Sangju, North Gyeongsang Province, Yeongnam, South Korea

🇰🇷 Sangju is a city in North Gyeongsang Province, central South Korea. Although Sangju is rather rural, it is very old and was once a key city. Along with Gyeongju, it gives rise to half of the name of the Gyeongsang provinces. Sangju is nicknamed Sam Baek, or "Three Whites", referring to three prominent agricultural products rice, silkworm cocoons, and dried persimmons from the area.

Geography Sangju lies on the north-western border of North Gyeongsang province, touching on North Chungcheong province. Thus, to its west and north it adjoins the North Chungcheong counties of Boeun, Goesan, Okcheon, and Yeongdong. Within North Gyeongsang province, it touches Mungyeong on the north, Yecheon, Uiseong, and Gumi on the east, and Gimcheon to the south.

The north and west extremes of the city are found in Hwabuk-myeon. The southern limit lies in Gongseong-myeon, on the border with Gimcheon city. The eastern edge of Sangju is found in Jungdong-myeon. The city thus spans a total distance of about 49 km (30 mi) from north to south, and about 43.3 km (26.9 mi) from east to west.

All of Sangju lies in the valley of the Nakdong River. Various tributaries flow into the Nakdong in Sangju, including the Yeong (which rises in Mungyeong). The land slopes down from the Sobaek Mountains in the east to the river basin. The highest elevation in Sangju is found at the top of Songnisan, 1,058 m above sea level. Like most of South Korea, the terrain is generally hilly, with only a few flat areas along the rivers. Because of this rugged terrain, 67% of the land in Sangju is classified as "vacant", unused for agricultural or other purposes.

Namsan mountain is located in the city.

Divisions Sangju is divided into one eup, seventeen myeon, and six dongs. These 24 primary divisions are made up of 361 ri.

The lone eup is Hamchang, on the city's northern border with Mungyeong.

From west to east along the city's northern border, the myeon are Hwabuk-myeon, Oeseo-myeon, Euncheok-myeon, and Ian-myeon which adjoins Hamchang-eup. From north to south along the western border are Sabeol-myeon, Jungdong-myeon, and Nakdong-myeon. From east to west along the southern border are Cheongni-myeon, Gongseong-myeon, Modong-myeon, and Moseo-myeon in the south-west corner. Along the central western border lie Hwadong-myeon and Hwanam-myeon. In addition, the interior of the city includes Hwaseo-myeon, Gonggeom-myeon, Naeseo-myeon and Oenam-myeon.

The dongs are clustered around the city centre, and from 1986 to 1995 they made up all of Sangju City (see "History, above). They are Bukmun-dong in the northern part of town, Gyerim-dong in the north-east, Dongmun-dong to the east, Dongseong-dong to the south-east, Sinheung-dong to the south, and Namwon-dong to the west. Namwon-dong is the most populous.

Economy The economy of Sangju is traditionally agricultural. Agriculture remains an important sector, as 40% of the city's residents are engaged in farming. Sangju has the largest number of farming households of any district in South Korea, and the most agricultural land of any district in North Gyeongsang.

The area has been famed for sericulture (silk production) since Silla times. Currently 243,000 m2 (2,615,630 sq ft) of land are engaged in silk production, bringing in about 434 million won annually. In addition, numerous other cash crops are farmed in the area. The most important agricultural product is rice, in the production of which Sangju is 7th in the country, with 169.13 square km (65.30 sq mi) in production yielding 162.9 billion won. Other important products include grapes, apples, pears, and cucumbers.

Sangju today is an important regional centre of industry and commerce as well, exerting a significant economic effect on neighboring areas. This is facilitated by its strong transit connections (see Transportation, below). Also, Sangju tries to keep up agaricultural section with some specialized produces such as dried persimmon and fruits raised in high altitude.

Education Sangju is home to Sangju National University, a government-administered institution with a focus on agricultural technology. Many young people of college age leave the area to attend schools in the Seoul National Capital Area or other major cities.

Transportation The Gyeongbuk Line railroad runs through Sangju city, connecting to the main Gyeongbu Line in Gimcheon. It is thus possible to take passenger trains from Sangju to major south-eastern cities such as Daegu and Busan. The Gyeongbuk Line carries both passenger and freight traffic, and provides an important link for people and businesses in the hinterland of Sangju. Aside from Sangju Station itself, stations are located in Sabeol-myeon (Baegwon Station), Gonggeom-myeon (Yangjeom Station), and Hamchang-eup (Hamchang Station) north of the city, and Cheongni-myeon (Cheongni Station) and Gongseong-myeon (Oksan Station) to the south.

The Jungbu Naeryuk Expressway, number 45, runs from north to south through the city and connects Sangju with the national expressway grid. The Sangju interchange is located near the city centre, and the North Sangju interchange near Hamchang. An additional expressway, number 30, which will run from west to east, is under construction.

In addition, national highways connect Sangju with many neighboring cities and towns. For example, National Road 3 has served as the traditional artery connecting Sangju with Mungyeong and Chungju, and National Road 25 continues to play an important role tying Sangju to its neighbor on the western side of the Sobaek mountains, Boeun County.