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Today on the Korean Atlas and History: South Korean City Districts. Dong Jak

Gu District in Seoul.

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Dongjak-gu is a district of Seoul that lies just south of the Han River, which

runs through the city of Seoul. The name comes from the Dong-Jae-gi Na-re-teo

ferry, which ferried people across the river. The name Dongjak-gu comes from two

words. The 동 comes from the 동재기나루 Ferry, or 동작인 which connected Seoul to

Suwon during the Joseon dynasty for over 500 years. The “Jak” in Dongjak was

derived from the Seoul National Cemetery, which looks like a peacock spreading his

wings. The Korean word for peacock is 동작. The district covers 16.35 square

kilometers, which accounts for 2.7% of Seoul. It has a population of 385,898. The

flower of DongJak-gu is the Chrysanthemum, representing elegance and mildness.

Chrysanthemums blooming together represent the friendliness and gentle

personality of the residents of DongJak-gu. The bird of DongJak-gu is the white

heron, which symbolizes the noble spirit of the residents of DongJak-gu. The tree of

DongJak-gu is the pine tree. It symbolizes DongJak-gu residents in harmony with

heaven and earth. It also symbolizes the unfailing spirit of scholars and represents

the fidelity of DongJak-gu citizens with the Tombs of Six Martyred Ministers as well

as Seoul National Cemetery, which is located in DongJak-gu.

 Historically, this district has played an important role since ancient Korea. The

areas of the Han River, especially in the Seoul area have provided abundant

resources to Koreans throughout history. Settlements have existed here since ancient

times, and the Han River area has played an important role as a gateway to China.

Before the Unified Silla period of Korean history, King Jang-su conquered this

area of Korea in 475 AD. The area was highly productive, yet remained as a self-

governing district throughout the 고려 dynasty and even into the Joseon Dynasty.

During the Joseon dynasty, the capital of Korea became Seoul. During this time,

Seoul was known as Hanyang, and then later became known as Hanseong, which

means fortress on the Han River. Becoming the capital of Joseon further developed

the area around Dong Jak Gu, and the area became the center of social economy as

well as a strategic military post. In 1703, under the reign of King Suk-Jong, the

military post known as 별장 was installed in DongJakgu. In the late 18th century, free

commerce and trading flourished, as did the river merchants. The population of

Seoul greatly increased, especially around the roads that connect Suwon and Seoul,

in Dongjakgu. Today, Dong-jak-gu the transportation hub of Seoul. It is also

considered to be the first urban area south of the Han River. The area of 노들나루

was specifically busy, and thus, the 경인 subway line was opened in 1900 to ease

traffic. In 1917, the 인도교 bridge was opened to further release traffic problems. In

1918, the 준강 daycare center was opened. It was the first daycare center to provide
scientific education to children. The daycare center started as a kindergarten annex

to Chung-Ang Methodist church. Its goal was to give Koreans the spirit of political

independence, especially from Japanese thought during the Japanese colonization

period. Since then, the school grew and became what is now known as Chung-Ang

University. DongJak-gu is home to Chongshin university, which is the Seoul campus

of Chung-Ang University and Soongsil University.

Dong-Jak-gu is home to Seoul National Cemetery. The Cemetery is

surrounded on three sides by 광악 mountain, and the cemetery overlooks the Han

River. The cemetery is 1,430,000 meters squared. It has the remains of 165,000

martyrs, soldiers, police officers, and reserve forces who sacrificed themselves for

Korea. The Memorial Tower contains memorial tables of approximately 104,000

soldiers who died in the Korean War but whose bodies were never found. Along

with them are the remains of approximately 7,000 unknown soldiers whose bodies

were found. The remains of 54,000 martyred patriots are buried here as well. Every

June 6th, Korea’s Memorial Day, a service is held here.

DongJak-gu also has a 3.2 kilometer long 고구동산 Mountain Tour. It takes

approximately 1 hour and gives visitors the chance to assimilate with nature. Along

with this tour, one can also take the Han River 나들 Tour. It is 4.7 kilometers and it is

designed as a family walk with the theme of filial duty. One of the more popular

tours for foreigners is the 노양진 Fish Market Tasting and Walking Tour. This is a
small group tour where visitors can see where local Koreans shop for fish. This

culture rich market is overlooked by most tourists, but it is the perfect place to gain

deeper insight into the local culture and history of Korea. You will follow the tour

guide through endless stalls selling various kinds of fish, and then have your chosen

fish prepared in front of you at a restaurant inside the market.

Dongjakgu has 7 major tour routes, including the ones already mentioned, so

make sure to check them out if you are in the area.

It should be noted that much of this information was taken from the

Dongjak-gu homepage, at dongjak.go.kr/English.

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.