Changwon

Changwon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea (with a population of 1,025,702 ), and the 11th largest city of the country. A port city, Changwon is bordered by Masan Bay to the south, and the cities of Busan and Gimhae to the east. The city of Miryang lies to the northeast, and Jinju to the west. The region has been inhabited since the Bronze Age, and its urban areas have been renamed and re-organized many times throughout history. In 1974, with the creation of the Changwon National Industrial Complex, the three historically interdependent cities of Masan, Jinhae District, and Changwon began to undergo significant economic development, growing into an important industrial centre. On 1 July 2010, the cities of Changwon, Jinhae, and Masan merged to form the current city of Changwon. As Korea's first planned city, modeled after Canberra, Australia, Changwon uses accessible urban planning including many parks and separate residential and industrial areas. The city has also branded itself an "environmental capital" with the municipal government actively participating in climate change conferences and committing to the development of sustainable policies like the globally recognized bike-sharing program, Nubija.

Changwon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea (with a population of 1,025,702 ), and the 11th largest city of the country. A port city, Changwon is bordered by Masan Bay to the south, and the cities of Busan and Gimhae to the east. The city of Miryang lies to the northeast, and Jinju to the west. The region has been inhabited since the Bronze Age, and its urban areas have been renamed and re-organized many times throughout history. In 1974, with the creation of the Changwon National Industrial Complex, the three historically interdependent cities of Masan, Jinhae District, and Changwon began to undergo significant economic development, growing into an important industrial centre. On 1 July 2010, the cities of Changwon, Jinhae, and Masan merged to form the current city of Changwon. As Korea's first planned city, modeled after Canberra, Australia, Changwon uses accessible urban planning including many parks and separate residential and industrial areas. The city has also branded itself an "environmental capital" with the municipal government actively participating in climate change conferences and committing to the development of sustainable policies like the globally recognized bike-sharing program, Nubija. ==History== ==Geography== Changwon is located on the southeastern coast of the Korean Peninsula, on the Nakdong River delta looking out onto Masan Bay. The city is surrounded by mountains, the highest of which are Mt. Bulmo ( ), Mt. Jeongbyeong ( ), and Mt. Jangbok ( ). As a representative planned city in South Korea, Changwon is primarily situated in a basin surrounded by these mountains, featuring a well-organized grid-like urban layout designed for industrial and administrative efficiency. The city also comprises several small islands in Masan Bay and along the coast including Dot island, Sokuri island, and several uninhabited islands. The city has four distinct seasons. The climate of Changwon is a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cwa) with very warm summers and cold winters. The average temperature ranged between in January to in August. The average annual precipitation is . Between 1980 and 1990 there was an annual average of around 116 sunny days a year (32% of the year), and between 1990 and 2000¹ an average of 135 (37%). ==Cityscape== === Administrative divisions=== Changwon has 5 administrative districts (Gu) which are divided into 54 neighborhoods (dong), 5 in Uichang District, 7 in Seongsan District, 12 in Masanhoewon District, 15 in Masanhappo District and 13 in Jinhae District. ==Economy== Changwon owes its rapid growth since the 1970s primarily to the Changwon industrial Complex, a hub of factories dominated by heavy industry which employs 82,000 and leads the chemical, industrial, and heavy machinery sectors of the Korean economy. In September 2010, the Changwon Industrial Complex exceeded 2,000 tenant companies. The tenants are 97.8% (1,957) small-to-medium—sized businesses, while large corporations make up 2.2% (44) including Samsung Techwin, GM Korea, LG Electronics, Hyundai Rotem, Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction, Doosan Infracore, Hyosung, Hyundai Wia and STX Corporation. The defence industry of Changwon makes up a large part of its industrial output and the majority of South Korea's weapons manufacturing. 70% of South Korea's defense industry is based in Changwon. The city was chosen to host the military defense industry because of the city's natural basin shape and coastal access. Major defense companies like Hanwha Defense and Hyundai Rotem manufacturing the K9 Thunder and K2 Black Panther respectively are based out of Changwon. As the provincial capital, Changwon is home to several government offices, and the Jinhae District contains a large naval base housing various units of the Republic of Korea Navy and United States Navy. Changwon's Gross Regional Domestic Product is 21.7 trillion won which is higher than that of Gwangju and Daejeon. It earned 29 billion dollars through exports in 2008, more than Busan, Gwangju, Daejeon or Daegu. ==Education and health== ===Festivals=== Changwon is home to numerous festivals throughout the year, including: K-Pop World Festival: a yearly singing and dancing competition in which contestants from all over the world perform live cover versions of K-Pop songs. Jinhae Gunhangje Festival: a yearly 10-day event beginning on 1 April, which features cherry blossom viewing, fireworks, concerts, a parade and performances by international Military Bands & Honor Guard . Changwon Sculpture Biennale: honoring the late Moon Shin Changwon Food Culture Festival and National Indigenous Food Cooking Contest: the third Saturday of each October Warty Sea Squirt Festival: a seafood festival held in April to celebrate the local mindeodeok and featuring a fireworks show. Changwon National Folk Bullfighting Festival: a tournament held each October where entrants are determined by draw Changwon Namsan Sangbongje Festival: a gathering held the weekend after Chuseok when locals gather on a mountain to perform an ancient harvest ceremony and drink, sing, & dance with their neighbours "as a way to seek the Chuseok traditions of our ancestors ". Jillyesanseong Fortress Royal Azalea Festival: a flower viewing event held at an historical fortress on Bieumsan Mountain during the blooming season of Royal Azaleas. Masan Gagopa Chrysanthemum Festival Gyeongnam Science Competition(2023.10.27.~2023.10.29.) Masan Chrysanthemum Festival(2023.10.28.~2023.11.06.) ===Sports=== Changwon hosts four professional sports teams: a basketball team, two association football clubs, and a baseball team. The city also hosted a Formula 3 race, the Korea Super Prix, from 1999 to 2003. ==Transportation== ===Bike sharing=== Changwon, having been the first city in Korea to declare itself a cycling city, is now considered "one of the world's leading cities in terms of its public bicycle system". The Nubija bike sharing system was introduced in 2008 in an attempt to alleviate traffic and parking issues, encourage public health, and move away from car-dependent models of urban planning. The bike-share program also included infrastructural changes to the city, including 18 new bike lanes spanning , giving Changwon Korea's largest public bicycle rental system. , Nubija had 4,704 bicycles available at 241 terminals throughout the Changwon area, which can be searched for using the Nubija app. Users access the bicycles using a small chip called a MyBi pass. Nubija had over 68,823 registered users in 2012, and rented an average of 15,850 bicycles per day. The name Nubija comes from the Korean words nubida, which means "to travel" and jajeongeo, which means "bicycle." ===Rail=== The city is on the Gyeongjeon Line (Gwangju-Samnangjin), which stretches along the southern coast and links the Jeolla and Gyeongsang regions feeding local traffic into adjacent major lines. , KTX trains began running from Changwon to Seoul; travel time is approximately three hours. There are four Gyeongjeon line stations in the Changwon area: Masan Station Changwon Station Changwon Central (JungAng) Station Jinhae Station. ===Airport=== Gimhae International Airport (PUS) is the closest airport, east of Changwon in the city of Gimhae. In 2016, the airport was the 4th busiest in South Korea, with 14,900,815 passengers passing through. ==Symbol and slogans== The municipal government of Changwon has also designated several official symbols: Changwon's municipal flag depicts a tri-coloured pinwheel made of C-shaped wings. The white space between the wings forms the image of three people holding hands and spinning in unity, balance, and harmony. The three colours of the pinwheel are: blue, symbolizing the ocean, growth, and hope; orange, which represents the city, passion, and creation; and green for nature, life, and balance. The official city mascot of Changwon is PIUMI, a childlike figure with a blooming flower on its head, representing the cities famous cherry blossoms. The city's slogan, 빛나는 땅 창원, means "Bright Changwon." City flower: the cherry blossom City bird: the black-tailed gull City tree: the pine tree ==Twin towns – sister cities== Changwon has several international sister cities around the world, as well as designated "Friendship Cities" ==Notable people from Changwon== Ahn Sang-soo, politician. Choi "Doran" Hyeon-jun (born 2000), professional League of Legends player, Top Laner for T1 Cha Hak-yeon (stage name N), singer, entertainer, and leader of VIXX. Gang Dong-won, actor; he was born in Busan but grew up in Changwon Je Jong-geel, politician. Lee Won-hee (stage name Wonhee), singer, member of Illit; she was born in Busan but grew up in Changwon Jeon Won-woo, singer, rapper and member of Seventeen. Jung Byung-hee (stage name G.O), singer, actor, member of MBLAQ. Kim Hyung-seo (stage name Bibi), singer. Kim Jong Yang, member of the South Korean National Assembly, police officer, and former President of Interpol. Lee Elijah, actress and model. Lee Hye-in, actress. Lee Joon-gi, actor; he was born in Busan but grew up in Changwon. Noh Sa-yeon, singer, television personality, and radio DJ. Park Jin-young, singer, actor, member of Got7 and JJ Project. Song Do-yeong, voice actress. ==See also== List of cities in South Korea ==References== ==External links== Changwon City Official Blog City government website

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