth-largest metropolis. It is a designated Special cities of South Korea, metropolitan city under the direct control of the central government's Home ...
and
Naju is the nearest city from Jangseong. In South Jeolla, it near the northern border of its province, meeting North Jeolla.
Jangseong is assumed to be the birthplace of
Hong Gildong. The festival host bowing place with local river. Hong Gildong festival was chosen as superior festival of
South Jeolla.
The Republic of Korea Army Armor School is located in the county.
Symbols
* Flower : White poplar
* Tree : Maple
* Bird : Dove
Administrative divisions

Jangseong-gun's administrative divisions consist of 1 town (''
eup''), 10 townships (''
myeon''), and 123 villages (''
ri''). Jangseong-gun has an area of 518.5
km2 , and as of March 31, 2011, the population has 20,840 households and 47,239 people.
Places of Interest
Baegyangsa Temple
A head temple of the
Jogye Order
The Jogye Order, officially known as the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, (대한불교조계종, 大韓佛敎 曹溪宗), is the leading order of traditional Korean Buddhism, with roots dating back 1,200 years to the late Silla period. Around ...
of
Korean Buddhism
Korean Buddhism is distinguished from other forms of Buddhism by its attempt to resolve what its early practitioners saw as inconsistencies within the Mahayana Buddhist traditions that they received from foreign countries. To address this, they ...
, Baegyangsa (백양사; 白羊寺) was established in 632 AD by the great Zen Master Yeohwan (여환선사; 如幻禪師). Originally named Baegamsa (백암사; 白巖寺), it was renamed Jeongtosa (정토사; 淨土寺) in 1034 by the monk Jungyeon (중연; 中延), who spearheaded a reconstruction of the temple. It got its current name after the mid-
Joseon
Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...
period. The renowned
Seon Buddhist nun and chef,
Jeong Kwan, lives in the temple. Visitors can also participate in its
Templestay program.
Piram Seowon
Founded in 1590 to commemorate a local scholar and civil servant Kim In-hu (김인후; 金麟厚, 1510-1560), Piram Seowon
ko">:ko:장성_필암서원">ko(필암서원; 筆巖書院) was burned down in 1597 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 ...
. It was rebuilt in 1624, and in 1662,
King Hyeongjong personally gave a plaque containing the temple's name. In 1672 it moved to its current location. Besides being a designated
Historic Site of Korea, it is also one of the nine ''
seowons'' that was recognized as a
UNESCO World Heritage Site
World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
in July 6, 2019.
This ''seowon'' is built in the Jeonhakhumyo (전학후묘; 前學後廟) form, where the study area is located in the front, and the area for performing ancestral rites are at the back. A number of old documents are stored here, from records of students and personnel to
woodblock print collections of cultural property status.
Ibamsanseong Fortress
Built on the mountain Ibamsan (626m), the exact founding of Ibamsanseong Fortress
ko">:ko:장성_입암산성">ko(입암산성; 笠岩山城) is unclear, although it is first mentioned in the
History of Goryeo
''Goryeosa'' (), or ''History of Goryeo'', is an extensive historical record of the Goryeo dynasty, compiled by the officials of Goryeo's successor state, Joseon. Its compilation started during the reign of Taejo (the founding monarch of Jo ...
, where, in 1256 during the
Mongol invasions of Korea
A series of campaigns were conducted between 1231 and 1270 by the Mongol Empire against the Korean kingdom of Goryeo. The last campaign concluded with a peace treaty with Goryeo becoming Korea under Yuan rule, a vassal state of the Yuan dynast ...
, General Song Gunbi
ko">:ko:송군비">ko(송군비; 宋君斐, ?-1270) who was in charge of this fortress, successfully defeated the Mongols. The fortress was rebuilt in 1409 during
King Taejong's reign, and later it underwent several modifications to allow its defenders to hold out for an extended period of time. Today, 3.2km of the fortress remains.
Jangseong Hwangryong Battle Site
This is the site of the
Battle of Hwangryong River, part of the
Donghak Peasant Revolution. From 1994, the county government began building a memorial park in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the revolution, and in 1997 it was opened to the public, being designated as National Historic Site No. 406 in 1998. There is also a monument to Lee Hak-seung, a general of the government troops who was killed in action.
Hong Gil-dong Theme Park
This theme park introduces visitors to Hong Gil-dong, who was assumed to be born in Jangseong-gun. Facilities include an archery range, an exhibition hall, 4D theater, futsal field, a camping site for both tents and vehicles, a ''
hanok'', a store and a restaurant.
Namchang Valley
At four kilometers long, this large valley consists of six smaller valleys; within its vicinity lies Ibamsanseong Fortress and Baegyangsa Temple. Waterfalls and oddly-shaped rocks dot its hiking trail. During summer, it is popular with hikers as they immerse themselves in nature.
Chungnyeongsan Cypress Forest
The area around Chungnyeongsan (축령산; 祝靈山), a mountain which height is 620.5m, saw a successful
afforestation
Afforestation is the establishment of a forest or stand of trees in an area where there was no recent tree cover. There are three types of afforestation: natural Regeneration (biology), regeneration, agroforestry and Tree plantation, tree plan ...
project under Chunwon (춘원; 春園) Im Jung-guk (임종국; 林種國, 1915-1987), who in 1956 began to plant trees at the foot of the mountain, entirely at his own expense. His determination endured even in the face of a severe drought in 1968. Eventually, nearby villagers volunteered to help him, and over the course of 20 years approximately 1,150 hectares of land had turned into a
cypress
Cypress is a common name for various coniferous trees or shrubs from the ''Cupressus'' genus of the '' Cupressaceae'' family, typically found in temperate climates and subtropical regions of Asia, Europe, and North America.
The word ''cypress'' ...
forest, with over 2.5 million trees being planted by him alone. After dying from illness, his body was buried here. The
Korea Forest Service purchased the forest in 2002 and has maintained it ever since. Because of his actions, Chungnyeongsan is now a famous tourist attraction, with a folk village and tourist farm built at the entrance. Nearby villages also benefit from increased tourism.
In 2024, a ''
changgeuk'' performance depicting Im Jung-guk's life story and his dedication to the forest was held at Jangseong Cultural Arts Center, to raise awareness of sustainable regional development.
May 2014 fire
A fire at a 397-bed hospital, which had opened in 2007 in Jangseong was the scene of a major fire just after midnight on 28 May 2014. Twenty one patients and a nurse died in the fire, while several more people were injured.
Twin towns – sister cities
Jangseong is
twinned with:
*
Jung-gu,
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 ...
*
Haman County,
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 ...
*
Gwacheon,
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 ...
References
External links
County government home page
{{Coord, 35.301782, 126.784755, display=title, format=dms, type:city
Counties of South Jeolla Province