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Today on the Korean Atlas and History. South Korean Provinces and

Metropolitan Cities. South Chungcheong.

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South Chungcheong is a province in South Korea with a population of 2,120,

201. It is approximately 8,204 square kilometers. South Chungcheong province is

located on the western border of south Korean, in what is known as the Heseo area.

The Hoseo area is a region that includes North Chungcheong, South Chungcheong,

and the metropolitan cities of Daejeon and Saejeong City. South Chungcheong

borders Gyeonggi to the north, North Chungcheong, Daejeon, and Saejeong City to

the east, and North Jeolla to the south. The current home of the provincial offices of

South Chungcheong is 홍성 county, or 홍성군. The most populous city in North

Chungcheong is the city of Cheonan. The city of Cheonan has a population closely

borders the neighboring cities of Asan and Pyeongtaek, making for a densely

populated region of South Chungcheong Province.

In ancient times, the area of South Chungcheong was the center of the

Mahan Confederacy. The area was also part of many empires that emerged after

that, including Baekje, Silla, and the 고려 dynasty. Gongju and Buyeo both served as

capitals for the Baekje dynasty, which controlled much of the Korean peninsuala’s
southwest from 18 BC to 660 AD. Even today, you can find many green grassy

mounds in the region—the burial mounds of ancient royalty. Fortresses abound as

well as pavilions and sites that contained abundant amounts of regal jewelry. Many

of these things can be still seen at museums in the area. In more modern times, the

area of South Chungcheong was established in 1896 from the larger province of

Chungcheong. During the Japanese Colonial Period, South Chungcheong was known

as the 추시-난 Chusi-nan Prefecture. Historically, the capital city of South

Chungcheong province has been Gongju. In modern times, however, the provincial

offices have been located in Daejeon. In 1989, Daejeon became a Metropolitan city,

which is a kind of special city. In South Korea, special cities have equal status to

provinces. When Daejeon became a Metropolitan city, it became a separate division

from South Chungcheong province. Daejeon continued to house the provincial

offices until 2012, when Hongseong county became home to the provincial offices.

In the same way Daejeon became a special city carved from the province of South

Chungcheong, Sejong City was created as well. In early 2007, the South Korean

government decided to create a special administrative district out of the eastern part

of South Chungcheong, near Daejeon. The official name of the city is Sejong Special

Self-Governing City. This area also has special city status, so as of 2007, it was also

no longer technically a part of South Chungcheong.

 South Chungcheong boasts beautiful beaches along the west coast.

Specifically, 대천 beach in South Chungcheong is ranked as the second most visited

beach by Koreans, topped only by 해운대 beach in Busan. The reason for this is

most likely due to the 보령 mud festival. The 보령 mud festival is held every year,

and tourists and locals flock to the beach to roll in the mud. Visitors can throw mud

at one another, or just relax in a cool mud bath to beat the summer heat. The mud

pools and attractions are located directly on the beach, so after having fun in the

mud, you can take a swim in the crystal-clear ocean. Then, in the evening, a K-Pop

concerts held on the beach entertain visitors. The mud festival runs near the end of

July every year, so don’t miss it if you are in the area.

Nine kilometers south of the beach is 무창포. 무창포 becomes popular for just

a few days each month, during a time called Moses’ Miracle. During this time, the

tide moves back and a path appears that links the beach to a small nearby island,

that visitors can travel to by foot. From a distance, it appears as though a line of

people are crossing over the water by foot.

In 1978, the 태안 Marine National Park was opened in 태안, which currently

houses some of South Korea’s best bathing beaches. And, at the tip of 태안

peninsula, you can find the 천리포 Arboretum. The Arboretum was founded by Carl

Ferris Miller, also known as the “Blue eyed Korean.” He started planting trees in

1970, and the arboretum flourished. In 2009, parts of the arboretum were opened to
the general public. The arboretum features more than 13,200 plants, including holly,

magnolia, camelia, and maple trees, as well as five varieties of the Rose of Sharon,

the national flower of South Korea.

South Chungcheong is also home to Mount Gyeryong, or 계룡산. It houses a

national park, known for its unique rock features. The park is said to have the most

life force of any national park in Korea. For this reason, it is the most visited national

park in the province, bringing in an estimated 1.4 million people per year. Another

reason for the sheer number of visitors could be the accessibility of the park—it lies

nearly between Gongju and Daejeon. The site houses old temples as well, including

관촉사, a temple that is home to the largest stone Buddha in Korea.

Outside of specific attractions found in South Chungcheong, one third of the

province is under cultivation. 220 square kilometers of exposed beach are used to

produce salt by solar evaporation. There is also coal mining, as well as monazite and

zircon mining. Although there is coal mining in South Chungcheong, in 2018, South

Chungcheong became the first Asian member of the Powering Past Coal Alliance,

which is an organization committed to ending the use of coal power to mitigate

global warming and reduce air pollution.

Prestigious Universities are located in South Chungcheong as well, including

Kongju National University, Gongju National University of Education, Korea National

University of Cultural Heritage, Dankook university in Cheonan, Baekseok University,

Soonchunhyang University in Asan, GEONYANG University in Nonsan, and Korea

University of Technology and Education in Cheonan.

South Chungcheong is South Korea’s richest province, with a 2012 GDP per

capita of $56,133. It is also South Korea’s fastest growing region, showing an

average GDP growth of 9.7% from 2001 to 2007. By 2010, that number reached

12.4%. This rapid growth has moved South Chungcheong from a mostly agricultural

area into a highly industrialized economy. South Chungcheong and the Gangwon

province are also the only provinces outside the Seoul Capital area to be served by

the Seoul Metropolitan Subway. Seoul Subway line 1 passes Cheonan and Asan.

Because of this, new multimillion-dollar projects are being developed, including New

Asan City, which centers on the newly built Cheonan-Asan station. This connects

Cheonan to Seoul station, and via the KTX bullet train, one can make the commute

in less than 30 minutes.

Located east of Cheonan is the Independence Hall of Korea, the largest

museum in the country. It is a testament to the country’s most trouble time, from

1910 to 1945, during the Japanese occupation. The museum holds seven large

exhibition halls, each of which could be an individual museum of its own. Each hall

shows different aspects of the occupation. However, visitors are general most

interested in the hall which features Japanese brutality during the colonial period. It
has a life size display which features the torture done by Japan on some unfortunate

mannequins.

South Chungcheong still has a vast number of treasures that can be seen year

round, but none so much as at the Baekje Culture Festival. The festival takes place

each September, with colorful parades and traditional performances. This festival is

held in both Buyeo and Gondju, so if you are in the area, don’t miss it.

On a special note, today’s episode contained a wealth of knowledge from

Wiki Voyage.org under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.

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 Thank You for listening to this episode of the Korean Atlas and History. Most

of today’s information was taken from the 나무 Wiki and Wikipedia. All of our

episodes can be found and downloaded from koreanatlasandhistory.com. Thank you

for listening and we’ll see you next time.