Welcome to Masan

This article is about a formerly city in South Korea. For the South Korean mountain, see Masan (Gangwon-do). For other meanings of "Masan", see Masan (disambiguation).

Masan was formerly a municipal city in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. The city was situated on Masan Bay (마산만, Masan-man), approximately 35 km west of Busan. It was known for its textile industry, and it was the site of Hite Brewery's production facilities.
During the control of the Mongolians, the town was known as Happo (合浦). Therefore, the old and still frequently used name for Masan-man is Happo-man.
Masan was known for its highest peak, Muhaksan. The name Masan means "horse mountain". For that reason, many place names in Masan incorporate the syllable ma (마 or 馬), meaning "horse" and san, (산 or 山), meaning "mountain".

History
October 1274 After Korean officials encouraged Kublai Khan - head of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty - in 1265 that Japan would be easily subdued,^{[citation needed]} the Koryo Korean state built over 300 large ships to aid an invasion of Japan. With over 20,000 Mongol troops as well as 5,000 Korean, the allied armies departed Masan on board 900 ships on October 2 of 1274 in an attempt to conquer Japan that eventually failed.^[1]
May 1, 1899 - The port of Masan was opened with pressure from Japan. Among the initial trading goods were salt, fish, cotton and other goods.
March 15, 1960 - A protest against electoral corruption was spearheaded by the Democratic Party in Masan. Approximately 1000 residents attended the demonstration, which took place at 19:30 in front of the Democratic Party Headquarters in Masan. The protest sparked violent clashes between demonstrators and police officers in which several students were killed. To restore order, authorities blacked out Masan and General Carter B. Magruder eventually dispatched US Marines to quell the unrest.^{[citation needed]}
April 12, 1960 - The body of Kim Ju-yul was discovered in Masan Harbor. Kim - still dressed in his uniform from Masan Commercial High School - had disappeared in the March 15 clashes. Authorities claimed that he had drowned, but many Masan residents did not believe this explanation and forced their way into the hospital where Kim's body was stored. At the hospital, they discovered that grenade fragments behind his eyes had actually killed him. In the following days, mass demonstrations broke out involving as many as 40,000 residents throughout the characteristically politically left-leaning city. During renewed clashes with police, police opened fire and killed several protesters. Once again, the US military was called in to help restore order. At this point, public anger with the government had grown to new highs and rebellion against the Rhee government mushroomed around the country. Authorities subsequently declared martial law.^{[citation needed]}
Thus, the events in Masan in 1960 helped spark the movement against corruption known as the April 19 Movement, which eventually led to the resignation of President Syngman Rhee and the beginning of the Second Republic.^[2]
1979 - Protests broke out in Masan (as well as in Busan) against the regime of President Park Chung-hee following a brutal police crackdown on a sit-in strike of female textile workers from YH Trading Company. Workers in Masan's Free-export Zone even managed to create four labor unions.^[3]
2009 - On December 7, the city council approved a proposal to merge Masan with Changwon and Jinhae, to form a yet-to-be-named city of over one million people. The city councils of the other two cities have also approved the merger, which would bring national funds to the metropolis through an existing law to aid cities with a population over one million. The Provincial Council of South Gyeongsang Province must approve the merger. A decision is expected in the penultimate week of December.^[4]
July 1, 2010 - The three neighboring cities of Masan, Changwon and Jinhae unified to create Unified Changwon City, which has a population of 1.08 million.^[5]

[edit] Administrative divisions

Like most Korean cities, the city center of Masan is divided into administrative dong. Outlying regions are divided into 1 eup and 4 myeon:

1. Naeseo-eup (내서읍)^[6]
2. Sanho-dong(산호동)
3. Gusan-myeon (구산면)
4. Jindong-myeon (진동면)
5. Jinbuk-myeon (진북면)
6. Jinjeon-myeon (진전면)
7. Hyeon-dong (현동)
8. Gapo-dong (가포동)
9. Woryeong-dong (월영동)
10. Munhwa-dong (문화동)
11. Banwol-dong (반월동)
12. Jungang-dong (중앙동)
13. Wanwol-dong (완월동)
14. Jasan-dong (자산동)
15. Dongseo-dong (동서동)
16. Seongho-dong (성호동)
17. Gyobang-dong (교방동)
18. Nosan-dong (노산동)
19. Odong-dong (오동동)
20. Happo-dong (합포동)
21. Hoewon-dong (회원동) (divided into two administrative dong)
22. Seokjeon-dong (석전동) (divided into two administrative dong)
23. Hoeseong-dong (회성동)
24. Yangdeok-dong (양덕동) (divided into two administrative dong)
25. Hapseong-dong (합성동) (divided into two administrative dong)
26. Guam-dong (구암동) (divided into two administrative dong)
27. Bongam-dong (봉암동)

[edit] Education

Masan has three institutions of higher education: public vocational focused Masan University[1], which is located on the northwestern outskirts of the city in Yongdam-ri, and the private Kyungnam University (경남대학교)[2], which is located in the southern part of Masan adjacent to Shin Masan. And the small private Christian Chang Shin College, [3] in the northeastern part of the city.

[edit] Entertainment and sports

The original central business district of Masan is located in Chang-dong. Hapseong-dong is also a commercial neighborhood. An area with many bars, restaurants, and other forms of entertainment is located in Sinmasan.
Masan's baseball stadium [4] occasionally hosts the Lotte Giants, a Korea Baseball Organization team shared with Busan. A professional women's baseball team, one of several in South Korea, plays in Sinpo-dong. An amusement park and zoo are on the tiny island of Dot-do in Masan Bay. The park is only open in the summer.
Masan is also very close to Geojedo, a large island that can be reached by bus, car, or ferry.

[edit] Food

A plate of Agujjim

Masan is generally known for its fishing industry and is the origin of spicy Agujjim, a steamed dish made with agwi (아귀, blackmouth angler).^[7][8] Until the 1940s, the fish was not eaten and was frequently discarded due to its ugly appearance^[8] and low commercial value. However, as fish began to become more scarce in the late 20th century, the newly found delicacy became popular.^[8] Since it s creation, agujjim has been considered a local specialty of Masan, especially around Odong-dong, one of the neighborhoods there and is favored by the public nationwide.^[9]
Masan is also home of a famous fish market (locally known as "Eosijang"). It is located near a street with a concentration of agujjim restaurants. A municipal officer of Masan city hall stated that it is the oldest and largest fish market in Gyeongsangnam-do, even older than Jagalchi Market in Busan.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Transportation

Construction of the Machang Bridge was commenced in the Second Quarter of 2004. The bridge will provide a vital link across Masan Bay, alleviate congestion in the tri-city area of Masan, Jinhae, and Changwon, and be an alternative route for travel between Korea’s two southern provinces, Jeollanam-do and Gyeongsangnam-do. The 1.7-kilometer bridge is expected to see operations commence in mid 2008.
Machang Bridge will be the first large-scale bridge to be built in South Korea as a public-private partnership [5]. The sponsors of the project, Bouygues Travaux Publics and Hyundai Engineering & Construction, have been pursuing the Project since the late 1990s. MCB Co., Ltd, the Concessionaire, is jointly owned by the sponsors and MKIF [6][7].

[edit] Masan Port

The port was once operated by the Mongolians (Yuan Dynasty in China) and used in the preparations to conquer Japan - which eventually failed. To this day, Masan features the small but historic "Mongojeong" (몽고정,蒙古井) meaning Mongol Well. It is located on Jasan-dong 117, and represents the Mongolian influence on the city.
Today, Masan Port is one of the city's most dominating features. It was first opened in 1899. The port connects much of the outside world with the Changwon Industrial Complex, Masan's Free Trade Zone and the future Sachun Industrial Complex.^[10]

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Welcome to my hometown Ulsan

Ulsan (Korean pronunciation: [ul.s͈an]), officially the Ulsan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's seventh largest metropolis with a population of over 1.1 million. It is located in the south-east of the country, neighboring Busan to the south and facing Gyeongju to the north and the Sea of Japan (East Sea) to the east.
Ulsan is the industrial powerhouse of South Korea, forming the heart of the Ulsan Industrial District, which is home to the world's largest automobile assembly plant operated by the Hyundai Motor Company,^[1] the world's largest shipyard operated by Hyundai Heavy Industries^[2] and the world's largest^{[citation needed]} oil refinery, owned by SK Energy.^[3] In 2008, Ulsan had a GDP per capita of $63,817, the highest by far in South Korea.^[4]

Administrative divisions

See also: Administrative divisions of South Korea

Ulsan is divided into 4 gu (districts) and 1 gun (county).

Map	Name	Hangul	Hanja
Buk-gu Dong-gu Jung-gu Nam-gu Ulju-gun	Gu (Districts)
	Buk-gu	북구	北區
	Dong-gu	동구	東區
	Jung-gu	중구	中區
	Nam-gu	남구	南區
	Gun (County)
	Ulju-gun	울주군	蔚州郡

[edit] Geography

Ulsan is bounded on the east by the Sea of Japan. It is not far from Busan, at only 70 km to the south.

[edit] Climate

Ulsan has a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa/Cwa), with somewhat cold but dry winters, and hot, humid summers. Monthly means range from 2.0 °C (35.6 °F) in January to 25.9 °C (78.6 °F) in August, with diurnal temperature ranges generally low. Its location on the Korean peninsula results in a seasonal lag, with the warmest days being in August and averaging very near 30 °C (86 °F). Precipitation is relatively low in the winter months, but is made up by the high rainfall falling from April to September

Economy

A view of the Iaan Exodium twin skyscrapers on Taewha River.

As the center of the Ulsan Industrial District, the city is the corporate base of the multinational Hyundai conglomerate. Up to 1962, Ulsan operated as a fishing port and market centre. As part of South Korea's first five-year economic plan, Ulsan became an open port. Additionally, major industrial plants and factories were developed, including in particular an oil refinery, fertiliser plants, automobile production and heavy industries. The shipbuilding port Bangeojin became part of the city in 1962.
Ulsan is currently the home of the world's largest automobile assembly plant operated by Hyundai Motor,^[1] the world's largest shipyard, operated by Hyundai Heavy Industries^[2] and the world's largest^{[citation needed]} oil refinery owned by SK Energy.^[3]

[edit] Transportation

The city transport department plans to build a light-rail line and the public transportation system is as good as any other major Korean city. The bus system shows a particular ETA at most bus stops.^[6] Ulsan Airport, constructed in 1970 and expanded in 1997, has more than 20 flights per day to and from Seoul's Gimpo International Airport and 4 flights per week to and from Jeju International Airport. In November 2010, Korea's high speed train network, the KTX, was extended to Ulsan.^[7] This provides a high speed link to Seoul, with a running time of just over 2 hours. The new KTX station (Ulsan Station) is in nearby Eonyang, with a series of express buses (5001-5004) as well as some city buses serving the new station.^[8] The original city station has been renamed Taehwa River Station.^[7]

[edit] Sport

The city hosts the K-League football club Ulsan Hyundai FC, who, after the 2002 FIFA World Cup, relocated from their former stadium in Jung-gu, which is now a municipal ground, to the Munsu Stadium, which hosted several matches during the 2002 World Cup. Ulsan is home to another soccer team, Ulsan Hyundai Mipo Dockyard, which plays in the Korea National League. It is also home to the University of Ulsan.

Ulsan is a metropolitan city in the Southeast of Korea on the Sea of Japan. It is 70 kilometres north of Busan.

Those who come to Ulsan are predominantly here to work for the large conglomerates or heavy industries (Hyundai Motors being one of the most notable) and to teach English as a foreign language.

It is considered the industrial centre of the country with some guidebooks likening the city to Pittsburgh or Detroit in the USA. There is much truth in this view. Yet recently re-elected Mayor, Park-Maeng-woo, plans to establish an ‘Eco-polis’ based on the restoration of the Taewha river. In 2010 it will host World Environmental Day which should crown Ulsan's rebirth as an environmentally-friendly ecological city.

There are a small number of appealing districts.

Samsandong, home of the Lotte and Hyundai department stores, can be considered the up-market district. Western fashion brands are available along with a number of western chain restaurants. The neon lit back streets yield a vibrant bar and restaurant culture. The Lotte Ferris wheel is also in this area next to the Lotte Cinema.

Old down-town, Seongnamdong, is good for shopping at low, local prices (there are brand goods shops too however). It is the location of a small number of foreigner friendly/foreigner run bars.

Mugeodong, the home of Ulsan University, is the best place for the young, twenty-something’s wishing to eat, drink and party.

There are twelve touristic 'scenic sights' to see in and around city that range from the natural to man-made. However none are world class or notable sites within Korea itself.

Ilsan beach offers the best sand and sea in the city but is somewhat polluted and run down thanks to heavy industries becoming located close by.  Although, there are several great beaches just outside of Ulsan including one that is renowned for windsurfing. 

For a city of 1.2 million there is no metro system, but an extensive bus network. It takes time to negotiate the city streets on these buses.

Ulsan today then lives in a catch 22 situation – in some districts it is impossible to escape the industries and while these industrial sites are breathe-taking in scope, a testament to the achievement of man, they blight the landscape. On the other hand, the investment from these industries makes the city an undeniably better place to be.

Though people living there don’t wish to admit it, there is something likeable about Ulsan. Perhaps it’s the industrial grit and grime, though this is doubtful. It might be the constant surprises, of beauty and happiness that peak out between this grit and grime that make it not such a bad place to be after all.

Ulsan was a World Cup 2002 host city.

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Me and my wife and friends after drinking Makgulee!

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This is Janet and Shin experienced organiser for your trip to Korea.

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Me and My wife are the multi-cultural family

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Welcome to Gwangju

Gwangju (officially known as Gwangju Metropolitan City; Korean pronunciation: [kwaŋdʑu]) is the sixth largest city in South Korea. It is a designated metropolitan city under the direct control of the central government's Home Minister. The city was also the capital of South Jeolla Province until the provincial office moved to the southern village of Namak in Muan County in 2005.
Gwang (광, hanja 光) means "light" and Ju (주, hanja 州) means "province." Areas of exquisite scenery along the outskirts of the city gave birth to gasa, a form of Korean classical poetry.^{[citation needed]} Located in the heart of the agricultural Jeolla region, the city is also famous for its rich and diverse cuisine.

History
The city was established in 57 BC, and has been a major political and economic centre of Korea ever since. It was one of the administrative centres of Baekje during the Three Kingdoms Period.
In 1929, during the period of Japanese rule, a confrontation between Korean and Japanese students in the city turned into a regional demonstration, which culminated in one of the major nationwide uprisings against Japanese rule during the colonial period.
Modern industry was established in Gwangju with the construction of a railway to Seoul. Some of the industries that took hold include cotton textiles, rice mills and breweries. Construction of a designated industrial zone in 1967 encouraged marked growth in industry, especially in the sectors linked to the automobile industry.

In May 1980, civil demonstrations took place in Gwangju against the newly installed military government of Chun Doo-hwan resulting in hundreds of civilians being killed by the Korean Military. The demonstrations were suppressed by military forces, including elite units of the Special Operations Command. Most commentators agree that the suppression was characterized by its egregious brutality, including several incidents where military forces fired automatic weapons into crowds of unarmed demonstrators. Gwangju is sometimes called "the shrine of Korean democracy" because of this incident, which is known today as the Gwangju Democratization Movement. After civilian rule was reinstated, a national cemetery was established honoring the victims of the incident.

In 1986, Gwangju separated from Jeollanam-do to become a Directly Governed City (Jikhalsi), and then became a Metropolitan City (Gwangyeoksi) in 1995.

[edit] Administrative divisions

Main article: Administrative divisions in Gwangju

Gwangju is divided into 5 districts ("Gu").

Map	Name	Hangul	Hanja
Buk-gu Dong-gu Gwangsan-gu Nam-gu Seo-gu
	Gu (Districts)
	Buk-gu	북구	北區
	Dong-gu	동구	東區
	Gwangsan-gu	광산구	光山區
	Nam-gu	남구	南區
	Seo-gu	서구	西區

Education
Chonnam National University is a public university in Gwangju.
Honam Univ, Gwangju University, Gwangshin University, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju Education University, Gwangju Women's University, Nambu University, Chosun University, and Honam Christian University are private universities.
The hometown of numerous renowned scholars, Gwangju has 593 schools, consisting of 234 kindergartens, 145 elementary schools, 84 middle schools, 65 high schools, 7 junior colleges, 9 universities, 38 graduate schools, and 11 others (as of 1 May 2009) with a total of 406,669 students, or 28.5% of the total city population. The average number of students per household (0.8) reflects the city's characteristic as the home of education.

[edit] Transportation

The city is served by the Gwangju Subway. An extension was completed in April 2008 with another due for completion in 2012. There are two KTX (high speed rail) stations in the city: Gwangju Station and Songjeong-ri Station. Songjeong-ri is connected to Gwangju Subway; however, no connection exists to Gwangju Station.
It is also served by the Gwangju Airport.

[edit] Tourism

• Asian Culture Complex Information Center – As of October 2010^[update], the Asian Culture Complex is under construction and is to open by 2010. The Asian Culture Complex Information Center is in operation.More about Asian Culture Complex Information Center

• Gwangju Biennale – It is an internationally renowned modern art festival that is held every two years. It was first launched in 1995. The Gwangju Biennale Exhibition Hall is located at the Jung-oe Park Culture Center and the Science Center.

• Gwangju Culture & Art Center – The Center regularly hosts events.Gwangju Culture & Art Center Official Website

• Gwangju Hyanggyo (Confucian School) – Gwangju Hyanggyo is located in the Gwangju Park in Sa-dong. There are many traditional houses here estimated as built during the 1st year of the Joseon Dynasty in 1392. This is a precious national asset as this school continues to hold memorial ceremonies for Confucius twice a year. Admission is free. More about Gwangju Hyanggyo

• Gwangju National Museum – The museum houses a permanent collection of historical art and cultural relics that date back to the old Joseon and Goryeo periods of Korean history. The museum also organizes various special exhibitions and cultural learning activities that are open to all.

[edit] Culture

• 2002 FIFA World Cup – Gwangju World Cup Stadium was one of the venues used for the World Cup, and was where the South Korea national football team advanced to the semi-finals for the first time in its history, by defeating Spain.

• It is the home of Gwangju FC of the Korea Professional Soccer League (K-League)^[2]

• Universiade – It is a candidate city for the 2015 Summer Universiade games.^[3]

• The 3rd Asia Song Festival, organised by Korea Foundation for International Culture Exchange, in 2006, was held at the Gwangju World Cup Stadium.^[4]

[edit] Sports

baseball stadium in Gwangju

Gwangju Sangmu Gymnasium

There is Gwangju FC in K-League
Kia Tigers is a member team of Korea Baseball Organization

[edit] Cityscape

• Gwangju.jpg

  in front of Gwangju station
• 

  Gwangju, South Korea
• 

  Mudeung Mountain

Me and my wife with her friends.

From Mongol, Russia, Mexico, Kazahstan, Ukrain

My wife and her friends in Winter

From Panama and Ghana

Me and my wife and friends after drinking Makgulee!

Come to Korea and have fun with Us:)

This is Janet and Shin experienced organiser for your trip to Korea.

We will bring you to the places to experience real Korea life.

Me and My wife are the multi-cultural family

who can speak Malay, Indonesian, English, Cantonese, Mandarin.

Your tour can be arranged by us.

For more information and quotation

Send us email

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