Gumi, North Gyeongsang

Gumi (Korean: 구미; Korean pronunciation: [ku.mi]) is the second largest and most densely populated city in Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea. It is located on the Nakdong River, halfway between Daegu and Gimcheon, also lies on the Gyeongbu Expressway and Gyeongbu Line railway which are the principal traffic routes of the country.

Gumi
구미시
Municipal City
Korean transcription(s)
 • Hangul구미시
 • Hanja龜尾市
 • Revised RomanizationGumi-si
 • McCune-ReischauerKumi-si
Gumi city hall
Gumi city hall
Flag of Gumi
Flag
Official logo of Gumi
Emblem of Gumi
Location in South Korea
Location in South Korea
Country South Korea
RegionYeongnam
Administrative divisions3 eup, 5 myeon, 17 dong
Government
 • mayorJang Ho Kim (김장호)
Area
 • Total616.25 km2 (237.94 sq mi)
Population
 (November, 2022)
 • Total407,880
 • Density552.5/km2 (1,431/sq mi)
 • Dialect
Gyeongsang
DemonymGumite
Time zoneUTC+9 (Korea Standard Time)
Area code+82-54

The city is an industrial center of the country with many companies, including Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, LG Display, having a manufacturing presence and R&D Centres there.

The primary industries are electronics and IT Manufacturing such as Smartphone, Tablet computer, 5G networking equipment, Semiconductors, OLED and other Displays, Carbonated fibres, rubber, plastic and metal products. In Gumi, 1,772 companies employ over 80,000 workers.[1] It is the largest scale in Korea. In 2009, the city exported the largest amount in the country and accounted for 96.9% of trade surplus of Korea in 2000 to 2009.[2]

The former President of South Korea, Park Chung Hee, was born in the city.

History

In the Three Kingdoms period, Gumi was part of the territory of the Silla Kingdom. The first Silla temple, Dorisa Temple, was constructed here by Monk Ado who is also the one that made Jikjisa.

The town was the birthplace of the South Korean president Park Chung Hee. His birth home is a museum today. It was during his administration that the South Korean government selected Gumi as a site for major industrial development. Gumi developed rapidly during the 1960s, growing from a small rural town into a large city thanks to huge infusions of development money from the government. It was selected for development for some practical reasons such as its easy access to transportation infrastructure, and its location in the industrialized Yeongnam region.

Administrative divisions
See also: Administrative divisions of South Korea

The city center of Gumi is divided into 17 dong, or neighborhood units. The hinterland is divided into 5 myeon, or rural areas, and 3 eup, or large villages. Sandong was promoted from a myeon to an eup on 1 January 2021.

Map of Gumi eup, myeon and dong in Korean
Inset map
Name Hangeul Hanguk
Seonsan-eup 선산읍 善山邑
Goa-eup 고아읍 高牙邑
Sandong-eup 산동읍 山東邑
Mueul-myeon 무을면 舞乙面
Okseong-myeon 옥성면 玉城面
Dogae-myeon 도개면 桃開面
Haepyeong-myeon 해평면 海平面
Jangcheon-myeon 장천면 長川面
Songjeong-dong 송정동 松亭洞
Wonpyeong-dong 원평동 元坪洞
Doryang-dong 도량동 道良洞
Jisan-dong 지산동 芝山洞
Seongjuwonnam-dong 선주원남동 善州元南洞
Hyeonggok 1(il)-dong 형곡1동 荊谷一洞
Hyeonggok 2(i)-dong 형곡2동 荊谷二洞
Sinpyeong 1(il)-dong 신평1동 新坪一洞
Sinpyeong 2(i)-dong 신평2동 新坪二洞
Bisan-dong 비산동 飛山洞
Gongdan-dong 공단동 工團洞
Gwangpyeong-dong 광평동 廣坪洞
Sangmosagok-dong 상모사곡동 上毛沙谷洞
Imo-dong 임오동 林烏洞
Indong-dong 인동동 仁同洞
Jinmi-dong 진미동 眞美洞
Yangpo-dong 양포동 陽浦洞

People

Population: At present, the population of Gumi is 427,770 (as of February 19, 2019).[3]

Sport

Gumi was the homeground of the KB Insurance Stars volleyball team until July 2017, when the club relocated to Uijeongbu.[4] The team played at the Park Chung Hee Gymnasium.

Geumo Mountain
Geumo Mountain cable car
City Scale model

Geumo Mountain (Geumo San) Provincial Park is a hiking destination. The peak at 976 m above sea level is one of the eight famous spots in the Yeongman area and is the location of the start of the nature preservation campaign in Korea. The park has an amusement area called Geumo Land and the Geumo reservoir. There are several interesting sites on the mountain that include:[5]

  • Doesan Cave named after the Buddhist monk Doesan who attained a state of nirvana in the cave. He was a master of the theory of "divination based on topography" in the later Shilla dynasty.
  • Daehye Waterfall is 27 m high and is especially full during the rainy season. It can be completely dry during periods without rain and is frozen in winter.
  • The HaeUn Buddhist Temple is also near the top of the cable car route.
  • The YakSa Temple is an active Buddhist temple and is said to have been created to commemorate Saint Ulsang's attainment of nirvana. It is sited near the top of the mountain and can be reached both from the peak and by a trail from the bottom. It has a unique bell that sits on a separate spike of rock connected by a suspension bridge.
  • The Ma Ae Cliff Buddha (National Treasure #490) is carved into the corner of a cliff face and is thought to have been created during the Goryeo dynasty.

The Doesan Cave, Daehye Waterfall and HaeUn Buddhist Temple are all easily reached by taking the cable car from the entrance of the park and then hiking a short distance. The YakSa Temple and the Ma Ae cliff Buddha statue are both near the summit of Geumo Mountain and require about one to two hours of hiking to reach them.

Industrial accident

On September 27, 2012, workers at the Hube Global[6] plant in Gumi were unloading hydrofluoric acid (HF) from a tanker when an explosion occurred causing about 8 tonnes of the acid to leak into the surrounding area. The leak caused 5 deaths initially and prompted more than 3000[7] people to seek medical attention at local hospitals. Local rice and grape crops were ruined because the acid caused them to wither. Approximately 3,200 livestock were exposed. The acid, which can etch glass and is used in the electronics industry, caused damage to at least 1,000 vehicles. Total damage costs as of October 10, 2012 were about US$16 million.[8]

Climate
Climate data for Gumi (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1973–present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 15.3
(59.5)		 24.0
(75.2)		 27.3
(81.1)		 32.9
(91.2)		 36.7
(98.1)		 36.5
(97.7)		 37.9
(100.2)		 38.1
(100.6)		 35.1
(95.2)		 30.0
(86.0)		 24.7
(76.5)		 18.1
(64.6)		 38.1
(100.6)
Average high °C (°F) 4.9
(40.8)		 7.9
(46.2)		 13.6
(56.5)		 20.4
(68.7)		 25.4
(77.7)		 28.4
(83.1)		 30.2
(86.4)		 30.7
(87.3)		 26.4
(79.5)		 21.2
(70.2)		 13.9
(57.0)		 6.9
(44.4)		 19.2
(66.6)
Daily mean °C (°F) −0.6
(30.9)		 1.8
(35.2)		 7.1
(44.8)		 13.3
(55.9)		 18.6
(65.5)		 22.6
(72.7)		 25.3
(77.5)		 25.6
(78.1)		 20.6
(69.1)		 14.2
(57.6)		 7.4
(45.3)		 1.1
(34.0)		 13.1
(55.6)
Average low °C (°F) −5.4
(22.3)		 −3.6
(25.5)		 0.9
(33.6)		 6.5
(43.7)		 12.0
(53.6)		 17.4
(63.3)		 21.4
(70.5)		 21.6
(70.9)		 16.0
(60.8)		 8.6
(47.5)		 2.0
(35.6)		 −3.7
(25.3)		 7.8
(46.0)
Record low °C (°F) −24.0
(−11.2)		 −16.7
(1.9)		 −10.4
(13.3)		 −4.3
(24.3)		 1.3
(34.3)		 7.3
(45.1)		 12.7
(54.9)		 12.4
(54.3)		 3.4
(38.1)		 −3.3
(26.1)		 −10.6
(12.9)		 −15.2
(4.6)		 −24.0
(−11.2)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 18.4
(0.72)		 27.0
(1.06)		 47.7
(1.88)		 79.0
(3.11)		 78.7
(3.10)		 120.3
(4.74)		 233.9
(9.21)		 256.1
(10.08)		 147.6
(5.81)		 53.3
(2.10)		 32.8
(1.29)		 18.3
(0.72)		 1,113.1
(43.82)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 5.1 5.4 7.2 7.7 8.2 9.1 13.8 13.3 8.9 5.0 5.8 5.3 94.8
Average snowy days 5.0 3.8 1.9 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 3.6 15.5
Average relative humidity (%) 59.7 56.3 54.7 53.9 59.4 66.8 76.8 77.0 75.6 70.8 67.1 62.9 65.1
Mean monthly sunshine hours 166.8 176.2 203.8 222.9 239.0 194.1 164.2 170.3 165.6 185.9 156.7 158.6 2,204.1
Percent possible sunshine 53.7 56.5 53.4 56.9 54.0 45.4 38.2 42.9 45.9 55.7 51.4 52.8 50.1
Source: Korea Meteorological Administration (snow and percent sunshine 1981–2010)[9][10][11]

Sister cities

See also

Notes and references
  1. "구미시청 & 구미소개". Archived from the original on 2009-12-20. Retrieved 2010-03-22.
  2. 국내 무역 흑자액 97%는 구미공단 몫.
  3. "KOSIS". kosis.kr. Retrieved 2019-03-28.
  4. "프로배구 KB손보, 의정부로 연고 이전 추진". hankookilbo.com (in Korean). 11 July 2017. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  5. Welcome to Gumi, published by Gumi City, February 2008
  6. "S Korea leak area 'disaster zone'". BBC News. 8 October 2012.
  7. "Questions remain after huge hydrofluoric acid leak - News - Chemistry World".
  8. Kwon, K.J. "Toxic leak in South Korea sickens thousands, ruins crops". CNN.
  9. "Climatological Normals of Korea (1991 ~ 2020)" (PDF) (in Korean). Korea Meteorological Administration. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 January 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  10. 순위값 - 구역별조회 (in Korean). Korea Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  11. "Climatological Normals of Korea" (PDF). Korea Meteorological Administration. 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 December 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gumi.

36°07′10″N 128°20′40″E

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.