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{{Short description|City in South Gyeongsang, South Korea}}
{{more citations needed|date=February 2022}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                            = Sacheon
| native_name                     = {{lang|ko|사천시}}
| settlement_type                 = [[Cities of South Korea|Municipal City]]
| translit_lang1                  = Korean
| translit_lang1_type1            = [[Hangul]]
| translit_lang1_info1            = {{lang|ko|사천시}}
| translit_lang1_type2            = [[Hanja]]
| translit_lang1_info2            = {{lang|ko-Hani|{{linktext|泗|川|市}}}}
| translit_lang1_type3            = {{nowrap|Revised Romanization}}
| translit_lang1_info3            = Sacheon-si
| translit_lang1_type4            = {{nowrap|McCune–Reischauer}}
| translit_lang1_info4            = Sach'ŏn-si
| image_skyline                   = Changsun Sachunpo Bridge2.JPG
| imagesize                       = 
| image_caption                   = 
| image_map                       = South Gyeongsang-Sacheon.svg
| mapsize                         = 
| map_caption                     = Location in South Korea
| subdivision_type                = Country
| subdivision_name                = {{flag|South Korea}}
| subdivision_type1               = [[Regions of Korea|Region]]
| subdivision_name1               = [[Yeongnam]]
| population_blank1_title         = Dialect
| population_blank1               = [[Gyeongsang dialect|Gyeongsang]]
| area_total_km2                  = 396.99
| population_as_of                = September 2024<ref>{{cite web |url=https://jumin.mois.go.kr/|title=Population statistics |date=2024|website=Korea Ministry of the Interior and Safety}}</ref>
| population_total                = 108,650
| population_density_km2          = 288.6
| parts_type                      = [[Administrative divisions of South Korea|Administrative divisions]]
| parts                           = 1 ''eup'', 7 ''myeon'', 6 ''dong''
| image_blank_emblem              = Sacheon logo.png
| blank_emblem_type               = Emblem of Sacheon
| image_flag                      = Flag of Sacheon.svg
}}
'''Sacheon''' ({{Korean|hangul=사천}}; {{IPA|ko|sʰa.tɕʰʌn}}) is a [[Administrative divisions of South Korea|city]] in [[South Gyeongsang Province]], South Korea. Sacheon's chief fame comes from its being the site of two naval battles in the [[Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598)|Seven Year War]].

The city as it now exists results from the merging of Sacheon-gun and Samcheonpo-si in 1995. The northern part of the city is called Sacheon-eub and is located at the top of Sacheon Bay, near the city of Jinju. The southern part of the city is located in the old Samcheonpo-si, which is located at the mouth of Sacheon Bay.

==History==
During prehistoric times, the local area was very important for trade between the interior and coastal area. A large central settlement called the [[Igeum-dong site]] developed in the neighbourhood of the same name in Samcheonpo. This complex site was a major settlement, [[megalithic]] cemetery, and ceremonial area during the latter part of the Middle [[Mumun pottery period]] (c. 700-550 B.C.). Several islands that lie just off the coast of Samcheonpo, including Neuk-do Island and Ma-do Islet, were also important during the same period and into the Korean Protohistoric period when this part of Korea increased its trade contacts with the chiefdoms in the Liaoning Province region of China, Taedong-gang River area of North Korea, and [[Yayoi]] chiefdoms of Western [[Japan]] (c. 300 B.C.- A.D. 300/400).

==Economy==
[[File:Korea AeroSpace Administration Opening Ceremony 20240530 (01).jpg|thumb|left|Opening ceremony of [[Korea AeroSpace Administration]], May 2024]]
Traditionally, the urbanized part of Sacheon (Sacheon-eub) and the coastal settlement of Samcheonpo have different economic functions. Samcheonpo has a good harbour and has been sustained by fishing and other marine industries for hundreds of years. This part of the city continues to be a regional hub for these industries:a major fish market and a number of live fish distribution centres are located at the harbour area. Sacheon-eub is in close proximity to the [[Namhae Expressway]] and the city of [[Jinju]], thus contains manufacturing, transport and service industry facilities.

[[Korean Aerospace Industries]], a national aerospace company, and [[Korea AeroSpace Administration]] is based in Sacheon.<ref>{{Cite news |date=26 May 2024 |title=Korea launches space agency to compete in global space race |url=https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2025/01/113_375338.html |work=[[The Korea Times]]}}</ref> [[British American Tobacco]] Korea has a major manufacturing complex in Sacheon, too. The [[National Aerospace Industrial Complex]], measuring {{cvt|803,341|m2|0}}, has been under construction since April 2019. This complex, which focuses on the aerospace industry, is expected to house related companies.<ref>{{Cite news |date=5 February 2024 |title=Gyeongnam National Aerospace Industrial Complex, Korea's Biggest Aerospace Industry Cluster |url=https://www.investkorea.org/ik-en/bbs/i-2486/detail.do?ntt_sn=490793 |work=[[Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency]] — Invest Korea}}</ref>

Much of the area between Sacheon-eub and Samcheonpo is a narrow coastal plain, and devoted to fruit producing orchards as well as wet and dry agriculture.

==Transportation==
[[Sacheon Airport]] is located in the industrial part of Sacheon-eup, and there are two daily flights to Seoul's Gimpo airport. The Korean National Railroad passenger terminal is located in nearby Jinju. Sacheon-eup and Samcheonpo both have bus terminals that serve local and regional destinations such as Jinju, Masan, and Busan.

==Attractions==
The harbour area of Samcheonpo contains a multitude of rustic but popular raw fish restaurants close to the waterfront. The fish and traditional market areas are nearby.

The harbour of Samcheonpo is the gateway to a number of small islands lying offshore, where people still practice a traditional fishing subsistence lifestyle that dates back to the [[Jeulmun]] Period (c. 4000 BC).

==Twin towns – sister cities==
Sacheon is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:

* {{flagdeco|ROK}} [[Uiryeong County]], [[South Gyeongsang Province]]
* {{flagdeco|ROK}} [[Jeongeup]], [[North Jeolla Province]] 
* {{flagdeco|JPN}} [[Miyoshi, Hiroshima|Miyoshi]], [[Hiroshima Prefecture|Hiroshima]], Japan

==Trivia==
In [[Korean language|Korean]], the idiom "{{lang|ko|잘 나가다가 삼천포로 빠진다}}", literally "Was going well but suddenly slips into Samcheonpo," means that a speaker has gone off-topic.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}

Park Seonghwa, member of the [[K-pop]] group [[ATEEZ]], was born in Sacheon, but was raised in Jinju.<ref>{{cite web |title=SEONGHWA (ATEEZ) Profile, Facts & Favorites - karchives |url=https://karchives.com/park-seonghwa/ |website=KArchives |date=5 March 2020 |access-date=1 November 2022}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Igeum-dong site]]
* [[Gyeongnam International Foreign School]]
* [[Gwangpo Bay]]
* [[South Korean space program]]
* [[List of cities in South Korea]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikivoyage}}
*[http://english.sacheon.go.kr/main/ City government website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140801131049/http://english.sacheon.go.kr/main/ |date=2014-08-01 }}

{{South Gyeongsang}}
{{Metropolitan cities of South Korea}}
{{coord|35|04|N|128|05|E|type:city_region:KR-48|display=title}}

[[Category:Sacheon| ]]
[[Category:Cities in South Gyeongsang Province]]
[[Category:Port cities and towns in South Korea]]