Chungju () is a city in North Chungcheong Province, South Korea.

The city is famous for the annual martial arts festival held in October, and for being the hometown of former UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon.

Symbol

The city's symbols include the chrysanthemum (city flower), the Mandarin duck (city bird), and the apple tree (city tree).

History

During Hideyoshi's Invasions of Korea, Chungju was the site of the Battle of Chungju, where the Korean general Shin Rip was defeated by the Japanese general Konishi Yukinaga. This defeat resulted in King Seonjo fleeing from Hanseong (Seoul) to Pyongyang.

Chungju Lake

Chungju Dam is the country's largest multi-purpose dam, linking Chungju and its surrounding neighborhoods. It creates an artificial lake with a vast body of water.

Woraksan Mt and Songnae valley are located nearby. Additionally, this area has a cherished cave area/springs.

2013 World Rowing Championships

The 2013 World Rowing Championships were held at Tangeum Lake, Chungju between August 25 – September 1.

Olympic and Paralympic Qualification Regatta

It had been intended that the Asia and Oceania Qualification Regatta for the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games would be held there from April 27 to 30, but it was cancelled because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Products

Chungju is renowned for its apple production. The principal reasons are the large amount of daylight received and the significant temperature differences. The growing of apples started 300 years ago from China, and it was 1912 when the city officially began to plant trees. As of 2009, the apple cultivation area is 1,871 ha and production amount is 41,592. Apple production accounted for 44.6% of total production in Chungcheongbuk-do (as of 2009).

Climate

Chungju has a monsoon-influenced humid continental climate (Köppen: Dwa) with cold, dry winters and hot, rainy summers.

Sister cities

{| class="wikitable" border="1" style="font-size:100%; background:#FFFFEF; float:left;"

|-

! City

! Division

! Country

! Year

|-

| Yugawara

| Kanagawa Prefecture

| Japan

| 1994

|-

| Taichung

| N/A

| Taiwan

| 1969

|-

| Musashino

| Tokyo

| Japan

| 1997

|-

| Daqing

| Heilongjiang

| China

|2001

|}

Notable people

  • Ban Ki-Moon, UN Secretary-General
  • Lee Seung-hyo (), actor
  • Lee Geung-young (), actor
  • Park Jeong-min (), actor
  • Jinyoung (Real Name: Jung Jin-young, ), singer-songwriter, dancer, record producer, model, actor, MC and K-pop idol, former leader and member of K-pop boy group B1A4
  • Kwangchul Youn (born 1966), South Korean operatic bass and academic voice teacher
  • Kim Junkyu (), (born: September 9, 2000). Singer, dancer, child model, and primary vocalist member of K-pop idol boy group TREASURE from YG Entertainment.

See also

  • List of cities in South Korea
  • Tangeum Lake
  • People Power Party (South Korea)

References

  • City government home page (in English)
  • City government home page (in Korean)