Pohang

Pohang 포항
—  Municipal City  —
Korean transcription(s)
- Hangul	포항시
- Hanja	浦項市
- Revised Romanization	Pohang-si
- McCune-Reischauer	P'ohang-si
Goryongpo Beach
Emblem of Pohang
Country	South Korea
Region	Yeongnam
Administrative divisions	2 gu, 19 dong, 4 eup, 10 myeon
Area
- Total	1,127.24 km2 (435.2 sq mi)
Population (2005)
- Total	516,105
- Density	455.5/km2 (1,179.7/sq mi)
- Dialect	Gyeongsang

Pohang is a city in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea, and a main seaport in the Daegu-Gyeongbuk region. The built-up area of Pohang is located on the alluvium of the mouth of the Hyeongsan River. The city is divided into two wards ("Gu"), Buk-gu (Northern Ward) and Nam-gu (Southern Ward).

History

The earliest evidence of human occupation in the Pohang area is from the Mumun Pottery Period (1500 - 300 BC). Archaeologists have unearthed small villages and megalithic burials (dolmens) from this period. Still a small fishing village at the dawn of the 20th century, the earliest steps toward developing Pohang into a place of greater significance were taken in 1930 with the construction of a modern harbour. Pohang grew rapidly afterward, attaining the designation of a Town in 1931 and then earning the status of a City in 1949.[1]

Pohang's road arteries and shipping port made it a place of strategic significance during the Korean War. An unopposed landing of UN forces at Pohang on July 18, 1950 was the first large-scale amphibious operation since World War II, and the region around Pohang saw fierce clashes between South Korea's 3rd Infantry Division and North Korea's 5th Infantry Division during August-September 1950.[2]

By the 1960s, Pohang was a small coastal city with a population of 50,000.[3] The next major development in Pohang's growth came in 1968 with the inauguration of the steel maker POSCO, and the local plant's commencement of production in 1972. The introduction of heavy industry to the city brought the local economy to a blend of iron, steel, shipbuilding and fisheries through the end of the 20th century.[4]

The early 21st century and the age of globalization has brought new economic challenges to companies such as POSCO, giving rise to beliefs that Pohang would be wise to not be overly reliant on heavy industry to maintain its prosperity.[5] In response, the Pohang of today presents itself as having an eye to the future, striving to become a diversified city of environmentalism and advanced learning, as well as a centre of arts and culture.[6]

Climate and geography

Pohang as seen from space

The mean temperature in the coldest month, January, is relatively mild at 0.7°C. The warmest month is August, when the mean temperature is 25.6°C [7]. On average, Pohang receives 1,091 mm of precipitation per year. The driest month is December, when the city receives a scant 25.9 mm of precipitation on average. However, the mean amount of precipitation for the wettest month, August, is 172.4 mm [8].

Transportation, economy

The city is served by several trains a day from Seoul and Daegu. Pohang is the terminus for a number of ferry routes serving the adjacent Sea of Japan (East Sea), including the main tourist route for Ulleung Island. It is also the northern terminus of the Donghae Nambu Line south to Busan.

Pohang is the home of POSCO (the Pohang Steel Company), one of the largest steel producers in the world, and a host of related industries. As a result the port shipped a total of 54.8 million tons in 2006.[9]

Several flights per day to Seoul Gimpo Airport are available at Pohang Airport.

Local transportation is served by only city buses. They run about 20 different ways of the city and some of them reach to the mountain folk. Also, the buses are classified into 2 kinds - one is Ilban-bus(normal bus) and the other is Jwaseok-bus(full of seats and a little more expensive than Ilban-bus). They run 15~25 minutes intervals along their own way.

Education

Universities with graduate schools

• Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) [10]
• Handong Global University

Other institutes of higher education

• Pohang College
• Sunlin College

Pohang as Culture

The city is home to the K-League soccer club Pohang Steelers.

Thousands flock to see the fireworks festival at Bukbu Beach each summer. People travel from all over the country to watch the show.

The Culture & Arts Center, opened in 1995, holds performances and exhibitions in its various galleries and theaters.

Points of interest

The Jukdo Market is a large, bustling traditional market near the centre of the city, close to the port. It is well-known throughout Korea as an important seafood market. There are a large number of raw-fish restaurants in the market. The fish is cheaper than Seoul or Daegu.

Bukbu Beach is located in Duho-dong in the northern part of the city's built-up area. The beach front has been the focus of commercial developments such as bars, restaurants, and budget accommodations called Yeogwan. A number of beaches on the Sea of Japan can be found just north of the built-up area, including Chilpo and Wolpo.

Homigot, a point of land jutting out into the Sea of Japan, is located to the east of urban Pohang in Daebo-myeon. Homigot is one of the easternmost points on the Korean peninsula and as such serves every year as a gathering place for thousands to greet Korea's first sunrise of the New Year.

Bogyeongsa is a major Buddhist temple nestled in a steep green valley at the foot of Mount Naeyeon (710 m) in Songna-myeon, an area in the extreme northern part of Pohang. Yeonsan Waterfall is located nearby in the same mountain valley. There are hiking trails leading from the temple up into the mountains. Bogyeongsa also has a number of mountain hermitages in the vicinity.

Oeosa is a temple located in the extreme southern part of Pohang, just inside the mountains south of the coastal plain formed by the Naengcheon River. It is located at the foot of Mt. Unjae (481 m) in a steep valley in Daesong-myeon. Signs placed in and around Oeosa claim that the temple was founded by Wonhyo, the well-travelled Silla monk.

Administrative districts

• Buk (North)-gu
• Nam (South)-gu

Sister cities

Pohang is a sister city of the following cities around the world.

• Hunchun, China
• Gwangyang, South Korea
• Suwon, South Korea
• Long Beach, United States
• Pittsburg, United States
• Fukuyama, Japan

Friendly co-operative cities

Pohang is a friendly co-operative city of the following cities around the world.

• - North Shore City, New Zealand (August 2008)

See also

• List of cities in South Korea

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Pohang

• City government website

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Coordinates: 36°01′56″N 129°21′54″E / 36.03222°N 129.365°E / 36.03222; 129.365