Naju

Naju 나주
—  Municipal City  —
Korean transcription(s)
- Hangul	나주시
- Hanja	羅州市
- Revised Romanization	Naju-si
- McCune-Reischauer	Naju-si
Emblem of Naju
Naju Location in South Korea
Coordinates: 35°02′N 126°43′E / 35.033°N 126.717°E / 35.033; 126.717
Country	South Korea
Region	Honam
Administrative divisions	1 eup, 12 myeon, 6 dong
Area
- Total	603.69 km2 (233.1 sq mi)
Population (2001)
- Total	108,962
- Density	180/km2 (466.2/sq mi)
- Dialect	Jeolla

Naju (Naju-si) is a city in South Jeolla Province, South Korea.

The capital of South Jeolla was located at Naju until it was moved to Gwangju in 1895. The name Jeolla actually originates from the first character of Jeonju (전, 全) and the first character of Naju (나, 羅). Dongshin University is situated in Naju. Naju is famous for the Naju Pear which is a large round pear that forms its district logo.

History

• In the Later Three Kingdoms period of Korean history, Wang Geon (later Taejo of Goryeo Dynasty) occupied the Naju area, which was then part of Baekje Kingdom and came to become large base of his political support.^[1]
• In 1986, the governmental name was changed from Geumseong to Naju.^[2]
• In 1995, Naju city was expanded to include Naju county.^[3]

Products

A well-known local product is the Naju Pear, which has long been cultivated along the River Yeongsan.^[4]

Naju Pears and muskmelons are popular as gifts for Lunar New Year and other holidays.

Innovative city

Naju was designated an Innovative City candidate and the opening ceremony for city construction was held on November 8, 2007. President Roh participated in the opening events.

If the city was to win the title of "Innovative City", several public offices would move from Seoul, to the Naju area. Naju's construction was 4th begun after Jeju, Gimcheon and Jinju.

The area of the new city is expected to be 7.26m². The masterplan of Naju city proposed to develop eco-friendly nature and city administration.^[5]

Also in Naju is The Naju Pear Museum and Pear Orchard for Tourists (나주배박물관 및 배밭 관광체험), which is dedicated to the Asian pear; all of its displays are in Korean.

Symbols

• Flower : Pear blossoms
• Bird : Dove
• Tree : Ginkgo Tree

Sister cities

• Kurayoshi, Tottori, Japan
• Wenatchee, Washington, United States
• Isaac, Central Queensland, Australia

Drama spots

The drama Jumong was filmed in Naju. An amusement park called 'Samhanji Theme Park' was used for the film set because of its traditional sceneries.

It hosts events including children's dying wishes. Lots of elementary schools are registering for this program.^[6]

See also

• List of cities in South Korea

References

1. ^ Establishment of city and county according to Constitution of the Republic of Korea(1981.4.13)
2. ^ Provisional changes including Guri city and 11 cities and counties and permission of modification naming Naju.(1985.12.28.) from Constitution of the Republic of Korea
3. ^ Institution dealing with complex of city-county.(1994.8.3.)
4. ^ Official page
5. ^ National Briefing : whole parts were taken and translated http://korea.kr/newsWeb/appmanager/portal/news?_nfpb=true&portlet_categorynews_2_actionOverride=%2Fpages%2Fbrief%2FcategoryNews%2Fview&_windowLabel=portlet_categorynews_2&_pageLabel=news_page_02&_nfls=false&portlet_categorynews_2newsDataId=148641477&portl
6. ^ Naju became popular dying place 나주 천연염색문화관 체험현장 ‘각광’ http://www.dailian.co.kr/news/n_view.html?id=63795

External links

• City government home page
• Naju's Eucharistic miracle in the Vatican

Coordinates: 35°02′N 126°43′E / 35.033°N 126.717°E / 35.033; 126.717