Uijeongbu
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Uijeongbu (; ) 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
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, ...
, South Korea. It is the tenth-most populous city in the province and a suburb 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 ...
within the greater
Seoul Metropolitan Area The Seoul Metropolitan Area (Sudogwon; , ) or Gyeonggi (region), Gyeonggi region (), is the metropolitan area of Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi Province, located in north-western South Korea. Its population of 26 million (as of 2024) is ranked ...
.


History

Uijeongbu was established in
1400 Year 1400 ( MCD) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. The year 1400 was not a leap year in the Proleptic Gregorian calendar, it was a common year starting on Wednesday. Events January–March * January 4 ...
, during the reign of Jeongjong. The city housed the Yeonguijeong (Chief State Councillor), Jwauijeong (Left State Councillor) and Uuijeong (Right State Councillor) who oversaw state affairs while assisting the monarch until 1907.


Overview

Uijeongbu is located north of the South Korean capital
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 ...
; it lies inside a defile, with mountains on two sides, and commands a natural
choke point In military strategy, a choke point (or chokepoint), or sometimes bottleneck, is a geographical feature on land such as a valley, defile or bridge, or maritime passage through a critical waterway such as a strait, which an armed force is for ...
across the main traditional invasion route from the North into
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 ...
. As such it has a continued military significance and it contains U.S. and South Korean military bases, positioned for the defense of the South Korean capital. The U.S. Second Infantry Division has established a headquarters post in Uijeongbu, with the main troops being deployed from Dongducheon. U.S. military bases in Uijeongbu have since closed. Despite being known for its military presence, the area has boomed into a satellite community of Seoul with shops, cinemas, restaurants and bars, internet cafes, and DVD bangs. In addition to U.S. personnel, it is popular with the English hagwon (a for-profit private institute, academy or
cram school A cram school (colloquially: crammer, test prep, tuition center, or exam factory) is a specialized school that trains its students to achieve particular goals, most commonly to pass the entrance examinations of high schools or university, univer ...
). There are several mountains such as Mt. Dobong (
Dobongsan Dobongsan () is a mountain in Bukhansan National Park, South Korea. It extends across Seoul, the national capital, and the cities of Yangju and Uijeongbu, in the province of Gyeonggi Province. It has an elevation of . Nearby Dobongsan Statio ...
), Mt. Surak and Mt. Soyo. The mountains are popular recreational areas for hiking and are frequented by residents living in the Seoul Metropolitan area. This city is also famous for its budae-jjigae (), made with
hot dog A hot dog is a grilled, steamed, or boiled sausage served in the slit of a partially sliced bun. The term ''hot dog'' can also refer to the sausage itself. The sausage used is a wiener ( Vienna sausage) or a frankfurter ( Frankfurter Würs ...
s and
SPAM Spam most often refers to: * Spam (food), a consumer brand product of canned processed pork of the Hormel Foods Corporation * Spamming, unsolicited or undesired electronic messages ** Email spam, unsolicited, undesired, or illegal email messages ...
. In the late 20th century, many wanted the dish to be referred as ''Uijeongbu jjigae'' to remove the military or war-time connotations it had associated with it. However, not many restaurants followed this guideline. Some restaurants have begun calling their product ''Uijeongbu budae jjigae.'' The city also contains what locals refer to as "buddaejjigae street", a street where there is a high concentration of army base stew restaurants.


Transport

A VAL driverless metro system, U Line, is an elevated line, long, covering 15 stations. It had its grand opening on 26 June 2012 with normal passenger operations on 1 July 2012. Uijeongbu is also served by the
Seoul Metropolitan Subway The Seoul Metropolitan Subway () is a urban rail transit, metropolitan railway system consisting of 23 rapid transit, Medium-capacity rail transport system, light metro, commuter rail and people mover lines located in northwest South Korea. T ...
's Line 1 and Line 7. The six stations within the city boundaries are Nogyang, Ganeung,
Uijeongbu Uijeongbu (; ) is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It is the tenth-most populous city in the province and a suburb of Seoul within the greater Seoul Metropolitan Area. History Uijeongbu was estab ...
,
Hoeryong Hoeryŏng () is a city in North Hamgyong Province, North Korea. It is located opposite Jilin Province, China, with the Tumen River in between. Sanhe, Longjing, Sanhe (三合鎮), in Longjing, Jilin, Longjing City, is the closest Chinese town across ...
, Mangwolsa, and
Jangam The ''Jangam'' (Kannada script, Kannada; ''ಜಂಗಮರು'') or Janga''muru or veerashaiva Jangam'' a Shaivism, Shaiva order of religious monks. They are the priests (Gurus) of the Shaivism, Hindu Shaiva sect, Gurus of Veerashaiva sect a ...
. It takes around 40 minutes to reach Uijeongbu from central Seoul by subway. Extensive bus routes cover north-eastern
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, ...
. There are three basic kinds: ''ilban bus'', normal bus; ''jwaseok bus'', larger and slightly more expensive; and ''maeul bus'', "village bus", a smaller bus with fewer seats. An intercity bus station is available for longer distances. Airport ''limousine buses'' run frequently to both
Incheon Incheon is a city located in northwestern South Korea, bordering Seoul and Gyeonggi Province to the east. Inhabited since the Neolithic, Incheon was home to just 4,700 people when it became an international port in 1883. As of February 2020, ...
and
Gimpo Gimpo (; ) is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It borders Incheon, with which it shares the South Korean side of the Han River (Korea), Han River estuary, as well as Seoul and the lesser cities o ...
airports.


Education

The South Korean educational system, regarded as one of the most difficult in the world, officially incorporates Primary or Elementary, Middle, Secondary, Vocational and Tertiary levels. Anything below primary school is not required. Uijeongbu is home to several educational establishments, most of which are available to both South Korean citizens and foreign nationals. Some schools, however, are only accessible to the families and other affiliates of the US Army. The schools in Uijeongbu range from the standard Korean high school, such as Gyeonggi High School, to the Americanized, International Christian School which lies in the northern part of the city, close to Nogyang Station. Earlier forms of education, such as kindergarten, are not compulsory in South Korea and young children traditionally remain with the family as long as possible, but many are still available. One such establishment is the privately run kindergarten, Yebbeun Kindergarten or Pretty Kindergarten () which is located near Saemal Station. From the age of six, school children in Uijeongbu, like most of South Korea, begin attending elementary school. There are several elementary schools throughout Uijeongbu, such as Yonghyun primary school (), or , and Vocational Elementary school, so a wide variety is provided. The next stage of schooling begins around the age of thirteen and is a part of middle school education. Uijeongbu has a few middle schools, such as Solmoe Middle School (), located in the southeastern part of the city, right off Route 43. The high school or secondary level of education is widely available in Uijeongbu as well. With high schools like the aforementioned Gyeonggi High School, or Uijeongbu High School which is known for its unusual graduation "dress up" ritual. There is an apparent lack of vocational high schools or those that focus on specialized curricula, such as fishery or economics. However, there are several higher education options at the tertiary level available in Uijeongbu. One such school is the Shinhan University, which has an extensive array of choices for majors ranging from culinary to nursing. Uijeongbu is also the site of Kyungmin College, which prepares teachers.


Land usage


Climate

Uijeongbu has a monsoon-influenced
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'') with cold, dry winters and hot, rainy summers.


Sister cities

* Shibata, Niigata, Japan * Dandong, Liaoning, China * Harbin, Heilongjiang, China * Gokseong County,
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 *
Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...
, United States *
Davao City Davao City, officially the City of Davao, is a City of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Davao Region, Philippines. The city has a total land area of , making it the List of Philippine cities and municipalities ...
,
Mindanao Mindanao ( ) is the List of islands of the Philippines, second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and List of islands by population, seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the ...
, Philippines


In popular culture

* In the TV series '' M*A*S*H'', the city (then just a village) was the location of the fictional 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital. * Joey Lawrence's character on the TV series '' Melissa & Joey'' was born in an unspecified U.S. Army hospital in the city.


Notable people

* Naul, member of R&B group Brown Eyed Soul * Taeyang, member of K-pop boy group
Big Bang The Big Bang is a physical theory that describes how the universe expanded from an initial state of high density and temperature. Various cosmological models based on the Big Bang concept explain a broad range of phenomena, including th ...
* Lee Min-hyuk, member of K-pop boy group Monsta X * Lee Su-hyun, member of K-pop duo AKMU * Lee Jun-young, member of K-pop boy group U-KISS * Jun.Q, member of K-pop boy group Myname *
Jung Ha-na Jung Ha-na (; born 2 February 1990), better known by her former stage name Zinger and mononymously as Hana, is a South Korean singer, television personality, and Youtuber. She is best known for being a member of the South Korean girl group Secr ...
, former member of K-pop girl group
Secret Secrecy is the practice of hiding information from certain individuals or groups who do not have the "need to know", perhaps while sharing it with other individuals. That which is kept hidden is known as the secret. Secrecy is often controver ...
*
Hwang In-youp Hwang In-youp (; born January 19, 1991) is a South Korean actor and model. He began his career in modeling industry before making his screen debut with a main role in the web series ''Why'' (2018). He is known for his roles in ''18 Again'' (202 ...
, actor and model * , member of K-pop girl group Loona


See also

*
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 ...
* Gyeonggibuk Science High School, in Uijeongbu


References


External links

*
City government website
{{Authority control Cities in Gyeonggi Province