Coordinates: 35°52′N 128°36′E / 35.867°N 128.6°E / 35.867; 128.6

Daegu 대구 大邱
—  Metropolitan City  —
Daegu Metropolitan City
transcription(s)
• Hangul	대구광역시
• Hanja	大邱廣域市
• Revised Romanization	Daegu-gwangyeoksi
• McCune-Reischauer	Taegu-kwangyŏksi
Clockwise from top: Cityscape of Daegu, Seomun Market, Daegu City Hall, Kyungpook National University, and Donghwasa Temple
Flag of Daegu Flag Official logo of Daegu Emblem of Daegu
Map of South Korea with Daegu highlighted
Country	South Korea
Region	Yeongnam
Districts	7
Government
• Mayor	Kim Bum-il (김범일)
Area
• Total	884.10 km2 (341.35 sq mi)
Population (2010)
• Total	2,446,418
• Density	2,800/km2 (7,200/sq mi)
• Dialect	Gyeongsang
Flower	Magnolia
Tree	Fir
Bird	Eagle
Website	daegu.go.kr (English)

Daegu (Korean: [tɛɡu]), (대구, 大邱, literally 'large hill') formerly spelled Taegu,^[1] and officially known as the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea, the fourth largest after Seoul, Busan, and Incheon, and the third largest metropolitan area in the country ^[2] with over 2.5 million residents. The city is the capital and principal city of the surrounding Gyeongsangbuk-do province, although it is not legally part of the province. The two areas combined are often referred to as Daegu-Gyeongbuk, with a total population of over 5 million.

Daegu is located in south-eastern Korea about 80 km from the seacoast, near the Geumho River and its mainstream, Nakdong River in Gyeongsang-do. The Daegu basin, where the city lies, is the central plain of the Yeongnam region, making the city the natural center of the region's politics, economy, and culture.

In ancient times, Daegu was part of the Silla Kingdom which was the first successful attempt to unify the Korean Peninsula. During the Joseon Dynasty period, the city was the capital of Gyeongsang-do which was one of eight provinces of the country. Daegu was an important motor during South Korea's rapid economic growth period (1960s–1980s) and is currently focused on becoming a leading center in Korea for the fashion and high-tech industries. Due to its status as a cultural center, popular nicknames for Daegu include "Apple City", "Beauty City", "Textile City", and "Fashion City".

History[link]

Prehistory and early history[link]

Dalseong Park is believed to have been the center of historic Daegu.

Archaeological investigations in the Greater Daegu area have revealed a large number of settlements and burials of the prehistoric Mumun Pottery Period (c. 1500-300 B.C.). In fact, some of the earliest evidence of Mumun settlement in Gyeongsangdo have been excavated from Siji-dong and Seobyeon-dong.^[3] Dongcheon-dong is one of the substantial Mumun agricultural villages that have been excavated.^[4] The Dongcheon-dong site dates to the Middle Mumun (c. 850-550 B.C.) and contains the remains of many prehistoric pit-houses and agricultural fields. Megalithic burials (dolmens) have also been found in large numbers in Daegu.

Ancient historical texts indicate that during the Proto–Three Kingdoms of Korea period, Daegu was the site of a chiefdom or walled-town polity known in historical records as Dalgubeol. The first mention of Dalgubeol is dated to 261^{[citation needed]}. Nothing is known of the earlier history of Dalgubeol, and little of what came later, except that it was absorbed into the kingdom of Silla no later than the fifth century. The vestiges of the wall at that time are seen, and then relics were excavated in the current Dalseong Park.

Silla[link]

Silla defeated the other two kingdoms of the Three Kingdoms of Korea in the late 7th century, with assistance from Tang China. Shortly thereafter, in 689, Silla's King Sinmun considered moving the capital from Gyeongju to Daegu, but was unable to do so.^[5] This initiative is known only through a single line in the Samguk Sagi, but it is presumed that it indicates both an attempt by the Silla king to augment royal authority and the entrenched resistance of the Gyeongju political elites that was the likely cause of the move's failure.^[6] The city was given its current name in 757.

In the late 1990s archaeologists excavated a large scale fortified Silla site in Dongcheon-dong, Buk-gu.^[7] The site at Locality 2 consists of the remains of 39 raised-floor buildings enclosed by a formidable ditch-and-palisade system. The excavators hypothesize that the fortified site was a permanent military encampment or barracks. Archaeologists also uncovered a large Silla village dating to the 6th to 7th centuries AD at Siji-dong.^[3]

Later Three Kingdoms and Goryeo[link]

During the Later Three Kingdoms period, 892–936, Daegu was initially aligned with Hubaekje. In 927, northern Daegu was the site of the Battle of Gong Mountain between the forces of Goryeo under Wang Geon and those of Hubaekje under Gyeon Hwon. In this battle, the forces of Goryeo were crushed and Wang Geon himself was saved only by the heroism of his general Shin Sung-gyeom. However, it appears that the conduct of the Hubaekje forces at this time changed local sympathies to favor Wang Geon, who later became the king of Goryeo.

Numerous place-names and local legends around Daegu still bear witness to the historic battle of 927. Among these are "Ansim", which literally means "peace of mind", said to be the first place where Wang Geon dared to stop after escaping the battle, and "Banwol", or half-moon, where he is said to have stopped and admired the moon before returning to Goryeo. A statue commemorating the battle now stands in northern Daegu, as does a memorial to Sin Sunggyeom.

In the Goryeo period, the first edition of the Tripitaka Koreana was stored in Daegu, at the temple of Buinsa.^[8] However, this edition was destroyed when the temple was sacked in 1254, during the Mongol invasions of Korea.^[9]

Joseon[link]

Daegu in the 18th century

Always an important transportation center, in the Joseon Dynasty Daegu lay on the Great Yeongnam Road which ran between Seoul and Busan. It lay at the junction of this arterial road and the roads to Gyeongju and Jinju.

In 1601, Daegu became the administrative capital of the Gyeongsang-do, which is current Daegu, Busan, Ulsan, Gyeongsangbuk-do, and Gyeongsangnam-do. At about that time, the city began to grow into the national major city. The status was continued for nearly three hundred years, then the city has been the capital of Gyeongsangbuk-do since Gyeongsang-do was divided into two provinces, Gyeongsangbuk-do (means the northern Gyeongsang-do) and Gyeongsangnam-do (southern) in 1896.

Daegu's first regular markets were established during the late Joseon period. The most famous of these is the Yangnyeongsi herbal medicine market. This became a center of herbal trade in Joseon, and even attracted buyers from neighboring countries. Traders from Japan, who were not permitted to leave the Nakdong River valley, hired messengers to visit the market on their behalf. Seomun Market which stood at the city's west gate at that time, was one of the top three markets in the Joseon period.

Korean Empire and Colonial rule[link]

Korea began to open to the world in the late 19th century. In 1895, Daegu became the site of one of the country's first modern post offices, as part of the reforms enforced after the murder of Empress Myeongseong.^[10]

Beginning in the late 1890s, many foreign merchants and workers came to Daegu, which further lay on the newly-constructed Gyeongbu Line railroad connecting Seoul and Busan.

In 1905, the old fortress wall was surreptitiously destroyed. The rest of the fortress wall is remembered only through the names such as the streets Dongseongno and Bukseongno, "east fortress street" and "north fortress street", which now run where the wall once stood.

The Korean independence movements were active in Daegu. These began as early as 1898, when a branch of the Independence Club was established in the city.^[11] As the demise of the Korean Empire approached in 1907, local citizens led by Seo Sang-don organized the National Debt Repayment Movement. This movement spread nationwide, although it was unsuccessful in its attempt to repay the country's debt through individual donations. Resistance activities continued after the 1910 annexation, notably during the March 1st movement of 1919. At that time, four major demonstrations took place in Daegu, involving an estimated 23,000 people.^[12]

Partition[link]

After the liberation in 1945, Daegu was a hotbed of unrest. In October 1946, the Daegu uprising took place, one of the most serious incidents of unrest after the foundation of South Korea.^[13] where police attempts to control rioters on October 1 caused the death of three student demonstrators and injuries to many others, sparking a mass counter-attack killing 38 policemen.^[14] It was also the site of major demonstrations on February 28, 1960, prior to the fraudulent presidential election of that year.^[15]

Daegu and all of North Gyeongsang saw heavy guerrilla activity in the late 1940s, as thousands of refugees arrived from the fighting in Jeolla.^[16] In November 1948, a unit in Daegu joined the mutiny which had begun in Yeosu the previous month.^[17]

During the Korean War, much heavy fighting occurred nearby along the Nakdong River. Daegu sat inside the Pusan Perimeter, however, and therefore remained in South Korean hands throughout the war. As in many other areas during the Korean War, political killings of dissenters were widespread. A large series of engagements were fought around the city to prevent North Korean troops from crossing the Nakdong, the Battle of Taegu.

In the second half of the twentieth century, the city underwent explosive growth, and the population has increased more than tenfold since the end of the Korean War. The city was heavily politically favored during the long military dictatorship of Park Chung-hee, when it and the surrounding area served as his political base. Conservative political movements remain powerful in Daegu today. Daegu is a political base for Korea's ruling Grand National Party.

In the 1980s, Daegu separated from Gyeongsangbuk-do and became a separately administered provincial-level Directly Governed City (Jikhalsi), and was redesignated as a Metropolitan City (Gwangyeoksi) in 1995. Today, Daegu is the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Korea with respect to both population and commerce.

Politics[link]

Daegu City Hall

There are two local governments in the city, the Daegu Metropolitan Government in Jung-gu and Gyeongbuk Provincial Government in Buk-gu. The provincial government will be relocated to Andong in its proper province, Gyeongbuk. The mayor and heads of city's eight districts are directly elected by the citizens every four years. The city council has twenty nine members which consist of twenty six from the same number of electoral districts and three proportional representations. They are also directly elected every four years. Most of them are the members of the Grand National Party (Hannara-dang), the main conservative political party in South Korea. Daegu is the home to the party and has produced many Presidents of the Republic of Korea. As the capital of the Korean conservatives, the city has strong political power.

Administrative divisions[link]

The 7 districts and 1 county of Daegu.

Daegu is divided into 7 districts (Gu) and 1 county (Gun)

• Jung-gu (중구, 中區) – means the central district.
• Dong-gu (동구, 東區) – means the east district.
• Seo-gu (서구, 西區) – means the west district.
• Nam-gu (남구, 南區) – means the south district.
• Buk-gu (북구, 北區) – means the north district.
• Suseong-gu (수성구, 壽城區)
• Dalseo-gu (달서구, 達西區)
• Dalseong-gun (달성군, 達城郡)

Geography[link]

Topography[link]

Daegu sits in a basin surrounded by low mountains. Palgongsan to the north, Biseulsan to the south, Waryongsan to the west, and a series of smaller hills in the east. The Geumho River flows along the northern and eastern edges of the city, emptying in the Nakdong River west of the city.

Climate[link]

Daegu has a humid subtropical climate. The mountains that comprise the basin trap hot and humid air. Similarly, in winter, cold air lies in the basin. The area receives little precipitation except during the rainy season of summer, and is sunny throughout much of the year. Data gathered since 1961 indicates that the mean temperature for January, the coldest month in Daegu, is 0.6 °C (33 °F) and that for August, the warmest month, is 26.4 °C (80 °F). The City's lowest record temperature was −20.2 °C (−4 °F),^[18] and the City's highest record temperature was 40.0 °C (104 °F).^[19]

Economy[link]

Daegu is a manufacturing industry city. The major industries are textiles, metals and machinery. The quality of the apples grown around the city is renowned around Korea. Many companies such as Daegu Bank, Korea Delphi, Hwasung corp., and TaeguTec are situated in this city, and Samsung and Kolon were founded here. Numerous factories are located in the industrial complexes situated in the west and north sides of the city including the Seongseo Industrial Complex, West Daegu Industrial Complex and the Daegu Dyeing Industrial Complex.

The city is the economic and industrial core of the Daegu-Gyeongbuk region, one of the major industrial areas in Korea. It accounted for as much as 94 percent of Korea's trade surplus in 2006.^[21] The electronics industries in Gumi and the steel industries in Pohang provided great services to that surplus. World-leading manufacturing facilities for Anycall (Samsung Mobile) and POSCO's main factories are located near the city. Daegu and its neighbouring cities were designated for the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Free Economic Zone by the central government in 2008. It is specialized in knowledge-based service and manufacturing industries.

Historically, Daegu has been the commercial center of the southern part of the Korean Peninsula with Seoul in the center and Pyongyang in the north (currently North Korea), because of its advantageous location. Some of the large, traditional markets like Seomun Market are still flourishing in the city.

Additionally, Daegu was considered the third major economic city in Korea, after Seoul and Busan. However, due to the decline of the textile industry, which is the heart of Daegu's economy, the overall economic growth of the city has also fallen.

Also, the city is the warmest region in South Korea due to the humid subtropical climate. This climate condition provides the region with high quality apples and oriental melons. The fruit industry is a crucial support for the local economy. However, because of the Korean Peninsula’s change in climate due to global warming, the sweetness and popularity of Daegu’s fruits has declined.[SOURCE?]

Due to the stagnant economy, Daegu’s population began to decrease after 2003. Recently, the local government has begun focusing on working towards economic revival and concentrating on improving the city’s fashion industry.

Fashion industry[link]

Beginning in the late 1990s, Daegu has been actively making efforts to promote its fashion industry based on its textile and clothing manufacturing industries under the 'Daegu: Fashion City'. The city opens many exhibitions related to the fashion and textile industries including the Daegu Fashion Fair and Preview in Daegu annually or semi-annually, and invites national institutes. A large new town specializing in the textile-fashion industries is currently under construction in Bongmu-dong, northeastern Daegu. The district, officially named Esiapolis, takes aim at the fashion hub of East Asia. Textile complexes, textile-fashion institutions, an international school, fashion malls as well as residential areas plan to be developed in the district.^[22]

Culture and sightseeing[link]

Generally, Daegu is known as a conservative city. As well as being the largest inland city in the country beside Seoul it has become one of the major metropolitan areas in the nation. Traditionally, Buddhism was strong; today there are still many temples. Confucianism was popular in Daegu, with a large academy based in the city. Neon cross-topped spires of Christian churches can also be seen in the city.

Sights[link]

The most well-known sight of the city is the stone Buddha called Gatbawi on the top of Gwanbong, Palgongsan. It is famous for its stone gat (Korean traditional hat). People from all over the country visit the place, because they believe that the Buddha will grant one's single desire. Administratively, the site itself is located in the neighboring city, Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk.

Scenery of Donghwasa

On the outskirts of the city, mountains keep many traditional and renowned temples such as Donghwasa, Pagyesa, and Buinsa ("-sa" means temple). Donghwasa itself dates from the Silla period, and many artifacts of the period are found around the temple in northern Daegu. Some lecture halls or memorial halls such as Dodong-seowon (도동서원, 道東書院) and Nokdong-seowon (녹동서원, 鹿洞書院) are also located in the suburbs. Those places have served as resting places for the citizens mentally and physically. The old villages such as the Otgol village (Gyeongju Choi clan's original residence area) and the Inheung village (Nampyeong Mun's) rarely remain.

In the urban area, the Joseon Dynasty's administrative or educational buildings including Gyeongsang-gamyeong (경상감영, 慶尙監營) and Daegu-hyanggyo (대구향교, 大邱鄕校) remain. The main gateway of the city in that period called Yeongnam-jeilmun (영남제일문, 嶺南第一門, means the first gateway in Yeongnam) is restored in Mangudang Park, east of Daegu.

Western style modern architectures like Gyesan Cathedral and the old building of Jeil Church are preserved in many places of the urban area. Gyesan Cathedral is the third oldest gothic church building in Korea^[23] and the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Daegu which is one of three archdioceses in South Korea. Several buildings, in the present Keisung Academy and the KNU middle/high school, are famous too.

Yangnyeongsi (약령시, 藥令市) in Namseongno (often called Yakjeon-golmok) is the oldest market for Korean medicinal herbs in the country with a history of 350 years. Bongsan-dong which has some art galleries and studios is being developed as the artistic center of the city since the 1990s.

Nearby tourist attractions include Haeinsa—a Buddhist temple that houses the Tripitaka Koreana (a woodblock edition of the Tripitaka and one of the world's oldest extant complete collections of the Buddhist scriptures)—. Haeinsa is located in Gayasan National Park of Hapcheon, Gyeongnam. The historic city of Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk, the capital of the ancient kingdom of Silla is located east of Daegu.

Mountains and parks[link]

Dalgubeol-daejong, a city bell at the Gukchae Bosang Park

Palgongsan, Biseulsan, and Apsan are the representative mountains in Daegu ("-san" means mountain). Apsan, just in the southern part of the city, is the closest mountain from the urban area among them. It has many trails, Buddhist temples, a Korean War museum, and a gondola ride to the peak. Additionally, Waryongsan, Hamjisan, and Yongjibong are located in the city. These serve as neighborhood parks to the citizens.

In the urban area, several small mountains and hills play the same role. Dalseong Park, sits inside a 1500-year-old earth fortress, is a historic place of the city. It contains the city's only zoo and some monuments as well as the wall. Duryu Park or Duryusan is a large forest in the middle of the urban area. It has Daegu Tower, Woobang Land, Kolon Bandstand, Duryu Stadium, and many sports facilities. Daegu Tower, also called Woobang Tower or Duryu Tower, is the tallest contemporary structure (202 m) and the symbol of today Daegu. Its observatory commands good views of the city. Woobang Land is the largest amusement park out of the capital area. Many small gardens in the heart of the city such as the National Debt Repayment Movement Memorial Park (Gukchae Bosang Park) and 2·28 Park, are loved by people. The former park includes Dalgubeol-daejong (달구벌대종, 達句伐大鐘, means the Dalgubeol grand bell), a symbolic bell of the city. The bell is struck every week and year.

Downtown and shopping[link]

Dongseongno

Dongseongno (동성로, 東城路) is the downtown of Daegu lying from the Daegu Station to Jungang pachulso (central police station) near the Banwoldang subway station in the center of the city Jung-gu. It has the Jungangno subway station as the nearest station from its heart. Like its name meaning the street in the east fortress, the eastern part of Daegu-eupseong (대구읍성, 大邱邑城, means the Daegu-Principality Fortress) was situated along this street. The fortress, however, had been demolished in the early 20th century. Although Daegu is the nation's third or fourth largest city, the Dongseongno area form the largest and the broadest downtown area in the whole country except the capital city, Seoul. In most cases, famous brands open their branch shop first here out of the Greater Seoul area.^[24]

The sign of the Seomun Market

Sub-downtowns in the city have its own commercial powers and colors. The area around the Seongseo Industrial Complex subway station in Dalseo-gu is a concentration of many amusement spots, and young people easily can be seen around Kyungpook National University in Buk-gu. Deuran-gil (means the street inside the field) in Suseong-gu is known for many restaurants.

The city has a number of department stores. Many of these belong to national or multinational chains, but the local Daegu Department Store also operates two branches, while another local chain, Donga Department Store operates four in the city proper. The six department stores among them gather at the downtown. The traditional markets such as Seomun Market and Chilseong Market sell all sorts of goods.

Festivals[link]

Many traditional ceremonies and festivals in agrarian society disappeared in the process of modernization. A Confucian ritual ceremony called Seokjeondaeje is held at Daegu-hyanggyo every spring and autumn. The Yangnyeongsi herb medical festival and Otgol village festival are the contemporary festivals about traditional culture.

Daegu Musical Awards in DIMF 2009

Lately in the city, enthusiasm about performing arts is growing and the local government is trying to meet its demand. Daegu International Opera Festival (DIOF), Daegu International Musical Festival (DIMF), and Daegu International Bodypainting Festival (DIBF) are three of the most famous festivals on each field in Korea, although those have short histories.

Various festivals in various themes like the Colorful Daegu Festival, Dongseongno festival, Palgongsan maple festival, Biseulsan azalea festival, Korea in Motion Daegu, and so on, are held by the city, each ward, or the specific groups, all through the year.

On August 25 through August 31, 2008, Daegu hosted the first ever Asian Bodypainting Festival, a sister event of the World Bodypainting Festival in Seeboden, Austria.

Museums[link]

• Daegu National Museum – A notable national museum collecting relics excavated in and around Daegu
• Daegu Bangjja Yugi (Korean Bronzeware) Museum
• Hengso Museum of Keimyung University
• Korea Video Museum
• Kyungpook National University Museum
• Museum for Daegu National University of Education
• Museum of Natural Dye Arts

Theaters[link]

• Daegu Opera House – The first theater in Korea only for performing opera
• Suseong Artpia
• Keimyung Art Center – One of the largest scale theaters in the city.
• Daegu Culture and Arts Center

Sports[link]

On March 27, 2007, the city was selected to host the 2011 World Championships in Athletics. Daegu competed with cities such as Moscow, Russia and Brisbane, Australia to earn the votes of the IAAF Council. This event will be the fourth IAAF World Championships in Athletics to be held outside Europe, and the first games in mainland Asia. It will be also the third worldwide sports event held in Korea after the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul and 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea and Japan. Daegu also hosted three matches in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, and the 2003 Summer Universiade.^[25] The city hosts the Colorful Daegu Pre-Championships Meeting every year since 2005.

A home game of the Samsung Lions, one of the most popular sports teams in the city

Daegu Stadium is the second largest sports complex in South Korea as a seating capacity of 66,422. Daegu simin undongjang hosted some soccer matches at the Seoul Olympics. Now the city is planning a new baseball stadium.

Sports teams[link]

Media[link]

There are three terrestrial TV broadcasting stations in the city: KBS Daegu Broadcast Station, Daegu MBC, and TBC. These are affiliated companies of central broadcasting stations in Seoul just like other local broadcasting companies in South Korea. TBC (Taegu Broadcasting Corporation) depends on SBS. They cover to Gyeongsangbuk-do out of the city. Each television broadcasting company has its own radio station as well.

International Daegu[link]

Daegu is largely a homogeneous community that includes few non-Koreans. However, a number of immigrants from South and Southeast Asia work in automotive-parts factories on the city's west side. In addition, there is a small group of English-speaking Westerners working in English schools and university programs. The American military bases are also home to several thousand Americans. Recently Chinese students have begun studying Korean at universities in Daegu, and there is an increasing number of graduate and post-graduate students from other Asian countries. As elsewhere in Korea, Korean food overwhelmingly dominates; Chinese, Japanese and Western food forms the bulk of non-Korean food but recently Indian and Russian foods have become available.

Daegu hosts three American military bases, Camp Henry, which house Daegu American School, Camp George and Camp Walker. Camp Walker houses Daegu American School for high school children, while Camp George hold the school for elementary and middle school (both of which are primarily for children of military personnel). Camp George also houses most of the [Enlisted]ranked soldiers. Camp Henry serves as the primary place of work for all the military personnel. Camp Walker services as the home to Officer ranked soldiers Major and up. Although non-military families can enroll their children at the school, most either home-school their children or send them to a small Christian private school which teaches about 25 children near the central business district of Daegu.

Education[link]

As of 2009, Daegu has 215 elementary schools, 123 middle schools including the Dong-Pyeong Middle School, and 91 high schools.^[26] There are two specialized public high schools which are Daegu Science High School and Taegu Foreign Language High School, and some other high schools such as Keisung Academy, Gyeongsin High School and Daeryun High School have good grades for university admission. Most of well-known high schools are located in Suseong-gu. Because its educational grade and zeal are high standard in the country.

Also, Daegu has 4 independent private high schools like Keisung Academy(also called Keisung High School), Gyeongsin High School, Gyeong-il Girl's High School, Daegun Catholic High School.

Universities and colleges[link]

Kyungpook National University, School of Medicine

Yeungnam University, central library (at Gyeongsan)

Daegu and its satellite towns are one of the areas which have the most large private higher educational institutions in Korea. Many of their main campuses are located in the nearby Gyeongsan city which serves the Daegu region as a college town. Kyungpook National University (KNU) is one of the most highly ranked and well organized national universities in Korea. It holds first place in and around the city in almost all of the fields. Daegu has two of the most prestigious private universities outside Seoul, Keimyung University and Yeungnam University.^{[citation needed]} There are some smaller private universities such as Catholic University of Daegu and Daegu University. Daegu National University of Education offers elementary education training.

The other universities and colleges include Daegu Arts University, Daegu Cyber University, Daegu Haany University, Daegu Health College, Daegu Mirae College, Daegu Polytechnic College, Daegu Technical College, Daegu University of Foreign Studies, Daeshin University, Keimyung College University, Kyongbuk Science University, Kyongbuk University of Foreign Studies, Kyungil University, Taekyeung College, Yeungjin College, Yeungnam College of Science and Technology, and Youngnam Theological College and Seminary.

Medical institutions[link]

Some large university hospitals make the city the medical hub of south-eastern Korea. The Kyungpook National University Hospital, founded as Daegu-dongin-uiwon in 1907, is the well-known hospital in the city. The Dongsan Hospital (attached to Keimyung University), founded as Jejungwon in 1899, is one of the oldest western style medical clinics in Korea. The Yeungnam University Medical Center has the largest beds in the city. The yearly treatment amount of these tertiary hospitals is the second largest in South Korea after that of Seoul.^[27] The Daegu Catholic University Medical Center is also included in them.very good

Transportation[link]

Rail[link]

Dongdaegu Station

Daegu is the hub of the Korean inland railroad traffic. The main railroad of the country, Gyeongbu Line passes through the city. The largest railroad station in the city, Dongdaegu Station has the second largest passenger traffic in Korea after Seoul Station, and the largest train traffic.^[28] The station re-opened in 2004 after extensive renovations serves the KTX highspeed train, Saemaul and Mugunghwa trains. All kinds of trains except KTX depart from Daegu Station, an all-new building with cinemas, restaurants and a department store, located near the city centre. It has the tenth largest passenger traffic in Korea.^[28] Daegu Line branches off from Gacheon Station of Gyeongbu Line.

Metro[link]

Map of the rapid transit of Daegu. The red line is line 1, and the green is line 2.

The city also has a subway system, consisting of two heavy rail lines. Line 1 crosses the city from northeast to southwest, while Line 2 crosses from west to east. Line 3 from northwest to southeast is under construction as an elevated monorail. All the lines are and will be operated by the Daegu Metropolitan Transit Corporation (DTRO). Another line will operate in a few years as a heavy rail system using the Gumi–Daegu–Gyeongsan section of Gyeongbu Line. Line 4 is a long-range plan and will be a circle line. Fare is 1200 won on distance and 1100 won with a prepaid card. There is a free interchange scheme between the metro and bus within an hour of first use for the prepaid card users.

Road[link]

There are two types of buses which are local and limited express. Limited express buses have more seats, but often passengers are required to stand. As of 2008, Local bus fare costs around 1100 won, Limited express bus fare would set you back around 1500 won. Discounted fare is available with a prepaid card.

Bus route numbers are made up with 3 digits, each number indicates the area that bus serves. For example, number 407 bus runs from zone four, to zone zero, and then to zone seven. Other routes, usually circular, are named for the districts they serve and numbered 1 through 3.

Traffic is sometimes heavy, however, the major thoroughfares handle fairly high volumes of traffic without too much trouble.

Air[link]

Daegu is served by Daegu Airport (international/domestic) located in northeastern Daegu.

Notable people[link]

Leaders

• Park Chung-hee – from Gumi, Army general and 5th–9th President of South Korea
• Chun Doo-hwan – from Hapcheon, Army general and 11th–12th President of South Korea
• Roh Tae-woo – Army general and 13th President of South Korea
• Park Geun-hye – politician, daughter of Park Chung-hee

Industrialists

• Lee Byung-chull – from Uiryeong, founder and former chairman of the Samsung Group
• Kim Woo-jung – founder and former chairman of the Daewoo Group
• Lee Kun-hee – chairman of the Samsung Group, son of Lee Byung-chull

Religious

• Kim Sou-hwan – first Korean Cardinal of the Catholic Church

Writers/composers

• Hyeon Jin-geon – novelist
• Yi Sang-hwa – poet
• Hyeon Je-myeong – composer
• Jaegwon Kim – philosopher

Actors

• Shin Seong-il – national actor in the 1960s and 1970s
• Son Ye-jin – famous young actress
• Moon Chae Won – famous young actress

Sports

• Lee Man-Soo – baseball player
• Yang Jun-Hyuk – baseball player
• Lee Seung-Yeop – baseball player
• Park Chu-Young – soccer player
• Jin Sun-Yu – short-track speed skater, triple gold medalist at 2006 Winter Olympics
• Bae Sang-moon – golfer, leading money winner on the Japan Golf Tour for the 2011 season

Beauties

• Chang Yun-jong – 1st runner-up of the Miss Universe 1988, winner of the Miss Korea 1987
• Son Tae-young – 1st runner-up of the Miss International 2000, 2nd runner-up of the Miss Korea 2000, actress
• Seo Eun-mi – 1st runner-up of the Miss International 2009, one of two 1st runners-up of the Miss Korea 2009

Idols

• Key of Shinee
• Kim Junsu of 2PM
• Kahi (entertainer) of After School (band)
• Mika and Karam of Dae-guk-nam-ah / The Boss

Others

• Catherine Baillie – from New Zealand, honorary ambassador for the city, actress

Sister cities[link]

• Atlanta, United States (1981)
• Almaty, Kazakhstan (1990)
• Qingdao, People's Republic of China (1993)
• Minas Gerais, Brazil (1994)
• Hiroshima, Japan (1997)
• Saint Petersburg, Russia (1997)
• Milan, Italy (1998)
• Plovdiv, Bulgaria (2002)
• Taipei, Taiwan (2010)

See also[link]

• List of Korea-related topics
• List of cities in South Korea
• History of Daegu
• Gyeongsang

Notes[link]

Further reading[link]

• Cumings, Bruce. Korea's place in the sun: A modern history. New York: W.W.Norton. ISBN 0-393-31681-5. 
• Daegu-Gyeongbuk Historical Society (대구-경북역사연구회). 역사 속의 대구, 대구사람들 (Yeoksa sok-ui Daegu, Daegu saramdeul) (Daegu and its people in history). Seoul: Jungsim. ISBN 89-89524-09-1. 
• Lee, Ki-baik (1984). A new history of Korea, rev. ed. Tr. by E.W. Wagner and E.J. Shultz. Seoul: Ilchogak. ISBN 89-337-0204-0. 
• Nahm, Andrew C. (1996). Korea: A history of the Korean people, 2nd ed.. Seoul: Hollym. ISBN 1-56591-070-2. 
• Shin, Hyeong-seok (신형석). (1999). 통일신라의 새로운 수도가 될 뻔했던 대구 (Tongilsilla-ui saeroun sudo-ga doel ppeonhaetteon Daegu) (Daegu, which almost became the new capital of Unified Silla). In Daegu-Gyeongbuk Historical Society, ed., pp. 78–91.*
• Lee, Jungwoong (이정웅) (1993). 팔공산을 아십니까 (About Mt. Palgong). Daegu: 그루. ISBN [[Special:BookSources/2000752000813|2000752000813]]. 
• Lee, Jungwoong (이정웅) (2000). 대구가 자랑스러운 12가지 이유. Seoul: 북랜드. ISBN 89-7787-158-1. 
• Lee, Jungwoong (이정웅) (2006). 푸른 대구 이야기. Daegu: 그루. ISBN 89-8069-138-6. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Daegu

• City website (English)
• Daegu : Official Site of Korea Tourism Org
• City Bus Schedule and Routes

v t e Regions and administrative divisions of South Korea Regions Capital area Gwandong Yeongdong Yeongseo Hoseo Honam Jeju Yeongnam Southeastern MIR Provinces North Chungcheong South Chungcheong Gangwon Gyeonggi North Gyeongsang South Gyeongsang North Jeolla South Jeolla Special self-governing province Jeju Special city Seoul Special autonomous city Sejong Metropolitan cities Busan Daegu Daejeon Gwangju Incheon Ulsan

Usain Bolt

Bolt at Berlin World Championships 2009
Personal information
Nickname(s)	Lightning Bolt
Nationality	Jamaican
Born	(1986-08-21) 21 August 1986 (age 25)[1] Trelawny, Jamaica[2]
Residence	Kingston, Jamaica
Height	1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)[3]
Weight	92 kg (200 lb)[3]
Sport
Sport	Track and field
Event(s)	Sprints
Club	Racers Track Club
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	100 m: 9.58 WR (Berlin 2009)[4] 150 m: 14.35 WB[5] (Manchester 2009)[6] 200 m: 19.19 WR (Berlin 2009)[7] 400 m: 45.28 (Kingston 2007)[1]
Medal record Men's athletics Competitor for  Jamaica Olympic Games Gold 2008 Beijing 100 m Gold 2008 Beijing 200 m Gold 2008 Beijing 4×100 m relay World Championships Gold 2011 Daegu 200 m Gold 2011 Daegu 4×100 m relay Gold 2009 Berlin 100 m Gold 2009 Berlin 200 m Gold 2009 Berlin 4×100 m relay Silver 2007 Osaka 200 m Silver 2007 Osaka 4×100 m relay World Athletics Final Gold 2009 Thessaloniki 200 m CAC Championships Gold 2005 Nassau 200 m World Junior Championships Gold 2002 Kingston Silver 2002 Kingston 4×100 m relay Silver 2002 Kingston 4×400 m relay Pan American Junior Championships Gold 2003 Bridgetown 200 m Silver 2003 Bridgetown 4×100 m relay CARIFTA Games (Junior) Gold 2004 Hamilton 200 m Gold 2004 Hamilton 4×100 m relay Gold 2004 Hamilton 4×400 m relay Gold 2003 Port of Spain 200 m Gold 2003 Port of Spain 400 m Gold 2003 Port of Spain 4×100 m relay Gold 2003 Port of Spain 4×400 m relay World Youth Championships Gold 2003 Sherbrooke 200 m CAC Junior Championships (Youth) Gold 2002 Bridgetown 200 m Gold 2002 Bridgetown 400 m Gold 2002 Bridgetown 4×100 m relay Gold 2002 Bridgetown 4×400 m relay CARIFTA Games (Youth) Gold 2002 Nassau 200 m Gold 2002 Nassau 400 m Gold 2002 Nassau 4×400 m relay Silver 2001 Bridgetown 200m Silver 2001 Bridgetown 400m Competitor for the Americas World Cup Silver 2006 Athens 200 m

The Honourable Usain St. Leo Bolt, OJ, C.D. ( /ˈjuːseɪn/;^[8] born 21 August 1986), is a Jamaican sprinter and a five-time World and three-time Olympic gold medalist. He is the world record and Olympic record holder in the 100 metres, the 200 metres and (along with his teammates) the 4×100 metres relay. He is the reigning Olympic champion in these three events, and is one of only seven athletes (along with Valerie Adams, Veronica Campbell-Brown, Jacques Freitag, Yelena Isinbayeva, Jana Pittman, Dani Samuels) to win world championships at the youth, junior, and senior level of an athletic event.

Bolt won a 200 m gold medal at the 2002 World Junior Championships, making him the competition's youngest-ever gold medalist at the time (since surpassed by Jacko Gill). In 2004, at the CARIFTA Games, he became the first junior sprinter to run the 200 m in less than 20 seconds with a time of 19.93 s,^[9] breaking the previous world junior record held by Roy Martin by two-tenths of a second. He turned professional in 2004, and although he competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics, he missed most of the next two seasons due to injuries. In 2007, he broke Don Quarrie's 200 m Jamaican record with a run of 19.75 s.

His 2008 season began with his first world record performance—a 100 m world record of 9.72 s—and culminated in world and Olympic records in both the 100 m and 200 m events at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. He ran 9.69 s for the 100 m and 19.30 s in the 200 m, and also set a 4×100 m relay record of 37.10 s with the Jamaican team. This made him the first man to win three sprinting events at a single Olympics since Carl Lewis in 1984, and the first man to set world records in all three at a single Olympics. The following year he further lowered his own 100 m and 200 m world records to 9.58 s and 19.19 s respectively at the 2009 World Championships.^[10] This made him the first man to hold both the 100 and 200 m world and Olympic titles at the same time.

His 2009 record breaking margin over 100 m is the highest since the start of digital time measurements.^[11] His achievements in sprinting have earned him the media nickname "Lightning Bolt",^[12] and awards including the IAAF World Athlete of the Year, Track & Field Athlete of the Year, and Laureus Sportsman of the Year.

Early years[link]

Bolt was born on 21 August 1986 in Sherwood Content,^[13] a small town in Trelawny, Jamaica, and grew up with his parents, Wellesley and Jennifer Bolt, his brother Sadeeki,^[14] and his sister Sherine.^[2][15] His parents ran the local grocery store in the rural area, and Bolt spent his time playing cricket and football in the street with his brother,^[16] later saying, "When I was young, I didn’t really think about anything other than sports".^[17]

As a child, he attended Waldensia Primary and All-age School, and it was here that he first began to show his sprinting potential, running in the annual national primary-schools' meeting for his parish.^[12] By the age of twelve, Bolt had become the school's fastest runner over the 100 metres distance.^[18]

Upon his entry to William Knibb Memorial High School, Bolt continued to focus on other sports, but his cricket coach noticed Bolt's speed on the pitch and urged him to try track and field events.^[19] Pablo McNeil, a former Olympic sprint athlete,^[20] and Dwayne Barrett coached Bolt, encouraging him to focus his energy on improving his athletic abilities. The school had a history of success in athletics with past students, including sprinter Michael Green.^[12] Bolt won his first annual high school championships medal in 2001, taking the silver medal in the 200 metres with a time of 22.04 seconds.^[12] McNeil soon became his primary coach, and the two enjoyed a positive partnership, although McNeil was occasionally frustrated by Bolt's lack of dedication to his training and his predisposition to practical jokes.^[20]

Early competitions[link]

Performing for Jamaica in his first Caribbean regional event, Bolt clocked a personal best of 48.28 s in the 400 metres in the 2001 CARIFTA Games, winning a silver medal. The 200 m also yielded a silver as Bolt finished in 21.81 s.^[21]

He made his first appearance on the world stage at the 2001 IAAF World Youth Championships in Debrecen, Hungary. Running in the 200 m event, he failed to qualify for the finals, but he still set a new personal best of 21.73 s.^[22] Bolt still did not take athletics or himself too seriously, however, and he took his mischievousness to new heights by hiding in the back of a van when he was supposed to be preparing for the 200 m finals at the CARIFTA Trials. He was detained by the police for his practical joke, and there was an outcry from the local community, which blamed coach McNeil for the incident.^[20] However, the controversy subsided, and both McNeil and Bolt went to the CARIFTA Games, where Bolt set championship records in the 200 m and 400 m with times of 21.12 s and 47.33 s, respectively.^[21] He continued to set records with 20.61 s and 47.12 s finishes at the Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships.^[23]

Former Prime Minister P. J. Patterson recognised Bolt's talent and arranged for him to move to Kingston, along with Jermaine Gonzales, so he could train with the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association (JAAA) at the University of Technology, Jamaica.^[20]

Rise to prominence[link]

The 2002 World Junior Championships before a home crowd in Kingston, Jamaica, gave Bolt a chance to prove his credentials on the world stage. By the age of 15, he had grown to 1.96 metres (6 ft 5 in) tall, and he physically stood out amongst his peers.^[12] He won the 200 m, in a time of 20.61 s,^[24] 0.03 seconds slower than his personal best of 20.58 s set in the 1st round.^[25] Bolt's 200 m win made him the youngest world-junior gold medalist ever.^[26] The expectation from the home crowd had made him so nervous that he had put his shoes on the wrong feet. However, it turned out to be a revelatory experience for Bolt as he vowed never again to let himself be affected by pre-race nerves.^[27] As a member of the Jamaican sprint relay team, he also took two silver medals and set national junior records in the 4×100 metres and 4×400 metres relay, running times of 39.15 s and 3:04.06 minutes respectively.^[28][29]

The flow of medals continued as he won four gold medals at the 2003 CARIFTA Games, and was awarded the Austin Sealy Trophy for the most outstanding athlete of the games.^[30][31][32] He won another gold at the 2003 World Youth Championships. He set a new championship record in the 200 m with a time of 20.40 s, despite a 1.1 m/s head wind.^[33] Michael Johnson, the 200 m world-record holder, took note of Bolt's potential but worried that the young sprinter might be over-pressured, stating, "It's all about what he does three, four, five years down the line".^[34] Bolt had also impressed the athletics hierarchy, and he received the IAAF Rising Star Award for 2002.^[35]