A trip to Korea's newest city
Earlier this summer, I took a short out-of-town trip to Gwangju, only to discover that a week before I arrived, the city had been disbanded and was no more! Officially launched on July 1st this year, Korea’s newest city is one of its largest by land area: South Jeolla Province and Gwangju Metropolitan City have merged to form Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City. The city government of…
This past summer, I embarked on a brief journey to Gwangju, only to find out that a week prior, the city had been dissolved and no longer existed. On July 1st of this year, South Jeolla Province and Gwangju Metropolitan City officially combined to create Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City, which is among the largest in terms of land area.
The city government of Gwangju was abolished, but the existing districts remain part of the newly formed governmental structure. Smaller cities and counties within the former province will retain their original names. The new special city encompasses five districts, five cities, and 17 counties. Currently, Yeosu, Mokpo, Suncheon, Gwangyang, and Naju continue to be designated as cities.
The administrative divisions within the merger may be modified as time progresses and population shifts occur. I believe the English translation of the city's name is still under development and have come across various versions, including "Gwangju Special City" (which could potentially anger the rest of the region) and the literal translation.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
Also reported by 1 other outlet
- A trip to Korea's newest city koreatimes.co.kr
