Chuncheon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Chuncheon
춘천시
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Municipal City
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| Korean transcription(s) | ||
| • Hangul | 춘천시 | |
| • Hanja | 春川市 | |
| • Revised Romanization | Chuncheon-si | |
| • McCune-Reischauer | Ch'unch'ŏn-si | |
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From the left: Legoland Korea, Chuncheon Songam Sports Town, Chuncheon Post Office, Chuncheon Weather Station, Lake, and City Hall
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Location in South Korea
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| Country | South Korea | |
| Region | Yeongseo, Gwandong | |
| Administrative divisions | 1 eup, 9 myeon, 15 dong | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 1,116.43 km2 (431.06 sq mi) | |
| Population
(October ,2022)
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| • Total | 286,466 | |
| • Density | 225/km2 (580/sq mi) | |
| • Dialect | Gangwon | |
| Area code(s) | +82-33-2xx | |
| Climate | Dwa | |
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Chuncheon (Hangul: 춘천; Hanja: 春川市; Korean pronunciation: [tɕʰun.tɕʰʌn]; meaning spring river) is the capital city of Gangwon Province in South Korea. It is in the northern part of the country. The city sits in a valley formed by the Soyang River and Han River.
You'll find big lakes around Chuncheon, like Soyang Lake and Uiam Lake. There are also small river islands, such as Sangjungdo and Namiseom. The city is a popular place for tourists, especially from East Asia. This is because it was featured in the famous Korean drama Winter Sonata. The main office for Gangwon Province is also located here.
Contents
History of Chuncheon
People have lived in the Chuncheon area for thousands of years. We know this from old tools and artifacts found there. In 637 AD, the city was called Usooju. It was renamed Saku in 757 AD and Chunju in 940 AD. The city got its current name, Chuncheon, in 1413.
In 1896, Chuncheon became the capital of Gangwon province. The city was heavily damaged during the Korean War in a battle called the Battle of Chuncheon. The Uiam Dam on the Bukhan River was finished in 1967. In 1995, Chuncheon city joined with the government of the area around it.
Culture and Festivals
Chuncheon is a city full of fun events and festivals!
Spring Festivals
In spring, you can enjoy the Chuncheon International Mime Festival. There's also the Spring Season Art Festival, celebrating different kinds of art.
Summer Fun
Summer brings the Chuncheon Puppet Festival, where you can see amazing puppet shows. The city also hosts a Makguksu festival. Makguksu is a cold noodle dish that started in Chuncheon. Another summer event is the International Animation Festival, perfect for cartoon lovers.
Autumn and Winter Events
Every October, Chuncheon holds its own annual marathon race, the Chuncheon Marathon. When winter arrives, the city organizes exciting snow and ice festivals.
Local Legends
There's a cool legend about Cheongpyeongsa temple in Chuncheon. It says a man loved a princess so much he turned into a snake. He wouldn't leave her alone! When she went to the temple, the snake followed but was struck by lightning. The princess then buried him at the temple.
Delicious Food
Chuncheon is famous for its food, especially chicken dishes!
Dak Galbi
The city was once known for chicken farming. This led to its famous dish, "dak galbi", which means chicken ribs. But don't let the name fool you! It's usually made with chicken leg meat, not ribs. The dish includes chicken, sliced cabbage, sweet potatoes, tteok (rice cakes), and scallions. Everything is mixed with a spicy sauce that has a lot of gochujang (Korean chili paste).
It's usually cooked in a big iron pan right at your table. There's even a street in Chuncheon with about 25 restaurants just for dak galbi!
Makguksu Noodles
Another special food from Chuncheon is Makguksu noodles. These buckwheat noodles are a regional favorite and known all over Korea.
Things to See and Do
Festivals and Events
Chuncheon has many festivals throughout the year.
Cultural Celebrations
- The Gim Yujeong Literature Festival happens every April. It honors the famous novelist Gim Yujeong.
- The Uiam Jae festival, also in April, celebrates Nongae, a historical figure.
- In May, the Chuncheon International Mime Festival brings performers from around the world. They put on amazing theater and dance shows.
- The Chuncheon Art Festival in July lets local artists show their talents.
- The Chuncheon International Early Music Festival in July features classical traditional music of Korea.
- The Chuncheon Puppet Festival in August showcases traditional puppet shows.
- The Chuncheon International AniTown Festival in September is a free event. You can learn about how animation is made.
Food and Local Festivals
- In August, you can enjoy traditional Chuncheon foods at the Chuncheon Dakgalbi & Makguksu Festival.
- The Soyang festival in September celebrates the history of the Soyang Dam.
Sports Events
- Chuncheon hosts three marathons each year. The National Inlineskate Chuncheon Marathon is in April. The Chosun Ilbo Chuncheon Marathon and the Lakeside Chuncheon Marathon Festival are both in October.
- In June, people compete in the Chuncheon Open International Taekwondo Championships. This is a big event for the Korean martial arts Taekwondo.
- The Gangchon National MTB Challenge Competition in September is a mountain bike racing festival.
Legoland Korea Resort
Legoland Korea Resort is a huge theme park in Chuncheon. It covers 280,000 square meters, making it the second largest Legoland in Asia! It opened on May 5, 2022. The resort has seven themed areas and 40 different rides and attractions.
Economy and Industry
Chuncheon is an important market for farm products from the area, like rice and soybeans. Since the 1960s, light industry has grown a lot in the city. After the TV drama Winter Sonata became very popular, Chuncheon also became a major tourist spot. Many visitors from East Asia come to experience the "Korean Wave" (Han-ryu).
There are also hydroelectric powerplants near Chuncheon. The Soyang Dam is the largest sand and gravel dam in East Asia.
Population Growth
Chuncheon's population has grown steadily over the last 50 years.
| Historical population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1965 | 191,576 | — |
| 1970 | 209,821 | +9.5% |
| 1975 | 204,246 | −2.7% |
| 1980 | 210,985 | +3.3% |
| 1985 | 213,198 | +1.0% |
| 1990 | 217,869 | +2.2% |
| 1995 | 233,016 | +7.0% |
| 2000 | 251,991 | +8.1% |
| 2005 | 256,455 | +1.8% |
| 2010 | 272,739 | +6.3% |
| 2015 | 281,725 | +3.3% |
| 2020 | 284,645 | +1.0% |
| Source: Statistics Korea (1965-2015), citypopulation.de (2020) | ||
Education in Chuncheon
Chuncheon has several universities, both national and private.
National Universities
- Kangwon National University
- Chuncheon National University of Education
- Korea National Open University Gangwon Campus
- Korea Polytechnic 3 University
Private Universities
- Hallym University
- Hallym Sungsim University
- Songgok College
Transportation
Chuncheon has good transportation links.
Train Services
As of 2014, there are two main train stations in the Chuncheon area: Chuncheon station (the end of the Gyeongchun Line) and the busier Namchuncheon station. Other stations like Gimyujeong and Gangchon are popular with tourists. The Gyeongchun Line is a fast commuter train. It connects Chuncheon to Seoul stations like Yongsan and Cheongnyangni. A new part of the Gyeongchun Line opened in 2010. You can get to Chuncheon from Seoul in about an hour and a half by subway.
Roads and Expressways
Chuncheon is at the northern end of the Jungang Expressway. It's also a main stop on the Seoul–Yangyang Expressway, which connects to Seoul. This expressway now goes all the way to Yangyang on the east coast. Chuncheon Bus Terminal connects the city to all major cities in South Korea.
The city is also a key point for several national roads. These include Route 5 (connecting Changwon to Cheolwon), Route 46 (Incheon to Goseong), and Route 56 (Cheolwon to Yangyang).
River Transport
You can also travel by boat on Soyangho (Lake Soyang). This connects to the Buddhist temple Cheongpyeongsa.
Climate
Chuncheon has a climate with cold, dry winters and hot, rainy summers. This is known as a monsoon-influenced humid continental climate. The lowest temperature ever recorded was -27.9°C in February 1969. The highest was 39.5°C in August 2018. The city gets about 1347.3 mm of rain each year.
| Climate data for Chuncheon (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1966–present) | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 12.7 (54.9) |
19.9 (67.8) |
23.5 (74.3) |
32.0 (89.6) |
34.0 (93.2) |
36.4 (97.5) |
37.2 (99.0) |
39.5 (103.1) |
34.7 (94.5) |
28.5 (83.3) |
24.8 (76.6) |
16.6 (61.9) |
39.5 (103.1) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 1.9 (35.4) |
5.4 (41.7) |
11.6 (52.9) |
18.9 (66.0) |
24.3 (75.7) |
28.1 (82.6) |
29.3 (84.7) |
29.9 (85.8) |
25.6 (78.1) |
19.6 (67.3) |
11.2 (52.2) |
3.5 (38.3) |
17.4 (63.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −4.1 (24.6) |
−1.0 (30.2) |
5.0 (41.0) |
11.7 (53.1) |
17.6 (63.7) |
22.2 (72.0) |
24.9 (76.8) |
25.0 (77.0) |
19.8 (67.6) |
12.7 (54.9) |
5.3 (41.5) |
−2.0 (28.4) |
11.4 (52.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −9.3 (15.3) |
−6.7 (19.9) |
−1.1 (30.0) |
4.7 (40.5) |
11.3 (52.3) |
17.0 (62.6) |
21.3 (70.3) |
21.3 (70.3) |
15.3 (59.5) |
7.5 (45.5) |
0.4 (32.7) |
−6.6 (20.1) |
6.3 (43.3) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −25.6 (−14.1) |
−27.9 (−18.2) |
−16.2 (2.8) |
−6.4 (20.5) |
1.6 (34.9) |
5.6 (42.1) |
11.7 (53.1) |
11.3 (52.3) |
1.9 (35.4) |
−5.4 (22.3) |
−15.8 (3.6) |
−21.7 (−7.1) |
−27.9 (−18.2) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 18.6 (0.73) |
27.6 (1.09) |
33.5 (1.32) |
71.5 (2.81) |
99.4 (3.91) |
122.9 (4.84) |
398.2 (15.68) |
319.9 (12.59) |
128.1 (5.04) |
49.3 (1.94) |
48.3 (1.90) |
24.2 (0.95) |
1,341.5 (52.81) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 6.2 | 5.9 | 7.3 | 8.3 | 9.1 | 9.9 | 15.6 | 14.0 | 8.3 | 6.0 | 8.0 | 7.5 | 106.1 |
| Average snowy days | 8.8 | 6.3 | 3.9 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.8 | 6.7 | 27.7 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 68.0 | 63.2 | 60.6 | 58.8 | 65.0 | 70.6 | 80.0 | 80.5 | 78.2 | 76.2 | 73.3 | 71.5 | 70.5 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 170.0 | 174.3 | 199.9 | 210.1 | 227.5 | 205.0 | 144.2 | 166.3 | 173.3 | 178.9 | 141.8 | 148.4 | 2,139.7 |
| Percent possible sunshine | 54.1 | 56.6 | 53.3 | 54.5 | 50.2 | 45.3 | 32.1 | 40.1 | 46.6 | 50.0 | 46.4 | 50.0 | 47.7 |
| Source: Korea Meteorological Administration (snow and percent sunshine 1981–2010) | |||||||||||||
Sports
Chuncheon is home to several sports teams and events.
Ice Hockey
High1 is an ice hockey team based in Chuncheon. They used to be part of the Asia League Ice Hockey from 2005 to 2019.
Football
Chuncheon's football club is Chuncheon FC. They play in the K4 League, which is a semi-professional football league in South Korea. The club started in 2010 and plays its home games at the Chuncheon Stadium.
Famous People from Chuncheon
Many talented people come from Chuncheon, including:
- Son Heung-Min: A famous South Korean footballer.
- Hwang Hee-chan: Another well-known South Korean footballer.
- Hur Jae: A South Korean basketball coach and former basketball player.
- Kim Jun-hyun: A South Korean comedian.
- Park Bo-ram: A South Korean singer-songwriter.
- Seunghee (Hyun Seung-hee): A singer, dancer, actress, and K-pop idol from the girl group Oh My Girl.
- Yebin (Baek Ye-bin): A singer-songwriter, dancer, and K-pop idol from the former girl groups DIA and Uni.T.
- Changjo (Choi Jong-hyun): A singer, rapper, dancer, and K-pop idol from the boy group Teen Top.
- Gim Yu-jeong: One of Korea's famous novelists.
- Jin Jong-oh: A South Korean sports shooter who won medals in the Olympics.
- Han Seung-soo: The 39th prime minister of South Korea (2008-2009).
Sister Cities
Chuncheon has special relationships with other cities around the world. These are called "sister city" relationships.
| City | State | Country | Year launched | Year terminated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Higashichikuma District |  Nagano Prefecture |
 Japan |
8 June 1984 | |
| Hōfu |  Yamaguchi Prefecture |
Japan |
29 October 1991 | |
| Dongdaemun District | Seoul |  South Korea |
2003 | |
| Ansan-si | Gyeonggi-do | South Korea |
2011 | |
| Kakamigahara |  Gifu Prefecture |
Japan |
31 October 2003 | 25 June 2005 |
| Addis Ababa | Addis Ababa (State) |  Ethiopia |
2 May 2004 | |
| Chicago |  Illinois |
 United States |
1998 | |
| Nanyang | Henan |  China |
15 September 2012 |
See also
In Spanish: Chuncheon para niños
