Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, Honam, South Korea

Characteristics | History | Yeosu Rebellion | Yeosu Expo Station | Festivals | Attractions | Local specialities | Expo 2012

🇰🇷 Yeosu is a city located on the southern coast of the Korean Peninsula in South Jeolla Province, South Korea and comprises the Old Yeosu City, founded in 1949, Yeocheon City, founded in 1986, and Yeocheon County which were merged into the current Yeosu city in 1998.

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Characteristics The city of Yeosu consists of the Yeosu peninsula as well as 365 islands (48 inhabited, 317 uninhabited). Being midway along the southern coast of South Korea, it is flanked by Namhae County in South Gyeongsang Province to the east with a natural waterway, and the Bay of Suncheon to the west and north-west, the city of Suncheon sprawling along its banks. The city has three different city halls. On 1 April 1998, the cities of Yeosu and Yeocheon, along with Yeocheon County merged to form the unified city of Yeosu.

Yeosu has cool summers and mild winters. Its ocean climate also brings Yeosu relatively longer springs and autumns than other regions. Yeosu is a city of history and loyalty where the headquarters of South Jeolla Province Navy Base was located, and the Great Admiral Yi Sun-sin improved upon the geobukseon (turtle ship) to save the country while serving as the commander of the navy.

Due to its appeal as an international ocean resort and tourist city, as well as its close proximity to the Yeocheon Industrial Complex, Yeosu has seen much development during the past several decades.

In the 142nd General Assembly of BIE, held in Paris on 26 November 2007, the global community selected Yeosu as the host city for the 2012 World Expo. This was Korea's second World Expo, following Daejeon's 1993 Fair.

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History Wonchon-hyeon/Dolsan-hyeon was the name given to Yeosu in the 16th year of King Seong (538 AD) who was the king of Baekje Kingdom. The name changed to Haeub-hyeon/Yeosan-hyeon in 757 and to Yeosu-hyeon/Dolsan-hyeon in 940. Beginning in 1479, the Joseon Dynasty's Naval Headquarters for eastern sector of Jeolla Province was located there. As such, it was the first base where Admiral Yi Sun-sin's fleet was based during the Imjin War which used the Turtle Ship or 'Kobukseon' which was built in Seon-so.

In 1897, Yeosu was renamed Yeosu-myeon and included in the new county of Yeosu-gun. In 1914, Yeosu-gun merged with Dolsan-gun, further increasing its territory. Yeosu-myeon continued to grow and in 1931, Yeosu-myeon became Yeosu-eup. In 1949, Yeosu became a city. In 1998, Yeosu city merged with Yeochon city and Yeochon-gun, creating the unified city of Yeosu.

Yeosu-si, Yeocheon-si, and Yeocheon-gun were merged into Yeosu-si on April 1, 1998. The former Yeocheon City Hall was divided into two buildings and the former Yeocheon County Office into three buildings.

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Yeosu Rebellion In October 1948, the town of Yeosu was taken by South Korean soldiers who refused to take part in the suppression of the ongoing Jeju Uprising.

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Yeosu Expo Station On December 25, 1920, Yeosu Station started to operate as a railway that connects Yeosu and Gwangju. On October 1, 2011, however, the station was relocated to Deokchung-dong and renamed Yeosu Expo Station, as the venue served for Yeosu World Expo in 2012.  

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Festivals Hyangiram Sunrise Festival (여수향일암일출제) is an annual festival that begins on New Year’s Eve. It takes place at Hyangiram Hermitage, a historical building that was built in the year 644. The word “Hyangiram” itself refers to “a hermitage facing the sun”, in which visitors could view the breathtaking panorama of sunrise over the horizon. The festival consists of other activities and cultural events such as fireworks, folk street music, and lighting of wishes.

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Attractions: • Hyangiram Hermitage, a Buddhist Temple that was first built by Monk Wonhyo in the 7th century (644), is situated at the top of Mount Geomosan. Before it was renamed, the temple was initially known as Wontongam Hermitage. In the 9th year (958) of Goryeo King Gwangjong’s reign, the temple has been renamed Geumoam Hermitage by Monk Yunpil. Meanwhile, Monk Inmuk changed its name for one last time during King Sejong’s Joseon era (1715), which results in its current name Hyangiram Hermitage. • Hyangilam (향일암) is a temple, that is composed of Daeungjeon and Kwon Yin-jeon, Yongwangjeon, Samsung-gak, Jonggak, Jaejabe and Jongmuil. It is on the hill of a steep mountain bordering the sea. and on the 31st and 1 January of each year, a festival of sunrise is held every year and it is a sunny spot where tourists from all over the country gather. The name of "Hwangilam" is derived from the fact that the thick camellia between the rocky cliffs of Geumo Mountain is blessed with the sunrise of the South Sea. • A fire had destroyed some parts of the temple, including the main hall, Daeungjeon Hall. In order to remain the cultural heritage, there are numerous parts of the temple have been restructured, and restored. It is also being said that, anyone who passes all seven stone caves along the path to Hyangiram Hermitage would have their wish granted.   • Yeongchwisan Mountain has traditionally been regarded as the Yeosu peninsula’s spiritual protector. There are two Buddhist Temples on the mountain: Geumseongdae and Dosolam Hermitage, where ritual ceremonies and prayers were held during ancient days. With only 510 meters above sea level, Yeongchwisan Mountain is an ideal place for family and hiking lovers. It only takes around four hours to reach the peak of the mountain. Also known for its azalea flower blossoms, an azalea festival is held annually on the mountain in April during spring. The festival provides a range of events, where visitors could enjoy local food, participate in spiritual activities, and contests. • In the harbour there is a full-size model of one of Admiral Yi's turtle ships, which are timber shelled vessels that were used with great success against the Japanese navy. • Manseongri Beach near Yeosu has volcanic 'black' sand and is popular with Korean tourists. Recently, the famous Korean band Busker Busker made a song based on Manseongri Beach's night view. This popularised the site with Korean tourists. There are public showers and restrooms as well as on-duty lifeguards. Many restaurants located along the beach have beach-side tables and serve various seafood dishes. It is possible to take ferries to many of the local islands for an authentic taste of rural Korean food. • Dolsan bridge (돌산대교) has changing lights at night. It is a 450-metre-long (1,480 ft) bridge connecting downtown Yeosu with Dolsan Island. Dolsan Park (돌산공원) overlooks Dolsan bridge. The bridge is cable-stayed with 28 steel cables with diameters of 56–87 mm wired to a 62 m steel tower at the each end of the bridge. The bridge is 20 m above sea level. There are many seafood restaurants and romantic cafés around the area. • The Odongdo Island of Yeosu is one of the most spectacular spots to appreciate camelias. There are 70 species of wild flowers that flourish here, a hill commemorating the plantation of the very first tree and a spacious grassy field. A small population of local finless porpoises are present here. • Opened in December 2014, the Yeosu Cable Car connects Dolsan Island with Odongdo and offers excellent views of the area and the Dolsan Bridge. • Big-O show is a famous show in Yeosu which features an ocean fountain event and a hologram show. The show consists of three parts. The fountain spouts in accordance with classic and jazz music. Unique to this fountain is a large round steel frame at its centre. • The Ocean Resort is home to Yeosu's only waterpark. It offers condominium-style rooms and other facilities. Located in Soho-dong, the resort overlooks the yacht marina. • Hanhwa aqua planet is a large aquarium that has four exhibition halls - marine life, aqua forest, ocean life, and alive museum. The main water tank performances include synchronized swimming and Pierrot's acrobatics. • Hyangilam (향일암) is a temple, that is composed of Daeungjeon and Kwon Yin-jeon, Yongwangjeon, Samsung-gak, Jonggak, Jaejabe and Jongmuil. It is on the hill of a steep mountain bordering the sea. and on the 31st and 1 January of each year, a festival of sunrise is held every year and it is a sunny spot where tourists from all over the country gather. The name of "Hwangilam" is derived from the fact that the thick camellia between the rocky cliffs of Geumo Mountain is blessed with the sunrise of the South Sea.

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Local specialities Gejang, or marinated raw crab is a representative speciality of Yeosu and a traditional Jeolla cuisine dish.

Dolsan 'gat kimchi' is also a specialty of Yeosu.

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Expo 2012 Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea (Korean: 2012 여수세계박람회; Hanja: 2012 麗水世界博覽會) was an International Exposition recognised by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) held in Yeosu, South Korea which opened May 12, 2012 and ran until August 12, 2012. The theme of the Expo was "The Living Ocean and Coast" with subthemes of "Preservation and Sustainable Development of the Ocean and Coast", "New Resources Technology", and "Creative Marine Activities". There were 105 participating countries, international organizations, and 8,203,956 visitors.

The Expo 2012 Yeosu opened on May 12 in the southern coastal town of Yeosu, approximately 455 km south of Seoul. It was the second international fair hosted by Korea, after the Taejŏn Expo '93.

The expo site for 80 exhibition halls stretched out alongside the sea with promenades and exhibit spaces extending to the island of Odongdo and the seawalls.

The Yeosu Expo also received positive reaction for addressing global issues like climate change and the protection of the ocean through story-telling events.

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Asia/Seoul/Jeollanam-do 
<b>Asia/Seoul/Jeollanam-do</b>
Image: Photo by Yoonbae Cho on Unsplash

Yeosu has a population of over 295,500 people. Yeosu also forms one of the centres of the wider South Jeolla Province which has a population of over 1,902,324 people.

To set up a UBI Lab for Yeosu see: https://www.ubilabnetwork.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/UBILabNetwork

Twin Towns, Sister Cities Yeosu has links with:

🇧🇿 Belize City, Belize 🇵🇭 Cebu City, Philippines 🇨🇳 Hangzhou, China 🇯🇵 Karatsu, Japan 🇲🇾 Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia 🇨🇳 Lishui, China 🇹🇹 Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago 🇲🇽 Santiago de Queretaro, Mexico 🇺🇸 Seward, USA 🇺🇸 Sikeston, USA 🇰🇷 Tongyeong, South Korea 🇷🇺 Vanino, Russia 🇨🇳 Weihai, China
Text Atribution: Wikipedia Text under CC-BY-SA license

East of: 127.733

🇯🇵 Urasoe 127.734

🇰🇷 Chuncheon 127.736

🇯🇵 Ginowan 127.78

🇯🇵 Okinawa City 127.793

🇯🇵 Okinawa 127.809

🇰🇷 Chungju 127.934

🇰🇷 Wonju 127.949

🇨🇳 Shangzhi 127.965

🇯🇵 Nago 127.978

🇰🇷 Gimcheon 128.07

West of: 127.733

🇯🇵 Naha 127.702

🇰🇷 Gwangyang 127.696

🇰🇷 Kwangyang 127.683

🇯🇵 Makishi 127.667

🇯🇵 Tomigusuku 127.667

🇰🇷 Yeoju 127.643

🇰🇷 Eumseong 127.58

🇰🇵 Hamhŭng 127.543

🇷🇺 Blagoveshchensk 127.543

🇰🇷 Suncheon 127.494

Antipodal to Yeosu is: -52.267,-34.733

Locations Near: Yeosu 127.733,34.733

🇰🇷 Kwangyang 127.683,34.933 d: 22.7  

🇰🇷 Gwangyang 127.696,34.941 d: 23.3  

🇰🇷 Suncheon 127.494,34.945 d: 32.1  

🇰🇷 Sacheon 128.083,35.067 d: 48.9  

🇰🇷 Jinju 128.108,35.18 d: 60.3  

🇰🇷 Boseong 127.083,34.767 d: 59.5  

🇰🇷 Tongyeong 128.433,34.854 d: 65.3  

🇰🇷 Namwon 127.376,35.379 d: 78.8  

🇰🇷 Jangheung 126.908,34.684 d: 75.6  

🇰🇷 Geoje 128.583,34.85 d: 78.7  

Antipodal to: Yeosu -52.267,-34.733

🇺🇾 Maldonado -54.95,-34.9 d: 19769.5  

🇧🇷 Rio Grande -52.099,-32.041 d: 19715.4  

🇧🇷 Pelotas -52.341,-31.763 d: 19684.8  

🇧🇷 Bagé -54.107,-31.328 d: 19599.5  

🇺🇾 Montevideo -56.198,-34.907 d: 19655.7  

🇺🇾 Canelones -56.284,-34.538 d: 19646.9  

🇺🇾 Durazno -56.517,-33.367 d: 19595.2  

🇺🇾 Tacuarembó -55.983,-31.733 d: 19534.8  

🇧🇷 Viamão -51.023,-30.088 d: 19485.6  

🇧🇷 Porto Alegre -51.229,-30.028 d: 19482.9  

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