Jeongeup

Jeongeup (Korean pronunciation: [tsʌŋ.ɯp̚]), also known as Jeongeup-si, is a city in North Jeolla Province, South Korea. The city limits include Naejang-san National Park, a popular destination particularly in autumn due to its foliage. Jeongeup is on the Honam Expressway and Honam Line, with the Seohaean Expressway also within easy reach, providing links to Seoul and Mokpo.

Jeongeup
정읍시
Korean transcription(s)
 • Hangul정읍시
 • Hanja
 • Revised RomanizationJeongeup-si
 • McCune-ReischauerChŏngŭp-si
From the top: Naejangsan, Jeongeup seen from Seonghwangsan
Flag of Jeongeup
Official logo of Jeongeup
Location in South Korea
Location in South Korea
Coordinates: 35°34′N 126°51′E / 35.567°N 126.850°E / 35.567; 126.850
CountrySouth Korea
RegionHonam
ProvinceNorth Jeolla
Administrative divisions1 eup, 14 myeon, 12 dong
Area
 • Total692.66 km2 (267.44 sq mi)
Population
 (March, 2022)
 • Total106,187
 • Density153/km2 (400/sq mi)
 • Dialect
Jeolla

Demographics

Jeongeup's population is in decline, with an average of 56 people moving to the city every day but 91 leaving, with the birth and death rates being equal. The divorce rate currently runs at 50%.[1]

Geography

Namchang Valley, Naejangsan

The main hills in Jeongeup are Naejang-san National Park and Ibamsan, though there are also several smaller hills in the city. It is the east of the city which is more mountainous, the west being a plain around the Dongjin River. There are several streams in Jeongeup, most notably the Jeongeupcheon, a tributary of the Dongjin. This over went a makeover by the city council in December 2009.

Attractions

Jeongeup, like many cities in Korea, had a hyanggyo, or Confucian school, where people were trained in Confucian ways. This building is a tourist attraction today, but is not open to the public.

Jeongeup is known for a traditional song from the Baekje Kingdom era, known as Jeongeup-ga. The song tells the tale of the lamenting heart of a woman waiting for her peddler husband's return.

Naejangsa Temple: first erected in 636, but most of its current buildings were built after the Japanese invasions of Korea in 1597 and the Korean War.[2] On 31 October 2012, the temple was destroyed in a fire that broke out.[3]

Festivals

A maple festival around Naejang-san is held annually. The maple leaves here are widely regarded as some of the most beautiful in the country. The festival was abolished in 2002 but was revived in 2007.[4][full citation needed] This festival includes several events regarding the chrysanthemum love.

Additionally, a century ago, Jeongeup was the site of a revolution by the religious movement of Cheondoism. A lot of peasants joined the movement against the Japanese invaders. For this, Jeongeup holds an annual ceremony to commemorate the event.[5]

Notable people

Twin towns – sister cities

Jeongeup is twinned with:

Climate

Jeongeup has a cooler version of a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa).

Climate data for Jeongeup (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1970–present)
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Record high °C (°F)18.5
(65.3)
21.7
(71.1)
27.3
(81.1)
31.0
(87.8)
34.1
(93.4)
34.2
(93.6)
37.3
(99.1)
38.4
(101.1)
35.0
(95.0)
30.7
(87.3)
27.6
(81.7)
19.6
(67.3)
38.4
(101.1)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)4.5
(40.1)
7.1
(44.8)
12.7
(54.9)
19.3
(66.7)
24.5
(76.1)
27.9
(82.2)
30.3
(86.5)
31.1
(88.0)
26.9
(80.4)
21.3
(70.3)
14.2
(57.6)
6.9
(44.4)
18.9
(66.0)
Daily mean °C (°F)−0.2
(31.6)
1.7
(35.1)
6.4
(43.5)
12.4
(54.3)
18.0
(64.4)
22.2
(72.0)
25.7
(78.3)
26.1
(79.0)
21.4
(70.5)
15.1
(59.2)
8.6
(47.5)
2.1
(35.8)
13.3
(55.9)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)−4.4
(24.1)
−2.9
(26.8)
1.0
(33.8)
6.4
(43.5)
12.2
(54.0)
17.5
(63.5)
22.2
(72.0)
22.3
(72.1)
16.9
(62.4)
9.8
(49.6)
3.7
(38.7)
−2.2
(28.0)
8.5
(47.3)
Record low °C (°F)−19.8
(−3.6)
−20.0
(−4.0)
−10.9
(12.4)
−4.2
(24.4)
2.4
(36.3)
8.5
(47.3)
13.1
(55.6)
11.6
(52.9)
5.6
(42.1)
−1.5
(29.3)
−10.4
(13.3)
−15.2
(4.6)
−20.0
(−4.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches)36.5
(1.44)
39.0
(1.54)
56.0
(2.20)
82.5
(3.25)
87.2
(3.43)
136.1
(5.36)
284.0
(11.18)
298.1
(11.74)
148.5
(5.85)
61.0
(2.40)
55.6
(2.19)
45.3
(1.78)
1,329.8
(52.35)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm)9.97.68.68.38.89.514.314.49.16.68.510.9116.5
Average snowy days9.46.02.50.10.00.00.00.00.00.02.27.127.4
Average relative humidity (%)73.267.964.261.563.870.977.176.675.071.771.573.170.5
Mean monthly sunshine hours138.2159.0197.0215.3227.3176.1152.9168.9179.9190.6151.4131.42,088
Percent possible sunshine47.852.452.857.454.244.439.446.851.358.950.846.550.1
Source: Korea Meteorological Administration (snow and percent sunshine 1981–2010)[6][7][8]

See also

References