Seongnam (; ) is the fourth largest

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 Korea's

Gyeonggi Province Gyeonggi Province (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Seoul, the nation's largest city and capital, is in the heart of the area but has been separately administered as a provincial-level ''special city'' since 1946. Incheon, ...

after

Suwon Suwon (; ) is the largest city and capital of Gyeonggi Province, South Korea's most populous province. The city lies approximately south of the national capital, Seoul. With a population of 1.2 million, Suwon has more inhabitants than Ulsan, tho ...

and the 10th largest city in the country. Its population is approximately one million. It consists of three administrative districts:

Bundang District Bundang District () is the largest and most populous district (''Administrative divisions of South Korea, gu'') of Seongnam, a major city in the Seoul Capital Area, South Korea. Bundang District is one of South Korea's wealthiest and highest devel ...

, Jungwon District, and Sujeong District. Seongnam, one of the foremost

planned cities A planned community, planned city, planned town, or planned settlement is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed on previously undeveloped land. This contrasts with settlements that evolve ...

in South Korean history, was conceived during the era of President

Park Chung Hee Park Chung Hee (; ; November14, 1917October26, 1979) was a South Korean politician and army officer who served as the third president of South Korea from 1962 after he seized power in the May 16 coup of 1961 until Assassination of Park Chung ...

for the purpose of industrializing the nation by concentrating electronic, textile, and petrochemical facilities there during the 1970s and 1980s. The city featured a network of roads, to Seoul and other major cities like

Gwangju, Gyeonggi Gwangju () is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea, a suburb southeast of Seoul. The city is not to be confused with the much larger Gwangju, former capital of South Jeolla Province, or Guangzhou, the city of Guangdong, China in Hanja. Hist ...

, from the early 1970s on. Today, Seongnam has merged with the metropolitan network of Seoul. Seongnam has also served as a ′test bed′ of South Korea's urban planning history.

Bundang Bundang () is a planned community in Bundang District, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It was developed to encourage affordable housing and urban decentralization. The community has a sports complex, a park and a youth center. Origi ...

, one of the successful new town projects in the country, has been settled in a southern half of Seongnam since 1991. The city is also home to

K League K League () is South Korea's professional football league. It includes the first division K League 1 and the second division K League 2. Clubs competing in the K League have won a record total of twelve AFC Champions League Elite, AFC Champions ...

football club

Seongnam FC Seongnam Football Club () is a South Korean professional football (soccer), football club based in Seongnam that competes in the K League 2, the second tier of South Korean football. It is one of the most successful clubs in South Korea and the ...

Statistics

* Miscellaneous:

Administrative districts

* Jungwon District * Sujeong District

Economy

Numerous major companies have migrated their headquarters from

Downtown Seoul Downtown Seoul (), also known as Seoul Central Business District or ''Sadaemun-An'', is traditional city center and central business district of Seoul, located through Gwanghwamun of Jongno District and Seoul Station of Jung District, Seoul, Ju ...

to Seongnam to help government's plan to accelerate the dispersion of

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

's population to its suburbs and relieve the congested Seoul metropolitan area. Seongnam is now home to prominent companies such as KT (formerly Korea Telecom),

Naver Naver (; stylized as NAVER) is a South Korean online platform operated by the Naver Corporation. The company's products include a search engine, email hosting, blogs, maps, and mobile payment. History Naver was the first Korean web provide ...

, and

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. (HHI; ) is the world's largest shipbuilding company and a major heavy equipment manufacturer. Its headquarters are in Ulsan, South Korea. History HHI was founded in 1972 by Chung Ju-yung as a division of ...

Pangyo Techno Valley Pangyo Techno Valley (PTV) is an industrial complex in the city of Pangyo, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It is also known as the Silicon Valley of Korea. The complex focuses on information technology, biotech, cultural technology an ...

is the premier industrial complex in Seongnam.

Nowcom Nowcom () founded in 1994, was a South Korean IT Company. From 2011 until early 2024, this corporate entity changed its name to AfreecaTV Co., Ltd () after the AfreecaTV Co., Ltd-ZettaMedia split. In 2024, AfreecaTV changed its name to SOOP Co., ...

has its headquarters in Pangyo. Because of its significance, Pangyo now serves as a core area of Seongnam, replacing the old downtown in northeast Jungwon and Sujeong.

Sports

is a professional football club based in the city. The club now competes in the

K League 2 The K League 2 () is the men's second-highest division of the South Korean football league system. It is contested between thirteen professional clubs and operates on a promotion and relegation system with K League 1. History In 2011, the or ...

Education

Seongnam is well-known for one of the highest educational standard. Dong Seoul University and

Gachon University Gachon University () is a private university located in South Korea. The current structure of Gachon university is the result of a merger between four existing universities. Gachon University of Medicine and Science and Gachon-gil College merged ...

are the major universities in the city. Many high schools provide competitive and rigorous education to local students. Seongnam is under jurisdiction of Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education. The municipal office of education reports to Gyeonggi Provincial Superintendent, and is located in Seohyeon-dong,

. The city's only international school is Korea International School - Pangyo. Seongnam is home to the Seongnam Foreign Language High School and

's primary campus.

Libraries

In Seongnam, there are 1 provincial library, and 17 municipal libraries.

Tourism and culture

The

Seongnam Arts Center The Seongnam Arts Center (성남아트센터) is the largest venue for cultural events in the city of Seongnam. It is in Yatap-dong in Bundang, within a few minutes' walk of Imae Station. And it is situated near the Taewon High school. So stude ...

includes three theaters: the opera house, concert hall, and ensemble theater. It also includes the main arts hall and the cube arts hall, an academy, musical fountains, outdoor recreation facilities, and leisure facilities. *

Namhansanseong Namhansanseong () is a historic Korean fortress city in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the fortress lies atop the mountain Namhansan and stretches 12 km in length. It served as an emergency capital ...

* Pangyo Eco Center * Pangyo Museum * Bundang Central Park

Climate

Seongnam 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.

Transportation

;Subway/Train *

Great Train eXpress Great Train eXpress (GTX) is a higher-speed commuter rail network in the Seoul Metropolitan Area project consisting of three separate lines, named GTX-A, GTX-B and GTX-C, and scheduled for completion in 2030. Three other lines, named GTX-D, GTX ...

Line A *

Suin–Bundang Line The Suin–Bundang Line (Suwon–Incheon–Bundang Line) is a commuter rail service of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway system, operating on trackage from the Suin Line (opened on June 30, 2012) and the Bundang Line (opened on September 1, 1994 ...

Gyeonggang Line The Gyeonggang Line (경강선) is a rail line in South Korea, which at present comprises two distinct sections. The first one, which opened on September 24, 2016, is part of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway system in Gyeonggi Province, South Ko ...

* Seoul Metropolitan Subway Line 8 *

Shinbundang Line The Shinbundang Line (; literally, ''New Bundang Line'') or DX Line for Dynamic Express Line is a long line of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway. It is the world's fifth subway to run completely driverless and the second completely driverless metro ...

;Bus *(Red Bus) * 90OO, 93OO, 94OO (OO means another number excl. 01) to

Gangnam District Gangnam District (; ) is one of the 25 districts of Seoul, South Korea. The term ''Gangnam'' translates to "South of the Han River". Gangnam District is the third largest district in Seoul, with an area of . As of the 2024 census, Gangna ...

Jung District, Seoul Jung District () is one of the 25 List of districts of Seoul, districts of Seoul, South Korea. It has a population of 131,452 (2013) and has a geographic area , making it both the least-populous and the smallest district of Seoul, and is divided ...

* (Green Bus)-

Gyeonggi Bus Gyeonggi Province (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Seoul, the nation's largest city and capital, is in the heart of the area but has been separately administered as a provincial-level ''special city'' since 1946. Incheon, ...

* Green bus to

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 ...

Yongin Yongin (; ) is a city in the Seoul Metropolitan Area, the largest in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. With a population over 1 million, the city has developed rapidly since the 21st century, recording the highest population growth of any city in th ...

, western

, National Road * National Road number 3-

-Yatap-Sangdaewon-

Seongnam IC Seongnam (; ) is the fourth largest Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in South Korea's Gyeonggi Province after Suwon and the 10th largest city in the country. Its population is approximately one million. It consists of three admini ...

- Gachon University Station-

;Expressway *

Seoul Ring Expressway The Capital Region First Ring Expressway (Formerly as Seoul Ring Expressway) (Expressway No.100) () is an expressway in South Korea, expressway, circular beltway or ring road around Seoul, South Korea. It connects satellite cities around Seo ...

(road number 100) *

Gyeongbu Expressway The Gyeongbu Expressway (; Asian Highway Network ) is the second oldest and most heavily travelled expressway in South Korea, connecting Seoul to Suwon, Daejeon, Gumi, South Korea, Gumi, Daegu, Gyeongju, Ulsan and Busan. It has the route numb ...

(road number 1) * Yongin-Seoul Expressway (road number 171) * Bundang-Suseo City Road (road number 81) * Bundang-Naegok City Road (road number 81)

Twin towns – sister cities

Seongnam is twinned with: *

Aurora An aurora ( aurorae or auroras), also commonly known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly observed in high-latitude regions (around the Arc ...

, United States (1992) *

Piracicaba Piracicaba ( ) is a Municipalities of Brazil, Brazilian municipality located in the Interior of São Paulo, interior of São Paulo (state), São Paulo state, in the Southeast Region, Brazil, Southeast Region of Brazil. It serves as the main city ...

, Brazil (1986) *

Shenyang Shenyang,; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ; formerly known as Fengtian formerly known by its Manchu language, Manchu name Mukden, is a sub-provincial city in China and the list of capitals in China#Province capitals, provincial capital of Liaonin ...

, China (1998)

Notable people from Seongnam

Lee Yo-won Lee Yo-won (; born April 9, 1980) is a South Korean actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Queen Seondeok in the eponymous hit period drama. Career Lee Yo-won was a sophomore in high school when she won a modeling contest and first ...

, South Korean actress *

Lee Yeon-hee Lee Yeon-hee (; born January 9, 1988) is a South Korean actress. She is most known for her work in the television series '' East of Eden'' (2008), ''Phantom'' (2012), '' Miss Korea'' (2013), '' The Package'' (2017); and in the films '' A Millio ...

, South Korean actress and model * Ra Yoon-chan, South Korean child actor. * Jo Jong-hwan, member of K-pop boy group 100% and the sub-unit 100% V *

Dahyun Kim Da-hyun (; born May 28, 1998), known mononymously as Dahyun, is a South Korean singer, rapper, and actress. She is a member of the South Korean girl group Twice, formed by JYP Entertainment in 2015. Life and career Dahyun was born in Seo ...

, member of K-pop girl group

Twice Twice (; Japanese language, Japanese: トゥワイス, Hepburn romanization, Hepburn: ''Tuwaisu''; commonly stylized in all caps) is a South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment. The group is composed of nine members: Nayeon, Jeongyeon ...

* Solbin, member of K-pop girl group

LABOUM Laboum (; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean girl group currently under Interpark, Interpark Music Plus, the group consists of: Jeong So-yeon, Soyeon, Jinyea, Haein and Ahn Sol-bin, Solbin, original members, Yulhee left in 2017 followed by ...

* Kino, member of K-pop boy group

Pentagon In geometry, a pentagon () is any five-sided polygon or 5-gon. The sum of the internal angles in a simple polygon, simple pentagon is 540°. A pentagon may be simple or list of self-intersecting polygons, self-intersecting. A self-intersecting ...

* Choi Yeon-jun, member of K-pop boy group TXT * Jeon Hee-jin, member of K-pop girl group

Loona Loona (stylized in all caps or as LOOΠΔ; ; , ) is a South Korean girl group created by Blockberry Creative. The group is composed of eleven members: Heejin, Hyunjin, Haseul, Vivi, Yeojin, Kim Lip, Jinsoul, Choerry, Yves (singer), Yves, Go Won ...

* Heo Chan, member of K-pop boy group

Victon Victon (; stylized as VICTON, an acronym for Voice to New World) is a South Korean boy group formed in 2016 by IST Entertainment (formerly A Cube Entertainment, Plan A Entertainment, and Play M Entertainment). The group is composed of six member ...

* Jang Seung-yeon, member of K-pop girl group CLC * Hong Seong-jun, member of K-pop boy group BDC * Kim Sun-woo, member of K-pop boy 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 , established in 1975 *The Boyz (South Korean band) The Boyz () is a South Korean boy band f ...

Jimin Park Ji-min (; born October 13, 1995), known mononymously as Jimin, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, and dancer. In 2013, he made his debut as a member of the South Korean boy band BTS, under the record label Big Hit Entertainment. Jim ...

, former member of AOA * Lee Ga-hyun, member of K-pop girl group

Dreamcatcher In some Native Americans in the United States, Native American and First Nations in Canada, First Nations cultures, a dreamcatcher (, the Ojibwe language#Grammar, inanimate form of the word for 'spider') is a handmade willow hoop, on which is ...

Cho Seung-Youn Cho Seung-youn (, born August 5, 1996), known professionally as Woodz (; stylized in all caps), is a South Korean singer-songwriter, rapper and record producer. He rose to fame as a main rapper in the South Korean-Chinese boy band Uniq, formed ...

, South Korean solo artist

References

External links

The Official Website of the Seongnam City

The Official Website of the Seongnam City Council
{{Authority control Cities in Gyeonggi Province