Naju
Encyclopedia
Naju is a city
Administrative divisions of South Korea
||South Korea is divided into 8 provinces , 1 special autonomous province , 6 metropolitan cities , and 1 special city...

 in South Jeolla Province, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

.

The capital of South Jeolla was located at Naju until it was moved to Gwangju
Gwangju
Gwangju 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...

 in 1895. The name Jeolla
Jeolla
Jeolla was a province in southwestern Korea, one of the historical Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. It consisted of the modern South Korean provinces of North Jeolla, South Jeolla and the Special City of Gwangju as well as Jeju Island...

 actually originates from the first character of Jeonju
Jeonju
Jeonju is a city in South Korea, and the capital of Jeollabuk-do, or North Jeolla Province. It is an important tourist center famous for Korean food, historic buildings, sports activities and innovative festivals.- History :...

 (전, 全) and the first character of Naju (나, 羅). Dongshin University
Dongshin University
Dongshin University is a private university in southwestern South Korea. Its campus is located in Naju, a city in South Jeolla province which borders Gwangju. It enrolls about 7,000 students; the class of 2003 contained 1,378 students...

 is situated in Naju. Naju is famous for the Naju Pear which is a large round pear that forms its district logo.

History

  • In the Later Three Kingdoms
    Later Three Kingdoms
    The Later Three Kingdoms of Korea consisted of Silla, Hubaekje , and Hugoguryeo . The latter two were viewed as heirs to the earlier Three Kingdoms of Korea, which had been united by Silla, even though Hugoguryeo has little to do with Goguryeo...

     period of Korean history, Wang Geon (later Taejo of Goryeo
    Taejo of Goryeo
    Taejo of Goryeo was the founder of the Goryeo Dynasty, which ruled Korea from the 10th to the 14th century. Taejo ruled from 918 to 943.-Background:...

     Dynasty) occupied the Naju area, which was then part of Baekje
    Baekje
    Baekje or Paekche was a kingdom located in southwest Korea. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla....

     Kingdom and came to become large base of his political support.
  • In 1986, the governmental name was changed from Geumseong to Naju.
  • In 1995, Naju city was expanded to include Naju county.

Products

A well-known local product is the Naju Pear, which has long been cultivated along the River Yeongsan.

Naju Pears and muskmelon
Muskmelon
Muskmelon is a species of melon that has been developed into many cultivated varieties. These include smooth skinned varieties such as honeydew, crenshaw and casaba, and different netted cultivars...

s are popular as gifts for Lunar New Year
Korean New Year
Korean New Year, commonly known as Seollal , is the first day of the lunar calendar. It is the most important of the traditional Korean holidays. It consists of a period of celebrations, starting on New Year's Day. Koreans also celebrate solar New Year's Day on January 1 each year, following the...

 and other holidays.

Innovative city

Naju was designated an Innovative City candidate and the opening ceremony for city construction was held on November 8, 2007. President Roh
Roh Moo-hyun
Roh Moo-hyun GOM GCB was the 16th President of South Korea .Roh's pre-presidential political career was focused on human rights advocacy for student activists in South Korea. His electoral career later expanded to a focus on overcoming regionalism in South Korean politics, culminating in his...

 participated in the opening events.

If the city was to win the title of "Innovative City", several public offices would move from Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...

, to the Naju area. Naju's construction was 4th begun after Jeju
Jeju City
Jeju is the capital of Jeju province in South Korea and the largest city on the island of Jeju. Its geographical location is . The city is served by Jeju International Airport ....

, Gimcheon
Gimcheon
Gimcheon is a city in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It is situated on the major land transportation routes between Seoul and Busan, namely the Gyeongbu Expressway and Gyeongbu Line railway.-Administrative divisions:...

 and Jinju
Jinju
Jinju is a city in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It was the location of the first and second Sieges of Jinju by Japanese forces during the Imjin War...

.

The area of the new city is expected to be 7.26m². The masterplan of Naju city proposed to develop eco-friendly nature and city administration.

Also in Naju is The Naju Pear Museum and Pear Orchard for Tourists (나주배박물관 및 배밭 관광체험), which is dedicated to the Asian pear
Asian pear
Fruit commonly known as the Asian pear in different parts of the world include:* Pyrus pyrifolia, called Chinese Pear* Pyrus × bretschneideri, called Ya pear or Chinese white pear...

; all of its displays are in Korean.

Sister cities

  • Kurayoshi, Tottori
    Kurayoshi, Tottori
    is a city located in the central part of Tottori, Japan.As of November 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 50,360 and a density of 185.05 persons per km², making it the third largest city in Tottori. The total area is 272.15 km²....

    , Japan
    Japan
    Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

  • Wenatchee, Washington
    Wenatchee, Washington
    Wenatchee is located in North Central Washington and is the largest city and county seat of Chelan County, Washington, United States. The population within the city limits in 2010 was 31,925...

    , United States
    United States
    The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

  • Isaac
    Isaac Regional Council
    Isaac Region is a Local Government Area in Queensland, Australia. The Local Government Area was created in March 2008 as a result of the report of the Local Government Reform Commission released in July 2007...

    , Central Queensland
    Central Queensland
    Central Queensland is an ambiguous geographical division of Queensland that centres on the eastern coast, around the Tropic of Capricorn. Its major regional centre is Rockhampton and the Capricorn Coast and the area extends west to the Central Highlands at Emerald, north to the Mackay Regional...

    , Australia
    Australia
    Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...


Drama spots

The drama Jumong was filmed in Naju. An amusement park called 'Samhanji Theme Park' was used for the film set because of its traditional sceneries.

It hosts events including children's dying wishes. Lots of elementary schools are registering for this program.

External links

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