Seonsan, or Seonsan-eup, is an ''eup'' or large village in Gumi City,

Gyeongsangbuk-do North Gyeongsang Province ( ko, 경상북도, translit=Gyeongsangbuk-do, ) is a province in eastern South Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former Gyeongsang province, and remained a province of Korea until the ...

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 ...

. It has a population of around 20,000 people, and an area of 69 km². There are several historical landmarks in Seonsan, including two Joseon Dynasty schools: Geumo

Seowon Seowon () were the most common educational institutions of Korea during the mid- to late Joseon Dynasty. They were private institutions, and combined the functions of a Confucian shrine and a preparatory school. In educational terms, the seowon ...

and the Seonsan hyanggyo. In addition, South Korean national treasure number 130, the five-storied pagoda of Jukjang-dong, is located there.

History

Seonsan was the site of the final battle between

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unifica ...

and Hubaekje in 936, in which Hubaekje was finally defeated by the combined forces of Wang Geon and

Gyeon Hwon Gyeon Hwon (; 867 – 27 September 936, r. 892 – March 934) was the king and founder of Later Baekje, one of the Later Three Kingdoms of Korea, and reigned from 892 to 935. Some records render his name as "Jin Hwon" (진훤). He was also the pr ...

. Seonsan was raised from ''myeon'' to ''eup'' status in 1979. Since 2004, it has been connected to the

Jungbu Naeryuk Expressway The Jungbu Naeryuk Expressway (; literally meaning Central Inland Expwy.) is an expressway in South Korea. Numbered 45, it was first constructed in three parts: connecting Yeoju to Chungju and Sangju to Gimcheon and Hyeonpung to Masan. The part ...

. Famous people associated with Seonsan include former South Korean president

Park Chung-hee Park Chung-hee (, ; 14 November 1917 – 26 October 1979) was a South Korean politician and army general who served as the dictator of South Korea from 1961 until his assassination in 1979; ruling as an unelected military strongman from 1961 ...

and early

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 ...

scholar Ha Wi-ji.

History

See also