Cheongju is the capital city

Administrative divisions of South Korea

||South Korea is divided into 8 provinces , 1 special autonomous province , 6 metropolitan cities , and 1 special city...

 of Chungcheongbuk-do

Chungcheongbuk-do

Chungcheongbuk-do is a province in the centre of South Korea. It was formed in 1896 from the northeastern half of the former Chungcheong province...

 (province), South Korea

South Korea

The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

. The city is divided into two wards ("Gu

GU

-Asia:* g.u., a Japanese fashion retail chain* Gu , Gu , several rare surnames of the Han Chinese people* Gu , a Chinese wine goblet from the Shang and Zhou dynasties, also ku...

"), Heungdeok-gu (western part of the city) and Sangdang-gu (eastern part of the city).

History

Cheongju has been an important provincial town since ancient times.

During Hideyoshi's Invasions of Korea, Cheongju was the site of the Battle of Chongju

Battle of Chongju

Not to be confused with the Battle of ChungjuThe Battle of Chongju was one of the first Korean victories on land during the Imjin War. Also, it was won by the Korean irregular volunteers that included Buddhist warrior monks as well.-Prelude:...

, during which the Korean forces re-took the city from the Japanese forces in an important early victory.

The government of the province relocated here from Chungju

Chungju

Chungju is a city in North Chungcheong province, South Korea. Namsan is a mountain located on the outskirts of the city.The city is famous for the annual martial arts festival held in October. Also of note, UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon grew up here....

 in 1908.

The opening of the Chungbuk-line in 1926 sparked regional development. In 1946, Cheongju and Cheongwon-gun were separated, and in 1949, Cheongju was upgraded to Cheongju City. Afterwards, it went through the separation of administrative dong and their transfer to Cheongwon-gun, with 2 branch offices (East and West)established in July 1989 that were upgraded to Sangdang-gu and Heungdeok-gu in January.

Geography

Geum River

Geum River

The Geum-gang River is located in South Korea. It is a major river that originates in Jangsu-eub, North Jeolla Province. It flows northward through North Jeolla and North Chungcheong Provinces and then changes direction in the vicinity of Greater Daejeon and flows southwest through South...

 goes through right center of Cheongju city. Additionally, the tributaries of Musim and Miho flow together in northern part of city. To east and west, there are mountains of Wuam and Bumo.

Climate

Cultural properties

• Sangdangsanseong (Sangdang Mountain Fortress) lies on the slopes of Mt. Uam within the city limits. The fortress is mainly a 3-4 metre tall wall that stretches over 4.2 kilometers in circumference. The present walls date to the 1716 restoration of the site. Within the walls lies a small tourist village that has several restaurants.

• Cheongju National Museum also lies near Mt. Uam, and houses several exhibits of cultural artifacts from the nearby area.
• Heungdeok Temple Site is the home to the Early Printing Museum, and is purported to be the site of the printing of Jikji
  Jikji
  Jikji is the abbreviated title of a Korean Buddhist document, whose title can be translated "Anthology of Great Buddhist Priests' Zen Teachings". Printed during the Goryeo Dynasty in 1377, it is the world's oldest extant movable metal print book...
  
  , the oldest existent book printed using movable metal type. The museum itself contains exhibits related to the art of printing through the ages.
• Yongdusaji Cheoldanggan (The Iron Flagpole of the Yongdu Temple Site) is designated Korean National Treasure number 41, and is located near Lotte Department Store in downtown Cheongju. Made of twenty iron cylinders, the flagpole stands 13.1 meters tall, and was formerly used to hang flags to honour the Buddha

Transport

Cheongju Airport

Cheongju Airport

Cheongju International Airport is an international airport near the city of Cheongju, South Korea. It also serves the city of Daejeon. It also houses the 17th fighter wing of the ROKAF...

 provides scheduled flights to Korea and China. The main train station is located at Ogeunjang approximately 8 km north of the city hall. This station is on the Chungbuk Line

Chungbuk Line

The Chungbuk Line is a railway line serving North Chungcheong Province in South Korea. The line connects Jochiwon on the Gyeongbu Line to Bongyang on the Jungang Line, serving the major cities of Cheongju and Chungju en route. Cheongju International Airport is located near the rail...

.

Education

Cheongju is the site of several tertiary

Tertiary education

Tertiary education, also referred to as third stage, third level, and post-secondary education, is the educational level following the completion of a school providing a secondary education, such as a high school, secondary school, university-preparatory school...

 institutions, including:

• Chungbuk National University
  Chungbuk National University
  Chungbuk National University is one of 10 Flagship Korean National Universities.It takes its name, Chungbuk, from the common abbreviated form of the province's Korean name.- Overview :...
  
  
• Cheongju University
  Cheongju University
  Cheongju University is a private university located in Cheongju City, the capital of North Chungcheong province, South Korea. The current president is Kim Yoon Bae.-Academics:...
  
  
• Seowon University
• Cheongju National University of Education
  Cheongju National University of Education
  Cheongju National University of Education is one of several national universities of education in South Korea. It provides training to teachers, particularly those who plan to teach in public elementary schools. The campus is located in Cheongju City, the capital of North Chungcheong province....
  
  
• Chung Cheong College
  Chung Cheong College
  Chung Cheong University is a private technical university in Cheongju City, the capital of North Chungcheong province, South Korea. It employs about 110 instructors...
  
  

Sister cities

City	Country	Year
Rostov-on-Don Rostov-on-Don -History:The mouth of the Don River has been of great commercial and cultural importance since the ancient times. It was the site of the Greek colony Tanais, of the Genoese fort Tana, and of the Turkish fortress Azak...	Russia
Tottori Tottori, Tottori is the capital city of Tottori Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of Japan.As of 2006, the city has an estimated population of 200,974 and a density of 262.48 persons per km². The total area is 765.66 km²....	Japan
Wuhan Wuhan Wuhan is the capital of Hubei province, People's Republic of China, and is the most populous city in Central China. It lies at the east of the Jianghan Plain, and the intersection of the middle reaches of the Yangtze and Han rivers...	China
Pittsfield Pittsfield, Massachusetts Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Its area code is 413. Its ZIP code is 01201...	United States
Bellingham Bellingham, Washington Bellingham is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It is the twelfth-largest city in the state. Situated on Bellingham Bay, Bellingham is protected by Lummi Island, Portage Island, and the Lummi Peninsula, and opens onto the Strait of Georgia...	United States	2008

External links

• City government home page