Gunsan

Kunsan Air Base

Gunsan was a small fishing village on the banks of the Geum River, near where the river spills into the Yellow Sea. It sits on the fertile western Honam plain where much rice is harvested. Gunsan became a port in the late 19th century largely due to pressure from the Japanese on the Koreans to ship rice to Japan. In 1899, Gunsan Port officially opened up to international trade. Gunsan City was largely settled by Japanese during the period of the Japanese occupation. The old (now demolished) City Hall and the Customs House are of Japanese construction. After liberation from the Japanese in 1945, Gunsan began to grow slowly.

Emblem of Gunzanfu(gunsan bu), the administrative division gunsan fell under Japanese rule.

The Korean War of the 1950s left the Gunsan area relatively unscathed. The initial drive south by the Communist North Koreans pushed the United Nations and South Korean forces toward Busan so quickly that Gunsan was spared from protracted fighting.

Nevertheless, a battalion of Korean Marines, entrenched in the hills above Gunsan Port, withheld overwhelming communist forces. Their bravery created extra time for the evacuation of the town and port. The action is commemorated with a monument on the ridgeline where the heaviest fighting occurred. (35°59′26″N 126°42′16″E)

The drive north by the United Nations forces occurred so rapidly that there was little direct confrontation in the area. After the cessation of hostilities, the United States Air Force occupied nearby Kunsan Air Base, which has affected Gunsan City.

Kunsan Air Base was originally constructed, under Japanese direction, by reclaiming mudflats starting in around 1923. Kunsan Air Base has hosted a variety of USAF combat aircraft. The proximity of US service members to Gunsan City has provided some economic growth to Gunsan City, but the base's influence has waned since the 1990s as a result of a more powerful and diversified Korean economy. The downtown shopping districts that catered to US troops have transformed into areas that are indistinguishable from surrounding areas that serve Korean shoppers. Only a few remaining stores hint at the area's previous manifestation as an American shopping district. The small Okku-Silver Town (or more popularly America Town) caters to US troops. About 5 km (3.1 mi) from the main gate of Kunsan Air Base, America Town hosts bars, dance clubs, restaurants, and souvenir shops.

Today, Gunsan's economy thrives on fishing, agriculture and heavy industry west of the city in the reclaimed area known as the Industrial Zone. GM Korea operated a factory here that assembled the Chevrolet Aveo worldwide and as the Holden Barina in Australia and New Zealand until 2018. Near the port, the Tata Daewoo Commercial Vehicle factory produces Daewoo trucks for the domestic and export markets. In the domestic market vehicles are sold under Daewoo brand; the Tata brand name is used for export due to the dilution of the Daewoo brand.

It is a major port, especially for rice shipments, and is a commercial center for the rice grown in the Geum basin. Rice processing and shipbuilding are important industries, and paper, lumber, rubber, and plastic are also produced. Originally a poor fishing village, Gunsan gained importance with the development of its port, which was opened to foreign trade in 1899. The Japanese, who ruled Korea from 1905 to 1945, further developed the city and port.

Just south of Gunsan is the newly opened Saemangum Seawall, the longest dyke in the world.

Gunsan has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfa) using the 0 °C isotherm, and a cooler version of a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) using the -3 °C isotherm.

Gunsan is well known for sliced raw fish, or hoe. In addition to the renowned Gunsan Seafood Hotjip right on the water is the old port area, a new hae center is being constructed to the east of the city, by the Geum River dam/bridge. Gunsan also has a first-class seafood market. Right on the water front, this newer enclosed market has many fresh and frozen fish, crabs and shellfish; salted fish and shrimp and dried fish. On the upper level are a variety of sushi restaurants. Gunsan also has a Mexican/American restaurant located near the Yest Mall shopping area.

Lee Sung Dang is the oldest bakery in Korea. It has been in business in the same location since 1945. Its menu include danpatppang (bread filled with red bean paste) and yachaeppang (vegetable bread).

Gunsan E-mart, the 31st E-mart branch and the third in the Jeonbuk Area, has an area of 16,200 pyong (5.35 ha) and a shopping area of 4,000 pyong (1.32 ha) with parking facilities capable of holding 1,100 vehicles. It is a four-story building (one basement included), which is the biggest E-mart in Korea.

Gunsan Lotte Mart—with a total sales area of 13,686m²—is the biggest discount shopping mall in Gunsan with an indoor parking lot from the fourth to seventh floor which provides shopping convenience.

Gunsan Oldam Public Market is the first modern mart-like traditional market of Korea, with 90 years of history. There are a lot of foods which are inexpensive, along with a lot of attractions, such as a forge of old days.

Gunsan Station

The modes of transportation in Gunsan are Intra-City Bus, Inter-City Bus, Express Bus and Railroad. There are roundtrip airplane flights from Gunsan to Jeju Island and passenger liner ferries to Shidao, China.

Gunsan is served by frequent railway service on the Gunsan Line from Iksan. It is connected to the Seohaean Expressway.

Gunsan is twinned with:[8]

• Oh Ji-hwan (Hangul: 오지환), South Korean shortstop, baseball player and player for the LG Twins in the Korea Baseball Organization.
• Lee Seo-won (Hangul: 이서원), South Korean former actor.
• Kim Soo-mi (Real Name: Kim Young-ok, Hangul: 김영옥), South Korean actress.
• Song Sae-byeok (Hangul: 송새벽), South Korean actor.
• Byung Hun (formerly known as L.Joe, Real Name: Lee Byung-hun, Hangul: 이병헌), singer, rapper, dancer, actor, model, MC and K-pop idol, former member of K-pop boyband Teen Top.
• Yechan (Real Name: Kim Ye-chan, Hangul: 김예찬), singer, dancer and K-pop idol, member of K-pop girlgroup PinkFantasy.
• Johyun (Real Name: Shin Ji-won, Hangul: 신지원), singer, rapper, dancer, actress and K-pop idol, member of K-pop girlgroup Berry Good.
• ChaeA (formerly known as Cherry, Real Name: Kim Chae-young, Hangul: 김채영), singer, rapper, dancer and K-pop idol, member of K-pop girlgroup REDSQUARE and former member of K-pop girlgroup Good Day
• Catherine Seulki Kang, South Korean-born naturalized Central African taekwondo practitioner, 2012 Olympics
• Lee Jung-hyun, (born 1999), basketball player for Goyang Sono Skygunners and the South Korean national team

• List of cities in South Korea
• Geography of South Korea
• Honam

• Lee Yunho (April 25, 2008), Confirmation of formal designation about Saemangeum-Gunsan free economic zone (in Korean), Jeonbuk provincial office report data
• Changhyo, Y (2015), Growth, decline and the challenges facing a policy-dependent and former-colonial city: Gunsan, Korea, pp. 37–47
• Lee Myeongb_k; Hong Sangtae (2006), A Study on the Construction Plan of the Joint Logistics Center in Gunsan Industrial Complex (in Korean), Korea Logistics Research Association Inc., pp. 103–125
• Gunsan City website (in Korean)
• Gunsan City (2008), Visit Gunsan 2008, tourism guide for Gunsan city (in Korean)
• Yu Heeyeol (January 18, 2008), A proposal for improving Gunsan port (in Korean), Gunsan Mirae
• Yeo Gitae (2002), A Study on Strategy for Development of Kunsan and Janghang Port (in Korean), Korea Academy of International Commerce, pp. 209–232
• "Integrated preservation study on the oceanic environments in the Saemangeum area" (in Korean). 2007. Retrieved July 1, 2008.
• Go Seokjung (November 23, 2007), Creating a Good Place to Live, Local Resources Contest (in Korean), Newsis
• Gunsan passenger ship terminal (in Korean)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gunsan.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Gunsan.

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