View source for Suncheon

{{Short description|City in South Jeolla, South Korea}}
{{About|the city in South Korea|the city in North Korea|Sunchon}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Suncheon
| native_name        = {{lang|ko|순천시}}
| settlement_type    = [[Cities of South Korea|Municipal City]]
| translit_lang1     = Korean
| translit_lang1_type1 = [[Hangul]]
| translit_lang1_info1 = {{lang|ko|순천시}}
| translit_lang1_type2 = [[Hanja]]
| translit_lang1_info2 = {{lang|ko|順天市}}
| translit_lang1_type3 = {{nowrap|Revised Romanization}}
| translit_lang1_info3 = Suncheon-si
| translit_lang1_type4 = {{nowrap|McCune–Reischauer}}
| translit_lang1_info4 = Sunch'ŏn-si
| image_skyline      = {{multiple image
| caption_align = center
| border      = infobox
| total_width = 300
| perrow = 1/2/2/1
| color  = white
| image1 = View of Suncheon.jpg
| caption1 = View of Suncheon
| image2 = Suncheon-si, Jeollanam-do province.jpg
| caption2 = [[Seonamsa]]
| image3 = 08 신대배후단지.jpg
| caption3 = Sindae Complex
| image4 = Naganeupseong Village 01.jpg
| caption4 = [[Naganeupseong]]
| image5 = Suncheon National University.JPG
| caption5 = [[Sunchon National University]] 
| image6 = (한국민족문화대백과사전)순천 송광사 전경.jpg
| caption6 = [[Songgwangsa]]
}}
| image_map          = South Jeolla-Suncheon.svg
| mapsize            = 
| map_caption        = Location in South Korea
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = South Korea
| subdivision_type1  = [[Regions of Korea|Region]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Honam]]
| population_blank1_title = Dialect
| population_blank1  = [[Jeolla dialect|Jeolla]]
| area_total_km2     = 907.43
| 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   = 276,375
| population_density_km2 = auto
| government_footnotes = 
| leader_party       = 
| leader_title       = Mayor
| leader_name        = No Gwan-gyu ({{Korean|hangul=노관규|labels=no}})
| leader_title1      = 
| leader_name1       = <!-- etc., up to leader_title4 / leader_name4 -->
| parts_type         = [[Administrative divisions of South Korea|Administrative divisions]]
| parts              = 1 ''eup'', 10 ''myeon'', 12 ''dong''
| blank_emblem_type  = Emblem of Suncheon
| image_flag         = Flag of Suncheon.svg
| coordinates        = {{coord|34|57|02|N|127|29|15|E|display=inline,title|region:KR-46_type:city}}
| timezone1          = [[Korea Standard Time]]
| utc_offset1        = +9
| timezone1_DST      = 
| utc_offset1_DST    = 
| area_code          = +82-61
}}
'''Suncheon''' ({{Korean|hangul=순천}}; {{IPA|ko|sʰun.tɕʰʌn}}) is the [[List of cities in South Korea by population|largest city]] in [[South Jeolla Province]], South Korea, with a population of 280,719 as of 2022. It is located in the southeast of the province and is a scenic [[Agriculture|agricultural]] and [[industrial city]], known for tourist attractions, such as [[Suncheon Bay]]. The port city of [[Yeosu]] is around forty minutes south of Suncheon and [[Gwangyang]] twenty minutes to the east of the city.

It is currently experiencing strong development due to being included as part of the ''Gwangyang Bay Free Economic Zone'', one of three newly created [[Free Economic Zone]]s (FEZs) in South Korea due to open within the next decade. As of October 14, 2007 plans are being set up and a referendum is being planned for a merging of the cities of [[Yeosu]], Suncheon and [[Gwangyang]] into a new metropolitan city, taking advantage of the Gwangyang Bay Free Economic Zone, Yeosu's [[Expo 2012]] bid and port facilities, Suncheon's educational institutes and Gwangyang's [[POSCO]] plant.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200709/200709070009.html |title=Yeosu, Surrounding Cities to Merge|access-date=2007-10-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071024012001/http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200709/200709070009.html |archive-date=2007-10-24 }}</ref>

==History==
*Era of Samhan: Territory of Mahan
*Era of the three kingdoms: a territory of Baekje, named Gampyeong-gun
*Era of the unified Silla: named Seungpyeong-gun in 757, the 16th year of King Gyeongdeok's reign
*Era of Koryeo: renamed Seungju in 940, Taejo's 23rd year on the throne.
*Era of Koryeo: called Seungpyeong-gun in 1036, Seongjong's second year as king.
*Era of Koryeo: raised to the status of Seungju-mok in 1309, the year Chungseon becomes king.
*Taejong established the Suncheon Dohobu in the 13th year of reign, 1413.
*Changed to Suncheon-gun in 1895, under Gojong's reign.
*November 1, 1931: Suncheon-gun Suncheon-myeon becomes Suncheon-eup.
*August 15, 1949: 9 ri's of Dosa-myeon and part of Haeryong-myeon (Wangji, Jorye, and Yeonhyang) are annexed by Suncheon on August 13, 1949. The area is elevated to the City of Sunche on the 15th.  Other surrounding areas are put into the district of Seungju-gun.
*January 1, 1995: reborn as 'Suncheon City' after annexing Seungju-gun.

===Yeosu–Suncheon rebellion===
{{main|Yeosu–Suncheon rebellion}}
In October 1948, a rebellion swept Yeosu, Suncheon, and nearby towns, when South Korean soldiers refused to take part in the suppression of the ongoing [[Jeju uprising]]. The rebel forces killed a number of ROK soldiers, police, officials, and landlords. A couple days later, the rebellion was crushed by the South Korean military. Civilians thought to have aided the rebellion were also summarily executed.

==Tourism==
===2013 Suncheon Garden Exposition===
*[[2013 Suncheon Garden Expo Korea]]: The 2013 Suncheon Garden Expo Korea was the first of its kind to be held in Korea. The Expo focused on green industry development such as solar energy, sustainable garden development and electronic transportation. It showcased green technologies, international garden exhibits, and [[wetland conservation]]. The Expo grounds, its permanent gardens, arboretum, wetland center, and connecting [[monorail]] to [[Suncheon Bay]] are maintained for continued tourism.

===Temples===
*[[Songgwang Temple]]: It is one of the [[Three Jewel Temples of Korea]] and a popular place for [[Jinul]]. The temple is located in Sinpyeong-ri, Songgwang-myeon. It is one of the Sambosachal along with Haein temple of Habcheon and Tongdo Temple of Yangsan. Jinul strived here to renew the tradition of [[Buddhism]] 800 years ago. The temple bore 16 state monks in the past. Today, the temple is home for monks from overseas and is a place to study the Buddhist culture of Korea. The temple was first built at the end of Silla Kingdom and named Gilsang Temple. It was then renamed in the [[Goryeo]] dynasty under the reign of Myeongjong, to Songgwang Temple. Reconstructions were done after it was burnt down in the [[Joseon]] period, but was severely damaged again in 1948 and 1951. At present, 33 complexes have been restored after 8 reconstruction projects from 1984 to 1988. The temple has a total of 26 cultural assets, including 17 national cultural assets and 9 local ones.
*[[Seonamsa]]: Seonamsa of Mount Jogye is located in Jukak-ri, Seungju-eup, Suncheon. In the [[Baekje]] Kingdom, Adohwasang had first built a small temple in the mountain and named it Biroam of Cheongnyangsan Mountain. The temple was named Seonamsa later in the [[Silla]] Kingdom by state monk [[Doseon]]. Seonamsa is known to be a mixture of the various sects of Buddhism of the [[Goryeo]] dynasty. Cheontaejong was established here 900 years ago by Ui Cheon and the monk's heirs have been carried down to the present age. Seonamsa, like Songgwangsa, is a library for studies of Korean Buddhist culture. A total of 18 cultural assets are found here, including 7 treasures and 11 local cultural assets.
*Cheonjaam, Ssanghyangsu: Belongs to the Chinese juniper family, and is technically named Juniperus Chinensi Limme. The height is 12.5 m and the circumference is 3.98m. The tree is about 700 years old. According to the legend, the cane used by a Buddhist on his way back from China had grown into the tree. The tree is uniquely twisted form. 
*Natural monument No, 88 (designated on Dec. 3, 1962). 
*Ieub-ri, Songgwang-myeon (Songgwang Temple). 
*Area 600 pyeong (1.98 km2).

===Castles===
*[[Nagan Castle]], the only remaining [[Joseon]] castle in South Jeolla Province. It is well preserved and has many festivals like the Namdo food festival.
*[[Suncheon Japanese Castle]], a Japanese castle built during the [[Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598)|Japanese invasions of Korea]].

===Mountains===
*Jogyesan: The mountain where [[Songgwang Temple]] and [[Seonamsa]] are located.
*Geumjeonsan: Surrounding north of [[Nagan Castle]]. 
*Bonghwasan: The nearest mountain from the center of the city. There's Jukdobong Park having a lookout pavilion.

===Parks===
[[File:Naganeupseong Village 01.jpg|thumb|[[Naganeupseong]] Folk Village]]
*[[Suncheon Bay Ecological Park]]: The world's fifth biggest tideland, featuring reed beds and there many types of birds. The reserve was designated as a preservation zone by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries in 2003.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bizwire|first=Korea|title=Suncheon Bay Wetland Reserve Returns to Top 100 Tourist Spot List|url=http://koreabizwire.com/suncheon-bay-wetland-reserve-returns-to-top-100-tourist-spot-list/129704|access-date=2021-10-15|website=Be Korea-savvy|date=4 January 2019 |language=en-US}}</ref> 
*[[Suncheon Bay National Garden|Suncheonman Bay National Garden]]:  This garden is home to over 790,000 trees and was stablished on a plot of {{cvt|1.112|km2}} to help protect Suncheon Bay.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2015-02-12|title=Suncheon Bay Garden|url=https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/culture/2021/10/141_173546.html|access-date=2021-10-15|website=[[The Korea Times]]|language=en}}</ref> 
*Goindol Park, a dolmen park in Hwasun, Suncheon: [[Gochang, Hwasun and Ganghwa Dolmen Sites]] were designated as a [[World Heritage Site]] by [[UNESCO]] in 2000.
*Suncheon Open Film Location: Drama film set located in the neighborhood of Jorye-dong. This set was created to film movies and dramas in 2006. The village is split in three eras: 1950s Suncheon, 1960s Seoul Bongcheong-dong Village and 1970s Seoul suburb. 
*[[Naganeupseong]] Folk Village: a historic village representing the traditional lifestyle and cultural landscape in the Joseon Dynasty. It was originally and administrative town and has preserved traditional elements such as a fortress, government buildings and private houses.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Naganeupseong, Town Fortress and Village|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5598/|access-date=2021-10-15|website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre|language=en}}</ref>

===Museums===
* The Deep-Rooted Tree Museum ({{Korean|hangul=순천시립 뿌리깊은나무 박물관|labels=no}}) is located close to ''Naganeupseong Walled Town''. A collection of Korean famous magazine's founder, ''Han Chang-gi''; as well as artifacts from the Bronze Age to the present era are displayed. The museum also features 6,500 articles including Korean vintage literature books, folk arts, ceramics, and traditional items of clothing from the Three Kingdoms era, in which visitors could sense the ancient-modern Korean culture and lifestyles.

===Filming locations===
* Jorye-dong, which is located in Suncheon is the largest filming site in Korea that preserves the 60s and 80s buildings. Visitors could experience vintage village life in the 1960s and 1980s, as there are 200 houses with 39,669.6 m². A remake drama written by Kim Soo-Hyeon <Love & Ambition> starring actor [[Lee Byung-hun]] and actress [[Soo Ae|Soo-ae]] was filmed in Jorye-dong, Suncheon. Other hit movies and dramas such as <You are far Away> (2008) and <Giant> (2010) were also shot in the same city. 
* In 2021, the [[Korea Tourism Organization]] released a music video in collaboration with Korea's famous hip-hop label [[AOMG]] and Higher Music to produce a soundtrack to highlight the attractions and cultural heritage in Korea. The clips of the music video were filmed in Suncheon, which demonstrates the coexistence of tradition and contemporary lifestyles In Korea.

==Slogans==
On its website, Suncheon is dubbed by its city council as ''the City of Beautiful People'', and its slogan is "Aha! Suncheon."<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.namdonews.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=149916|title='Aha! Suncheon' Suncheon brand slogan confirmed Four colors to promote urban image|date=2005-10-18|access-date=2018-04-28|language=ko}}</ref>

==Twin towns – sister cities==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in South Korea}}
Suncheon is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
*{{flagicon|TUR}} [[Antalya]], Turkey<ref>{{cite web|title=Sister Cities|url=http://genclikmeclisi.antalya.bel.tr/i/sister-cities|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125171207/http://genclikmeclisi.antalya.bel.tr/i/sister-cities|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 25, 2021|website=antalya.bel.tr|publisher=Antalya|access-date=2020-06-02}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Columbia, Missouri|Columbia]], United States<ref>{{cite web |title=Sister Cities|url=https://www.como.gov/arts/sister-cities/|website=como.gov|publisher=City of Columbia|access-date=2020-06-02}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Izumi, Kagoshima|Izumi]], Japan<ref>{{cite web |title=海外姉妹都市|url=https://www.city.kagoshima-izumi.lg.jp/page/page_01704.html|website=city.kagoshima-izumi.lg.jp|publisher=Izumi, Kagoshima|language=ja|access-date=2020-06-02}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|SRB}} [[Kragujevac]], Serbia<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gradovi pobratimi |url=https://kragujevac.ls.gov.rs/tekst/205/gradovi-pobratimi-.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230711184020/https://kragujevac.ls.gov.rs/tekst/205/gradovi-pobratimi-.php |archive-date=2023-07-11 |website=Grad Kragujevac |language=sr}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Nantes]], France<ref>{{cite web |title=Déclaration d'amitié Nantes-Cardiff|url=https://metropole.nantes.fr/actualites/2020/institutions/nantes-cardiff|website=nantes.fr|publisher=Nantes|language=fr|access-date=2020-06-02}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|CHN}} [[Taiyuan]], China<ref>{{cite web |script-title=ko:순천시, 중국 산시성 타이위안시와 자매도시협약 체결|url=https://www.suncheon.go.kr/mayor/0004/0001/?boardId=bbs_0000000000000055&mode=view&cntId=259&category=|website=suncheon.go.kr|publisher=Suncheon|language=ko|access-date=2020-06-02}}</ref>
{{div col end}}

==Notable people from Suncheon==
* [[Kai (entertainer, born 1994)|Kai]] (Real Name: ''Kim Jong-in'', {{Korean|hangul=김종인|labels=no}}), singer, rapper, dancer, actor, model and K-pop idol, member of K-pop boygroup [[Exo (group)|Exo]], the sub unit [[Exo (group)|Exo-K]] and the K-pop [[Supergroup (music)|Superboygroup]] [[SuperM]]
* [[Lee Seul-bi]] ({{Korean|hangul=이슬비|labels=no}}), South Korean actress
* [[Kim Ok-vin]], South Korean actress
* [[Jang Hyun-seung|Hyunseung]] (Real Name: ''Jang Hyun-seung'', {{Korean|hangul=장현승|labels=no}}), singer, dancer and [[K-pop]] idol, former member of [[K-pop]] boygroup [[Highlight (band)|Beast]].
* [[Gongchan]] (Real Name: ''Gong Chan-sik'', {{Korean|hangul=공찬식|labels=no}}), singer, dancer, model, actor, [[MC]] and [[K-pop]] idol, member of [[K-pop]] boygroup [[B1A4]]
* [[Jung Chae-yeon|Chaeyeon]] (Real Name: ''Jung Chae-yeon'', {{Korean|hangul=정채연|labels=no}}), singer, dancer, model, actress and [[K-pop]] idol, member of [[K-pop]] girlgroup [[DIA (group)|DIA]] and former member of [[K-pop]] girlgroup [[I.O.I]]
* [[Yoon Shi-yoon]] (Real Name: ''Yoon Dong-gu,'' {{Korean|hangul=윤동구|labels=no}}), South Korean actor
* [[Miryo]] (Real Name: ''Jo Mi-hye'', {{Korean|hangul=조미혜|labels=no}}), singer-songwriter, rapper, dancer, record producer and [[K-pop idol]], member of [[K-pop]] girlgroup [[Brown Eyed Girls]]
* [[Eyedi]] (Real name: ''Nam Yujin'', {{Korean|hangul=남유진|labels=no}}), singer, songwriter, and actress under Bace Camp Studios, former contestant on Mixnine

==See also==
* [[List of cities in South Korea]]
* [[Geography of South Korea]]
* [[Suncheon Hyocheon High School]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Suncheon}}
{{Wikivoyage}}
* [http://www.suncheon.go.kr/kr/ Suncheon city government home page (in Korean)]

{{South Jeolla}}
{{Metropolitan cities of South Korea}} 
{{Most populous cities in South Korea}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Suncheon| ]]
[[Category:Cities in South Jeolla Province]]
[[Category:Biosphere reserves of South Korea]]