Yeongcheon (; ) 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
North Gyeongsang Province
North Gyeongsang Province (, ) is a province in eastern South Korea, and with an area of , it is the largest province in the Korean peninsula. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former Gyeongsang province, and remaine ...
, South Korea.
Yeongcheon is located southeast 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 ...
, in the southeast of North Gyeongsang Province. It is on the
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 ...
linking
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 ...
and
Busan
Busan (), officially Busan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's second list of cities in South Korea by population, most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.3 million as of 2024. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economi ...
, and is also the junction of the
Jungang and
Daegu
Daegu (; ), formerly spelled Taegu and officially Daegu Metropolitan City (), is a city in southeastern South Korea. It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in South Korea after Seoul and Busan; the fourth-largest List of provincial-level ci ...
railway lines.
Symbols
*City bird: pigeon
*City flower: rose
*City tree: ginkgo
Economy of Yeongcheon
Yeongcheon is famous for
grapes
A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters.
The cultivation of grapes began approximately 8,0 ...
and wine. It is the largest producer of
grapes
A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters.
The cultivation of grapes began approximately 8,0 ...
which has almost 20% of grape production in
Korea
Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...
and some of the grapes are exported to
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
and
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...
.
Yeongcheon also has 15
wineries
A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the cultivation and production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feat ...
. The wineries use
Kyoho,
Muscat Bailey A,
Shine Muscat
Shine Muscat is a diploid table grape cultivar resulted from a cross of Akitsu-21 and 'Hakunan' (''V. vinifera'') made by National Institute of Fruit Tree Science (NIFTS) in Japan in 1988. It has large yellow-green berries, crisp flesh texture, ...
and Campbell early cultivars to make wine.
Yeongcheon produces other crops such as
rice
Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...
,
peaches
The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and the glossy-skinned, non-fuzzy varieties called nectarines. Peac ...
,
apples
An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...
,
plums
A plum is a fruit of some species in ''Prunus'' subg. ''Prunus'.'' Dried plums are often called prunes, though in the United States they may be labeled as 'dried plums', especially during the 21st century.
Plums are likely to have been ...
,
garlic
Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plants in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chives, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion. Garlic is native to central and south Asia, str ...
and others.
Administrative divisions

Yeongcheon is divided into 1 ''eup'', 10 ''myeon'' and 5 ''dong''.
Festivals
The Bohyeon Mountain Starlight Festival takes place in summer and is centered in the Bohyeon Mountain Observatory, which houses the third-largest telescope in Korea. In late summer, the Grape Festival takes place, hosting events such as the Miss Grape contest and a grape-eating competition. Yeongcheon is also well known for its Herbal Medicine Festival, which takes place in October and hosts traditional singing and a variety of herbs which are about 480 Herbal Medicine and Wine which made by Yeongcheon's grapes festival is also famous.
People
Notable individuals born in the city include
Goryeo
Goryeo (; ) was a Korean state founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korea, Korean Peninsula until the establishment of Joseon in 1392. Goryeo achieved what has b ...
period general
Ch'oe Mu-sŏn and Goryeo intellectual
Chŏng Mong-ju
Chŏng Mong-ju (, January 13, 1337 – May 4, 1392), also known by his art name P'oŭn (), was a Korean statesman, diplomat, philosopher, poet, calligrapher and reformist of the Goryeo period. He was a major figure of opposition to the transit ...
. Also, it was the hometown of Paek Gun Sang, a tremendous Korean War veteran, who led himself to a high government position without being paid any kind of salary during the Korean War.
Tourism
Tourists to Yeongcheon are few, but popular destinations include
Eunhaesa Temple, the War Memorial Park, Cyan Art Gallery, Yeongcheon Dam, the Jeong Sowon and
Gatbawi
Gatbawi or Stone Seated Medicine Buddha at Gwan Peak, Mt. Palgong in Gyeongsan is a Buddhist statue in Daehan-ri, Wachon-myeon, Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It was made in the Unified Silla Kingdom era and is well known ...
.
Climate
Climate of Yeongcheon is similar with that of Daegu which is
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).
Twin towns – sister cities
Yeongcheon is
twinned with:
*
Kaifeng
Kaifeng ( zh, s=开封, p=Kāifēng) is a prefecture-level city in east-Zhongyuan, central Henan province, China. It is one of the Historical capitals of China, Eight Ancient Capitals of China, having been the capital eight times in history, and ...
, China
*
Kuroishi, Japan
*
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...
, USA
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 ...
*
Yeongcheon River
Yeongcheon (; ) is a city in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea.
Yeongcheon is located southeast of Seoul, in the southeast of North Gyeongsang Province. It is on the Gyeongbu Expressway linking Seoul and Busan, and is also the junction o ...
in South Korea
References
External links
City government website
{{Coord, 35.973196, N, 128.938612, E, source:ruwiki_region:KR-47_type:city(113807), format=dms, display=title
Cities in North Gyeongsang Province