Daegu - WikiHQ

Daegu ( ), formerly spelled Taegu and officially Daegu Metropolitan City (), is a city in southeastern South Korea. It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in South Korea after Seoul and Busan; the fourth-largest metropolitan city in the nation with over 2.3 million residents; and the second-largest city after Busan in the Yeongnam region in southeastern South Korea. Daegu and the surrounding North Gyeongsang Province are often referred to as Daegu-Gyeongbuk, with a total population of over 5 million.

Daegu is located in south-eastern Korea about from the coast, near the Geumho River and its mainstream, Nakdong River in Gyeongsang Province. The Daegu basin is the central plain of the Yeongnam region. In ancient times, the Daegu area was part of the proto-kingdom Jinhan. Subsequently, Daegu came under the control of the Silla Kingdom, which unified the Korean Peninsula. During the Joseon period, the city was the capital of Gyeongsang Province, one of the traditional eight provinces of the country.

Daegu was an economic motor of Korea during the 1960s–1980s period. The humid subtropical climate of Daegu is ideal for producing high-quality apples, thus the nickname, "Apple City". Daegu is also known as "Textile City", as textiles used to be the main industry of the city. With the establishment of the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Free Economic Zone, Daegu currently focuses on fostering fashion and high-tech industries.

History

Prehistory and early history

Archaeological investigations in the Greater Daegu area have revealed a large number of settlements and burials of the prehistoric Mumun pottery period (around 1500–300 BC). In fact, some of the earliest evidence of Mumun settlement in Gyeongsangdo have been excavated from Siji-dong and Seobyeon-dong. Dongcheon-dong is one of the substantial Mumun agricultural villages that have been excavated. The Dongcheon-dong site dates back to the Middle Mumun (around 850–550 BC) and contains the remains of many prehistoric pit-houses and agricultural fields. Megalithic burials (dolmens) have also been found in large numbers in Daegu.

Ancient historical texts indicate that during the Proto–Three Kingdoms (Mahan, Jinhan, and Byeonhan) period, Daegu was the site of a chiefdom or walled-town polity known from that time, according to historical records, as Dalgubeol. It was absorbed into the kingdom of Silla no later than the fifth century. The vestiges of the wall can be seen, and relics have been excavated in the current Dalseong Park.

Silla

thumb|Reliquary from eighth-century Silla, [[Daegu National Museum]]

Silla succeeded in unifying the Korean peninsula by defeating the other kingdoms of Baekje and Goguryeo in the late seventh century, partly due to assistance from China's Tang dynasty. Shortly thereafter, in 689, Silla's King Sinmun considered moving the capital from Gyeongju to Daegu, but was unable to do so. This initiative is known only through a single line in the Samguk sagi, a most valued historical record of ancient Korea by Koryeo dynasty historian Kim Pusik, but it is presumed to indicate both an attempt by the Silla king to reinforce royal authority and the entrenched resistance of the Gyeongju political elites that was the likely cause of the move's failure. The city was given its current name in 757.

In the late 1990s, archaeologists excavated a large-scale fortified Silla site in Dongcheon-dong, Buk-gu. The site at Locality 2 consists of the remains of 39 raised-floor buildings enclosed by a formidable ditch-and-palisade system. The excavators hypothesize that the fortified site was a permanent military encampment or barracks. Archaeologists also uncovered a large Silla village dating to the sixth to seventh centuries AD at Siji-dong. However, this edition was destroyed when the temple was sacked in 1254, during the Mongol invasions of Korea.

Joseon

thumb|Daegu in the 18th century

Daegu served as an important transportation center during the Joseon dynasty, being located in the middle of the Great Yeongnam Road which ran between Seoul and Busan, at the junction of this arterial road and the roads to Gyeongju and Jinju.

In 1601, Daegu became the administrative capital of the Gyeongsang Province, which is currently Daegu, Busan, Ulsan, North Gyeongsang Province, and South Gyeongsang Province. At about that time, the city began to grow into a major city. The status continued for nearly 300 years, and the city has been transformed as the capital of Gyeongsangbuk-do since Gyeongsang-do was divided into two provinces, Gyeongsangbuk-do (northern Gyeongsang-province) and Gyeongsangnam-do (southern one) in 1896.

Daegu's first regular markets were established during the late Joseon period. The most famous of these is the Yangnyeongsi herbal medicine market. This became a center of herbal trade in Joseon, and even attracted buyers from neighboring countries. Traders from Japan, who were not permitted to leave the Nakdong River valley, hired messengers to visit the market on their behalf. Seomun Market, which stood at the city's west gate at that time, was one of the top-three markets in the Joseon period.

Korean Empire and colonial rule

Japanese imperialism forcibly opened up Korea's markets beginning in the late 19th century. In 1895, Daegu became the site of one of the country's first modern post offices as a part of the Kabo reforms introduced in the aftermath of the First Sino-Japanese war.

Beginning in the late 1890s, increasing numbers of foreign merchants and workers started to visit Daegu, which emerged as a modern transportation center of the newly constructed Gyeongbu Line main railroad connecting Seoul and Busan.

In 1905, the old fortress wall was destroyed. As a tribute to the wall, streets that now run where the wall once stood have been named Bukseongno, Namseongno, Dongseongno and Seoseongno, which translates as "north fortress street", "south fortress street", "east fortress street" and "west fortress street" respectively.

Independence movements against imperial aggression flourished in Daegu, beginning as early as 1898, when a branch of the Independence Club was established in the town. As the demise of the Korean Empire approached in 1907, local citizens led by Seo Sang-don organized the National Debt Repayment Movement. The movement spread nationwide, collecting many individual donations toward repaying the national debt. Rebellions continued after the 1910 annexation to Japan, notably during the March First Movement of 1919. At that time, four major demonstrations took place in Daegu, involving an estimated 23,000 citizens.

After 1945

In 1946, the Daegu October Incident took place, one of the most serious social disorders since the foundation of the Republic of Korea. On October 1, Korean national police killed three student demonstrators and injured many others. It was also the site of major demonstrations on February 28, 1960, prior to the presidential election of that year.

Daegu and all of North Gyeongsang province had heavy guerrilla activities in the late 1940s, as thousands of refugees shied away from the fighting in Jeolla province and sought shelters in Daegu. In November 1948, a unit in Daegu joined the mutiny which had begun in Yeosu the previous month. As in many other areas during the Korean War, political killings of dissenters were widespread.

During the Korean War, heavy fighting occurred nearby along the Nakdong River. Daegu sat inside the Pusan Perimeter, however, so it remained in South Korean hands throughout the war. The fighting that prevented North Korean troops from crossing the Nakdong River has become known as the Battle of Taegu.

In the second half of the 20th century, the city underwent explosive growth, and the population has increased more than tenfold since the end of the Korean War. The city was politically favored during the 18-year-long rule of Park Chung Hee, when it and the surrounding area served as his political base. Daegu champions conservative political ideas and movements today and is a political base for the People Power Party.

In the 1980s, Daegu separated from Gyeongsangbuk-do and became a separately administered provincial-level directly governed city (Jikhalsi), and was redesignated as a metropolitan city (Gwangyeoksi) in 1995. Today, Daegu is the third-largest metropolitan area in Korea with respect to both population and commerce.

Since 1990, Daegu has suffered two of South Korea's worst mass casualty disasters: the 1995 Daegu gas explosions, which killed 101 people, and the 2003 Daegu subway fire, which killed 192 people.

In February 2020, Daegu was the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea.

In July 2023, the Gunwi County of North Gyeongsang Province was integrated into Daegu. Daegu was the host city of the 22nd World Energy Congress, the 2011 World Championships in Athletics and the 2003 Summer Universiade. It also hosted four matches in the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

Politics

thumb|right|Daegu City Hall

Two local governments are in the city, the Daegu Metropolitan Government in Jung District and Gyeongbuk Provincial Government in Buk District. The provincial government will be relocated to Andong in its proper province, Gyeongbuk. As a result, the provincial government office was relocated to Andong in January 2023. The mayor and heads of the city's eight districts are directly elected by the citizens every four years. The city council has 29 members which consist of 26 from the same number of electoral districts and three proportional representations. They are also directly elected every four years. Most of them are the members of the People Power Party, the main conservative political party in South Korea. Daegu is a stronghold for the party and has produced four Presidents of the Republic of Korea thus far: Park Chung Hee, Chun Doo-hwan, Roh Tae-woo and Park Geun-hye. Park Chung Hee and Chun Doo-hwan were born in other cities but they moved to Daegu and spent childhood in Daegu. As the capital of the Korean conservatives, the city has wielded strong political influence in elections.

Administrative divisions

upright=1.2|thumb|Administrative divisions

Daegu is divided into 7 districts (Gu) and 2 counties (Gun)

Jung District ()
Dong District ()
Seo District ()
Nam District ()
Buk District ()
Suseong District ()
Dalseo District ()
Dalseong County ()
Gunwi County ()

Geography

Topography

none|thumb|upright=4.5|View of the city of Daegu, with Jisan-dong and Beommul-dong

Daegu sits in a basin surrounded by low mountains: Palgongsan to the north, Biseulsan to the south, Waryongsan to the west, and a series of smaller hills in the east. The Geumho River flows along the northern and eastern edges of the city, emptying in the Nakdong River west of the city.

thumb|View of Daegu Suseong District, and the Gosan area

Climate

The majority of Daegu lies in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cwa). In Holdridge climate classification, Daegu has a warm temperate moist forest climate. The mountains that comprise the basin trap hot and humid air. Similarly, in winter, cold air lies in the basin. The area receives little precipitation except during the rainy season of summer and is sunny throughout much of the year. Data gathered since 1961 indicates that the mean temperature for January, the coldest month in Daegu, is and that for August, the warmest month, is . The city's lowest record temperature was , and the city's highest record temperature was . In 2014, high temperatures led to the emergence of a new term called Daefrica (대프리카, Daegu+Africa) starting with the internet community, and has been used in the media, broadcasting, etc. In 2015, a traffic cone in Daegu melted in the heat. Summers in Daegu are some of the hottest in the Korean peninsula. In 2023, on July 31 and August 3, median strips could not overcome the heat and melted in different parts of the same district in Daegu.

The climate of Gunwi County, which is the northern area of Daegu and was incorporated into Daegu from North Gyeongsang Province in July 2023, is quite different from most parts of Daegu. Gunwi straddles the borderline between a humid continental climate (Dwa) and a humid subtropical climate (Cwa), and has colder winters than other areas of Daegu.

According to the census of 2015, 23.8% of the population followed Buddhism and 19.7% followed Christianity (12% Protestantism and 7.7% Catholicism). 55.8% of the population is irreligious.

Education

, Daegu has 232 elementary schools, 125 middle schools, and 94 high schools. There are two specialized public high schools which are Daegu Science High School and Taegu Foreign Language High School, and some other high schools such as Keisung Academy, Gyeongsin High School and Daeryun High School have good grades for university admission. Most of the well-known high schools are located in Suseong District because its educational grade and zeal are high standard in the country.

Also, Daegu has many independent private high schools like Keisung Academy (also called Keisung High School), Gyeongsin High School, Gyeong-il Girls High School, Daegun Catholic High School, and Daegu International School.

Universities and colleges

thumb|left|[[Kyungpook National University, School of Medicine]]

thumb|right|150px|[[Keimyung University, main building]]

Daegu and its satellite towns are one of the areas which have the largest private higher educational institutions in Korea. Many of their main campuses are located in the nearby Gyeongsan which serves the Daegu region as a college town. Kyungpook National University (KNU) is one of the most highly ranked and well organized national universities in Korea. It holds high ranks in and around the city in many academic fields, while DGIST(Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology) is recognized as one of Korea's top universities in the field of science and technology. DGIST is one of four ISTs in Korea, along with KAIST, UNIST and GIST. It was established under 'The Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology Act (Act 699)' enacted on December 11, 2003. In 2019, DGIST was selected as 'Top 25 Rising Young Universities'. Daegu has two of the most prestigious private universities outside Seoul, Yeungnam University (YU) and Keimyung University. There are some smaller private universities such as Catholic University of Daegu and Daegu University. Daegu National University of Education offers elementary education training.

The other universities and colleges include Daegu Arts University, Daegu Cyber University, Daegu Haany University, Daegu Health College, Daegu Mirae College, Daegu Polytechnic College, Daegu Technical College, Daeshin University, Keimyung University, Kyongbuk Science College, Kyungil University, Taekyeung College, Yeungjin College, Yeungnam College of Science and Technology, and Youngnam Theological College and Seminary.

Medical institutions

Some large university hospitals make the city the medical hub of south-eastern Korea. The Kyungpook National University Hospital, founded as Daegu-dongin-uiwon in 1907 by the Japanese, is the best-known hospital in the city. The Dongsan Hospital (attached to Keimyung University), founded as Jejungwon in 1899, is one of the oldest western style medical clinics in Korea. The Yeungnam University Medical Center has the largest number of beds in the city. The yearly treatment amount of these tertiary hospitals is the second largest in South Korea after that of Seoul. The Daegu Catholic University Medical Center is also included in them.

Primary and secondary schools

Hamji High School
Kangbuk High School
Maecheon High School
Seongsan High School

International schools in Daegu include:

Daegu International School
Daegu Chinese Elementary School or Korea Daeguhwagyo Elementary School ()
Overseas Chinese High School, Daegu

Elementary schools

Daegu Sindang Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Dalseo District, Daegu, near the campus of Keimyung University. The school's motto is "To raise children who are upright, wise, and strong", and its emblem and flower are the magnolia and pine tree, respectively. Daegu Sindang Elementary School has a history of excellence in sports, music and academics, and has won numerous awards in these fields. It is also a designated school for creative education and a leading school for after-school programmes. In 2020, a group of students from Daegu Sindang Elementary School won first place in the Korean National Championship of the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) robotics competition. In 2023, the school student won the prestigious 12th Korea Multicultural Youth Award.

Transportation

Rail

thumb|right|[[Dongdaegu Station]]

right|thumb|Daegu station

Daegu is the hub of the Korean inland railroad traffic. The main railroad of the country, Gyeongbu Line passes through the city. The largest railroad station in the city, Dongdaegu Station, has the second largest passenger traffic in Korea after Seoul Station, it is the number one station in Korea for train stops, and the largest train traffic. All trains passing through Dongdaegu Station make a mandatory stop. The station re-opened in 2004 after extensive renovations serving the KTX highspeed train, Saemaul and Mugunghwa trains. All kinds of trains except KTX depart from Daegu station, an all-new building with cinemas, restaurants and a department store, located near the city centre. It has the tenth largest passenger traffic in Korea.

Road

There are two types of buses which are local and limited express. Limited express buses have more seats, but often passengers are required to stand. , Local bus fare costs around 1,400 won with cash, Limited express bus fare would set you back 1,800 won. Discounted fare is available with a prepaid card.

Bus route numbers are made up with 3 digits, each number indicates the area that bus serves. For example, number 407 bus runs from zone four, to zone zero, and then to zone seven. Other routes, usually circular, are named for the districts they serve and numbered 1 through 3.

Traffic is sometimes heavy, however, the major thoroughfares handle fairly high volumes of traffic without too much trouble.

thumb|Daegu International Airport

Air

Daegu is served by Daegu International Airport, located in northeastern Daegu. As of July 2022, international destinations include China, Thailand, the Philippines, and Mongolia.

Bus

200px|thumb|right|A Daegu Seun bus

Others

Accidents

The Frog Boys, this incident is an unsolved case. 5 boys were killed by the criminal in 1991. Boys failed to return after going out to pick up the salamander eggs, and people often call the case "The frog boys case".
The 1995 Daegu gas explosions killed 101 and injured 202. A pagoda for consolation of the dead was erected in Haksan park.
The Daegu subway fire occurred on February 18, 2003, when an arsonist, "Kim Dae-Han" set fire to a train at the Jungangno Station of the Daegu Metropolitan Subway in Daegu, South Korea. The fire spread across two trains within minutes, killing 192 people and injuring 151 others. It remains the deadliest deliberate loss of life in a single incident in South Korean peacetime history.

Notable people

Leaders

Roh Tae-woo – army general and thirteenth president of South Korea
Park Geun Hye – former president of South Korea, from 2013 to 2017, daughter of former president Park Chung Hee

Industrialists

Kim Woo-jung – Korean businessman, founder and former chairman of the Daewoo Group
Toni Ko – Businessperson and founder of NYX Cosmetics
Lee Kun-hee – a South Korean businessman who served as chairman of the Samsung Group from 1987 to 2008 and from 2010 to 2020, and is credited with the transformation of Samsung to the world's largest manufacturer of smartphones, televisions, and memory chips.

Religious

Kim Sou-hwan – first Korean Cardinal of the Catholic Church. His father escaped from his hometown of Chungcheong province for keeping his religion.

Writers

Yi Sang-hwa – a Korean nationalist poet active in the resistance to Japanese rule
Jaegwon Kim – philosopher
Hyun Jin-geon – a Korean writer

Actors and actresses

Bong Joon-ho – director and screenwriter
Lee Chang-dong – director
Shin Seong-il – actor, director, and producer
Uhm Ji-won - actress
Son Ye-jin – actress
Moon Chae-won – actress
Song Hye-kyo – actress
Min Hyo-rin – actress
Seo Ji-hoon – actor
Yoo Ah-in – actor
Jang Dong-yoon – actor
Yoon So-ho – actor
Tom Choi – actor
Kim Jung-woo – actor
Kim Min-jae – actor
Kim Hee-sun – actress
Sung Hoon – actor

Sports

Lee Man-Soo – baseball player
Yang Jun-Hyuk – baseball player
Lee Seung-Yeop – baseball player
Park Chu-Young – soccer player
Jin Sun-Yu – short-track speed skater, triple gold medalist at 2006 Winter Olympics
Bae Sang-moon – golfer, leading money winner on the Japan Golf Tour for the 2011 season
Choi Doo-ho – mixed martial artist
Ji-Hwan Bae - baseball player for the New York Mets

Beauties

Chang Yun-jong – first runner-up of the Miss Universe 1988, winner of the Miss Korea 1987
Son Tae-young – first runner-up of the Miss International 2000, second runner-up of the Miss Korea 2000, actress
Yoo Ye-bin – winner of the Miss Korea 2013, competed in Miss Universe 2014

Singers

Bae Joo-hyun (stage name Irene) – singer and leader of Red Velvet
Choi Seung-cheol (stage name S.Coups) – singer and leader of Seventeen
Jang Da-hye (stage name Heize) – rapper and participant in Unpretty Rapstar 2
Jang Woohyuk (stage name Woohyuk) - singer and former member of H.O.T
Kang Chan-hee (stage name Chani) – singer and member of SF9
Kim Dong-han – former member of JBJ and member of WEi, participant in Produce 101
Kim Ji-yeon (stage name Bona) – singer and member of Cosmic Girls
Kim Ki-bum (stage name Key) – singer and member of Shinee
Kim Min-jun (stage name Jun. K) – singer and member of 2PM
Kim Tae-hyung (stage name V) – singer, actor, songwriter and member of BTS
Lee Joo-heon (stage name Joohoney) – singer and member of Monsta X
Lee Seung-hyub – singer and member of N.Flying
Nancy Jewel McDonie – singer and former member of Momoland
Min Yoon-gi (stage names Suga and Agust D) – singer, rapper, producer, songwriter and member of BTS
Park Jae-chan – actor and member of DKZ
Park Ji-young (stage name Kahi) – singer and former member of After School
Park So-jin – singer and leader of Girl's Day
Charley Yang (known as chandol) – singer and TikTok content creator.
Choi Beomgyu (stage name Beomgyu) - singer, producer, writer, and member of Tomorrow x Together (TXT)

Other

Sin Sung-gyŏm – General during the Later Three Kingdoms period in the early tenth century
Kim Yong-jun – Art critic and historian
Jeon Tae-il – Labor activist

In popular culture

Daegu serves as the setting for Season 1, Episode 6 of the HBO horror drama Lovecraft Country (2020). Set in 1949/50 the episode is a prolonged flashback or prequel to the main arc of the series, which takes place in 1955 in Chicago and Massachusetts, and depicts main character Atticus' experiences as a U.S. soldier during the Korean War.

Sister cities

Daegu is twinned with the following locations:

Atlanta, United States (1981)
Kyoto, Japan (1987)
Almaty, Kazakhstan (1990)
Qingdao, China (1993)
Belo Horizonte, Brazil (1994)
Hiroshima, Japan (1997)
Saint Petersburg, Russia (1997)
Plovdiv, Bulgaria (2002)
Taipei, Taiwan (2010)
Ningbo, China (2013)
Milan, Italy (2015)
Chengdu, China (2015)
Milwaukee, United States (2017)
Da Nang, Vietnam (2018)

Friendship cities

Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China (2003)
Yancheng, Jiangsu, China (2003)
Shenyang, Liaoning, China (2003)
Kobe, Hyōgo, Japan (2010)
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (2015)
Shaoxing, Zhejiang, China (2015)
Wuhan, Hubei, China (2016)
Bangkok, Thailand (2017)
Changsha, Hunan, China (2018)
Kaohsiung, Taiwan (2018)
Bắc Ninh Province, Vietnam (2019)
Lille, France (2019)
Yanbian, China (2021)
Bukhara, Uzbekistan (2022)
Johor Bahru, Malaysia (2023)
Jepara, Indonesia (2025)