Jeonju 전주
—  Municipal City  —
Korean transcription(s)
• Hangul	전주시
• Hanja	全州市
• Revised Romanization	Jeonju-si
• McCune-Reischauer	Chŏnju-si
Pungnammun
Official logo of Jeonju Emblem of Jeonju
Jeonju Location in South Korea
Coordinates: 35°49′N 127°09′E / 35.817°N 127.15°E / 35.817; 127.15
Country	South Korea
Region	Honam
Administrative divisions	2 gu, 40 dong
Area
• Total	206.22 km2 (79.62 sq mi)
Population (2010)
• Total	649,500
• Density	3,082.7/km2 (7,984/sq mi)
• Dialect	Jeolla
Zip Codes	560011-561870
Area Code	+82 63
Website	Jeonju Council Website

Jeonju is a city in South Korea, and the capital of North Jeolla Province. It is an important tourist center famous for Korean food, historic buildings, sports activities and innovative festivals.

In May 2012, Jeonju was indicted as a Creative Cities for Gastronomy as part of UNESCO's Creative Cities Network. This honour recognize the city's traditional home cooking handed down thru generations over thousands of years, its active public and private food research, a system of nurturing talented chefs, and its hosting of distinctive local food festivals.^[1]

History[link]

Located in the fertile Honam plain, famous for strawberries and exceptional produce, Jeonju has been an important regional center in the province for centuries. Once, the city was the capital of Hubaekje Kingdom, which was founded by Gyeon Hwon. The city was regarded as the spiritual capital of the Joseon Dynasty because the Yi royal family originated there. The Chŏnju Kim in North Korea, of whom Kim Il-sung was descended from, have their ancestral seat (pon’gwan) in Jeonju as well.

The town was occupied by the Donghak peasants' movement in 1894. Jeonju was given metropolitan status in 1935, and the city was founded in 1949.^{[citation needed]}

Culture[link]

• Jeonju bibimbap 비빔밥, a traditional local food, is well-known across South Korea. There are also several very popular vegetarian restaurants serving Jeonju style food and pine wine.
• The National Jeonju Museum exhibits ancient relics from the Baekje days.
• There are extensive royal museums, temples, a castle fortress on a hillside, and a well-known paper museum, as well as an annual paper fashion show highlighting both the latest style and traditional Korean clothing made of paper.
• The Jeonju Hanok Village (Hanok Maeul) is a traditional-style village located in the heart of Jeonju, housing over 800 traditional "hanok" style buildings. It contains many traditional tea shops, souvenir shops and restaurants.^[2]
• The Jeonju International Film Festival draws about 50,000 visitors annually.
• Jeonju is the hometown of the breakdancing crew Last for One, international Battle of the Year champion.

People and everyday life[link]

Education is a major industry in the city, but it does not have the manufacturing or heavy industries found in other Korean cities. The local mountains and parks are popular for outdoor recreation due to its rural location. There are also various historical sites in the area. The city also has a zoo, a large park, and the Samsung Sound and Culture Hall, a large, modern concert complex on the Chonbuk National University campus.

Administrative districts[link]

Jeonju is divided into 2 wards, Deokjin-gu (덕진구) and Wansan-gu (완산구), which in turn are divided into approximately 40 neighborhoods.

Attractions[link]

• Jeonju International Film Festival - usually runs from end of April to May for one week annually.^[3]

Climate[link]

Sister cities[link]

• San Diego, California, USA
• Ladysmith, Wisconsin, USA
• Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
• Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan

Gallery[link]

• 

  Central neighbourhood (Wansan District) of Jeonju during Korea under Japanese rule's period

• 

  Jeonju Gaeksa

• 

  Jeonju Gyeonggi-jeon

• 

  Jeondong Catholic Church.

• 

  Sori Art Center of Jeollabuk-do.

See also[link]

• List of cities in South Korea
• Joseon Dynasty

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jeonju

External links[link]

• Jeonju city government home page
• English website aimed at the expatriate community in Jeonju
• Jeonju Hiking & Travel Group

References[link]

v t e North Jeolla Jeonju (capital) Cities Gimje Gunsan Iksan Jeongeup Jeonju Deokjin-gu Wansan-gu Namwon Counties Buan Gochang Imsil Jangsu Jinan Muju Sunchang Wanju