Suwon

In ancient tribal times, Suwon was known as Mosu-guk (Korean: 모수국) of Mahan confederacy. During the Proto–Three Kingdoms period era, however, the area comprising modern Suwon and Hwaseong City was called Maehol-gun (매홀군).

In 757, under King Gyeongdeok of the Unified Silla, the name was changed to Suseong-gun (수성군). In 940 during the Goryeo dynasty changed again in to Suju (수주). King Taejong of the Joseon dynasty renamed the city to Suwon in 1413.[5]

In 1592, during the Imjin wars, Commander Yi Kwang attempted to launch his army toward the capital city, Seoul (at the time called Hanseong).[6] The army was withdrawn, however, after news that the city had already been sacked reached the commander.[6] As the army grew in size to 50,000 men with the accumulation of several volunteer forces, Yi Kwang and the irregular commanders reconsidered their aim to reclaim the capital, and led the combined forces north to Suwon.[6][7]

Korean War

North Korean T-34-85 caught on a bridge south of Suwon by US attack aircraft in the Korean War

The Korean War greatly affected Suwon, as the city changed hands four times. Very shortly after the outbreak of war, the 49th Fighter Wing of the United States Air Force was dispatched to Korea from Japan. Its first task was to evacuate civilians from Suwon and Gimpo, but Suwon soon fell to the advancing North Koreans. Shortly before the Battle of Osan, the first conflict between United States and North Korean forces, on July 4, 1950, defenses were erected on the road between Suwon and nearby Osan (then still under Southern command). The next day, Northern troops advanced south. In the 3½-hour battle which followed, 150 American and 42 North Korean soldiers were killed and the United States troops were forced to retreat. The North Korean advance southwards to take Osan was delayed by an estimated seven hours.[9][10]

On December 16, 1950, the Greek Expeditionary Force relocated to Suwon, attached to the US 1st Cavalry Division. From November 6, 1951, the United States Air Force's top fighter pilot Gabby Gabreski was in charge of K-13 Air Base in Suwon. By the end of the war, Suwon was in South Korea. A memorial to the French military stands in Jangan-gu, near the Yeongdong Expressway's North Suwon exit.

Flags on Hwaseong.

Suwon lies in the north of the Gyeonggi plain, just south of South Korea's capital, Seoul. It is bordered by Uiwang to the north-west, Yongin to the east, the city of Hwaseong to the south-west, and also shares a short border with Ansan to the west.

There are a few hills around Suwon. The highest of these is Gwanggyosan to the north, on the border with Yongin, though those to the east are more numerous. Gwanggyosan is 582 m (1,909 ft) above sea level.[11]

Most of the streams passing through Suwon originate on Gwanggyosan or other nearby peaks. Since Suwon is bounded to the east by other hills, the streams, chiefly the Suwoncheon (and one notable tributary being the Jungbocheon), flow southwards through the city, eventually emptying into the Yellow Sea at Asan Bay. The entirety of Suwon is drained in this manner.

As is true of all the South Korean mainland, there are no natural lakes in Suwon. There are, however, many small reservoirs, namely Seoho (서호) near Hwaseo Station, Ilwon Reservoir (일원 저수지) near Sungkyunkwan University, Bambat Reservoir (밤밭 저수지) near Sungkyunkwan University Station, Ilwang Reservoir (일왕 저수지) in Manseok Park, Pajang Reservoir (파장 저수지) near the North Suwon exit of the Yeongdong Expressway, Gwanggyo Reservoir (광교 저수지) at the foot of Gwanggyosan, Woncheon and Sindae Reservoirs (원천 저수지 & 신대 저수지) near Ajou University (아주대학교), Geumgok Reservoir (금곡 저수지), a small reservoir at the foot of Chilbosan, and the larger Wangsong Reservoir (왕송 저수지), located mainly in the city of Uiwang, but its dam located in Suwon.

At the closest point, being the Chilbosan ridge (239m)[12] to the west on the border with Ansan, Suwon lies 6 km (3.7 mi) from the Yellow Sea coast.

Districts of Suwon

The city is divided into 4 gu (districts):[3]

The newest of these is Yeongtong-gu, which was separated from Paldal-gu on November 24, 2003.[21] These districts are in turn divided into 42 dong.[22] Gwanggyo Town (Hanja: 光敎, Mean:teaching light) was created in surrounding Yeongtong-gu of Suwon and Suji-gu of Yongin (2011).

50.2% of the population of Suwon is composed of male residents.[3] Indeed, it is only in Paldal-gu that the number of female residents is greater than that of males. 1.85% of the population is of foreign nationality, the highest concentration (2.3%) being in Paldal-gu. Further information regarding the residents of each district is shown below.[3]

Overall, the population of Suwon is increasing, but the domestic population is falling. For example, the Korean population of Suwon fell by 585 from December 2007 to January 2008.[3] However, both genders of the foreign population increased in number in each gu in the same time period. It appears to be a pattern that the foreign population is increasing, as Suwon also saw a 13% increase in the number of registered foreigners residing in the city in the first half of 2007.[23] The only gu currently showing an increase in population is Gwonseon-gu (though the same was until recently true of Paldal-gu), while all others have falling number of residents, especially Jangan-gu and Yeongtong-gu.[23]

The main industrial employer in Suwon is Samsung. Samsung was originally founded in Seoul, but at the beginning of the Korean War, Samsung facilities were so damaged that the founder, Lee Byung-chul was forced to relocate his business to Suwon in 1951. Samsung Electronics was founded in Suwon in 1969 and it now has its headquarters and a large R&D complex in central Suwon; it is the city's largest employer. The company's long-standing relationship with the city is also seen in its sponsorship of various Suwon-based sports teams, including the football club Suwon Samsung Bluewings and two of the oldest basketball teams in domestic basketball Seoul Samsung Thunders and Samsung Life Blueminx, both of which have since moved out of Suwon. Other companies with offices here include SK, Samsung LED, Samsung SDI, Samsung Electro-Mechanics and others.

Hwaseong Fortress

Hwaseong Fortress is Suwon's most notable attraction. Built in 1796, the entire city used to be encircled by the walls, but now Suwon has expanded beyond this boundary. Hwaseong is also listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Haenggung Palace, within Hwaseong, is another noteworthy historical attraction. On completion of the Bundang Line extension, Suwon will also be only a few stops from Singal, the location of the Korean Folk Village, and the Everland theme park is nearby in Yongin.

Suwon Station

Suwon is a regional transportation hub and Suwon Station is an important stop on the Gyeongbu railway line between Seoul and Busan. There is a bus service to the KTX high-speed train station at Gwangmyeong. Suwon is connected to Seoul and other nearby cities by city and express buses with departure points across the city. There are also two bus terminals in Suwon with inter-city and express bus connections to most cities in Korea. These are Suwon Bus Terminal, which is located near 'Hotel Ramada' and West Suwon Bus Terminal, which is located near Sungkyunkwan University. KTX trains also make limited number of stops on services from Seoul to Busan.

Suwon has several stations on Seoul Subway Line 1, which runs North–South through the city, namely Sungkyunkwan University, Hwaseo, Suwon and Seryu. The Suin-Bundang Line also crosses Suwon East-West, namely Cheongmyeong, Yeongtong, Mangpo, Maetan-Gwonseon, Suwon City Hall, Maegyo, Suwon, Gosaek, Omokcheon. The Shinbundang Line also passes Suwon, namely Gwanggyo Jungang, Gwanggyo. Until 1973, the Suryo Line also connected Suwon to Yeoju.

The Yeongdong Expressway (Number 50) passes through Suwon and two exits on this motorway lie within the city limits, being North Suwon and East Suwon. Suwon is also served by the Suwon exit of the Gyeongbu Expressway (Number 1), though this lies a short distance east of the Suwon's limits, near Singal in the city of Yongin. The Pyeongtaek-Munsan Expressway (Number 17) passes Suwon and there is one exit at Suwon.

In 2013, the city hosted the EcoMobility World Festival in the Haenggun-dong neighbourhood (pop. 4,300), where for a month, streets were closed to cars as a car-free experiment. Instead of cars, residents used non-motorized vehicles provided by the festival organizers.[38] The experiment was not unopposed; however, on balance it was considered a success. Following the festival, the city embarked on discussions about adopting the practice on a permanent basis.[39]

In 2017, Suwon Station transfer center was opened. It was installed to disperse buses and taxi stands in the eastern plaza of Suwon Station.

There are two newspapers based in Suwon. These are the Gyeonggi Daily (경기일보) and, since 1960, the Gyeongin Daily (경인일보). The former is based in Jangan-gu, with the latter's offices being in Paldal-gu. Both feature news exclusively in Korean.

The Air Force has a base in Jang-ji dong, Gwon-sun gu, Suwon. This was used by the United States Air Force during the Korean War. The base is now occupied mostly by the ROKAF (Republic of Korea Air Force), though the US Army houses half of a battalion there presently, and there are a limited number of US Air Force personnel.

As in most of South Korea, according to 2006 statistics compiled by the government, about 25.3% of the population professes to follow no particular religion. Christians account for 20% of the population and Buddhists 52%. The Catholic Diocese of Suwon was created in 1963 by Pope Paul VI.

Galbi being cooked

Suwon is known for Suwon galbi, a variation on the style beef short rib enjoyed throughout Korea. The city also has the same variety of Korean dishes served throughout the peninsula and has a wide variety of restaurants serving food from outside Korea. Since 1995, Galbi festival has been held annually, attracting many tourists.

Suwon's wildlife is similar to that of most of Gyeonggi-do. A notable species, however, is the Suwon tree frog. This is one of only two tree frogs to inhabit the Korean peninsula and it lives in the Gyeonggi-do area only.

Notable people from Suwon include:

• Former footballer Park Ji-sung grew up in Suwon. In 2005, a city street was renamed after him.[40]
• Actor Song Kang
• Professional tennis player Chung Hyeon
• Super Junior member Shindong
• Shinee member Lee Jin-ki (stage name Onew)
• Pastor Billy Kim, former President of the Baptist World Alliance and current President of the Far East Broadcasting Company
• 2AM member Jo Kwon
• Cellist Han-na Chang
• Actress Hyun Young
• Actress Ha Ji-won
• Presenter and columnist Sam Oh
• MMA fighter Dong Hyun Kim
• Actor Joo Won
• Monsta X member I.M
• Apink member Yoon Bo-mi
• Twice member Yoo Jeong-yeon
• Block B member U-Kwon
• A.C.E member Donghun
• Actor Ryu Jun-yeol
• 4Minute member Jeon Ji-yoon
• BtoB member Lee Chang-sub
• Actor Lee Jong-suk
• Astro member MJ
• Red Velvet member Seulgi – moved from Ansan to Suwon
• DIA member Jueun
• Golden Child member Lee Jang-jun
• Enhypen member Sunoo

Suwon is twinned with:[41]

• List of cities in South Korea
• Geography of South Korea
• Seoul National Capital Area

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Suwon.

• City government website (in Korean)
• Suwon at Curlie
• Suwon : Official Seoul City Tourism
• Suwon Samsung Bluewings official site
• Official site of Hwaseong fortress (archived 2013)