Hadong County
Hadong County (Korean: 하동군, Hadong-gun) is a county in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It is on the far-west side of the province, bordering South Jeolla Province. The county office is located at Hadeong-eup.
Hadong
하동군 | |
|---|---|
| Korean transcription(s) | |
| • Hangul | 하동군 |
| • Hanja | 河東郡 |
| • Revised Romanization | Hadong-gun |
| • McCune-Reischauer | Hadong-kun |
 Flag  Emblem of Hadong | |
 Location in South Korea | |
| Country |  South Korea |
| Region | Yeongnam |
| Administrative divisions | 1 eup, 12 myeon |
| Area | |
| • Total | 675.53 km2 (260.82 sq mi) |
| Population (2003) | |
| • Total | 58,010 |
| • Density | 85.9/km2 (222/sq mi) |
| • Dialect | Gyeongsang |
| Website | https://www.hadong.go.kr |
History
The county of Hadong was called Dasachon (Korean: 다사촌; Hanja: 大沙县, "county of much sand") when it was a part of the Jin state, later becoming a part of Nangnoguk (Korean: 낙노국; Hanja: 樂奴國), one of twelve statelets of the Byeonhan confederacy. According to the History of the Three Kingdoms, the region was called Handasa-gun (Korean: 한다사군), then changed into Hadong-gun in 757 CE, during the reign of King Gyeongdeok of Silla. During the Goryeo dynasty, the area was known as Hadong-hyeon (Korean: 하동현). In 1414, during the reign of the Joseon-era King Taejong, it became known as Hanamhyeon (Korean: 하남현) with Namhaehyeon (Korean: 남해현). It was raised to the status of Hadongdohobu (Korean: 하동도호부) in 1740, in the thirtieth year of King Sukjong's reign.[1] During the Korean War the region was the site of a North Korean attack on US Army forces, the Hadong Ambush.
- 1702: Agyang-myeon (악양면, 岳陽面) added to Hadong-gun
- April 1, 1914: Seo-myeon (Korean: 서면) and Geumyang-myeon (Korean: 금양면) added
- January 1, 1915: Part of Seomjin-ri (Korean: 섬진리), Daap-myeon (Korean: 다압면), Gwangyang-gun (광양군, 光陽郡), South Jeolla Province added
- 1917: Naehoengbo-myeon (Korean: 내횡보면) renamed to Hoengcheon-myeon (Korean: 횡천면); Deokyang-myeon (Korean: 덕양면) renamed to Jingyo-myeon (Korean: 진교면)
- January 1, 1933: Geumyang-myeon (Korean: 금양면) was abolished and incorporated into Jingyo-myeon (Korean: 진교면) and Geumnam-myeon (Korean: 금남면), formerly Nam-myeon (Korean: 남면)
- October 1, 1938: Hadong-myeon (Korean: 하동면) elevated to Hadong-eup (Korean: 하동읍)
Local sights and attractions
Nestled between the Seomjin River and Mount Jiri, the county is a popular destination for both domestic and foreign tourists who enjoy nature.[2] Parts of the Jirisan National Park lie within the county and form the county's notable hilly, mountainous landscape.[3]
The Ssanggyesa (Ssangye Temple) is a notable historic temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism and is a designated National Treasure.
Pak Gyeongni's 16-volume novel Land is partly set in the village of Pyeongsa-ri (Korean: 평사리; Hanja: 平沙里) in Agyang-myeon, Hadong County. A replica of the fictional Choi family's home was built there to commemorate the author's legacy.[2][4]
Green tea
Hadong has been famous for its green tea since the Silla era, when an envoy brought green tea seeds from the Tang Empire to be planted locally.[2] The local government has historically promoted this as a major local attraction, including sponsoring a tourism advertisement that aired on CNN in 2007.[5] The annual "wild tea" festival, lasting 25 days, takes place during May and June.[2][3]
Development
While much of Korea has experienced an explosion of industrial development, Hadong remains a destination for those who wish to escape the bustle of city living. However, a lack of activity in the industrial sector has left the government with little incentive to expanding the sometimes inadequate existing road infrastructure. A petition for the allocation of funds for new road construction was signed by a number of Hadong residents.[6]
Former South Korean president Lee Myung-bak has recently announced plans for the construction of a Gyeongsangnam-do leisure resort palace in Hadong.[7]
Climate
| Climate data for Hadong (1995–2020 normals) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 7.2 (45.0) |
9.7 (49.5) |
14.5 (58.1) |
20.3 (68.5) |
25.3 (77.5) |
28.1 (82.6) |
30.5 (86.9) |
31.8 (89.2) |
28.0 (82.4) |
23.0 (73.4) |
16.1 (61.0) |
9.3 (48.7) |
20.3 (68.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 1.7 (35.1) |
3.8 (38.8) |
8.3 (46.9) |
13.8 (56.8) |
18.9 (66.0) |
22.6 (72.7) |
26.0 (78.8) |
26.9 (80.4) |
22.5 (72.5) |
16.3 (61.3) |
9.5 (49.1) |
3.4 (38.1) |
14.5 (58.1) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −3.2 (26.2) |
−1.5 (29.3) |
2.4 (36.3) |
7.9 (46.2) |
13.2 (55.8) |
18.3 (64.9) |
22.6 (72.7) |
23.1 (73.6) |
18.1 (64.6) |
10.9 (51.6) |
4.2 (39.6) |
−1.5 (29.3) |
9.5 (49.1) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 24.6 (0.97) |
47.2 (1.86) |
81.8 (3.22) |
137.0 (5.39) |
155.9 (6.14) |
194.7 (7.67) |
357.7 (14.08) |
337.8 (13.30) |
185.8 (7.31) |
74.3 (2.93) |
50.7 (2.00) |
27.6 (1.09) |
1,675.1 (65.95) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 3.5 | 4.2 | 6.5 | 7.7 | 8.3 | 9.3 | 14.0 | 13.1 | 8.9 | 4.4 | 5.6 | 3.4 | 88.9 |
| Source: Korea Meteorological Administration[8] | |||||||||||||
Notable people
- Jeong Gi-ryong
- Yi Byeong-ju, a novelist, journalist, and reporter
- Jeong Ho-seung
- Kang Man-soo
- Jeong Gongchae, who won the 1960 Contemporary Literature (Hyundae Munhak) Award for poetry for "Coal" (石炭) and "Freedom" (自由)[9]
Schools
- High schools
-
- Middle schools
- Agyang Middle School
Twin towns – sister cities
Hadong is twinned with:
References
- Official website http://www.hadong.go.kr/e/main/frame.asp?test=/e/01/01_02.asp?m=m1 Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
- "Green Tea, Nature and Market at Hadong". The Korea Times. 2008-03-13.
- "Asia Society Korea Travel Series 4 – Hadong County". Asia Society. Retrieved 2021-03-05.
- "A statue of Pak Kyong-ni to be set up at Toji Foundation". The Dong-a Ilbo. 2018-05-03.
- http://www.hadong.go.kr/e/main/frame.asp?test=/e/01/01_02.asp?m=m1%5B%5D
- 하동군 국도 19호선 4차선 확.포장 시급 Newsis 2008-01-22
- [이명박 정부 개발 핫 이슈] "동아시아 7대 경제권 도약 꿈꾼다" 2008-01-22 Retrieved 2008-01-26
- "Climatological Normals of Korea (1991 ~ 2020)" (PDF) (in Korean). Korea Meteorological Administration. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 January 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
- "Prix littéraires 1960". frwiki.net.
External links
- County government website Archived 2017-03-12 at the Wayback Machine
