Seongnam (Korean pronunciation: [sʰʌŋ.nam]) is the fourth largest city in South Korea's Gyeonggi Province after Suwon[2] and the 10th largest city in the country. Its population is approximately one million. It consists of three administrative districts: Bundang-gu, Jungwon-gu, and Sujeong-gu.
Seongnam, one of the foremost planned cities in South Korean history, was conceived during the era of President Park Chung-Hee for the purpose of industrializing the nation by concentrating electronic, textile, and petrochemical facilities there during the 1970s and 1980s. The city featured a network of roads, to Seoul and other major cities like Gwangju, Gyeonggi, from the early 1970s on. Today, Seongnam has merged with the metropolitan network of Seoul. Seongnam has also served as a ′test bed′ of South Korea's urban planning history. Bundang, one of the successful new town projects in the country, has been settled in a southern half of Seongnam since 1991.
The city is also home to K League football club Seongnam FC.[3]
Numerous major companies have migrated their headquarters from Downtown Seoul to Seongnam to help government's plan to accelerate the dispersion of Seoul's population to its suburbs and relieve the congested Seoul metropolitan area. Seongnam is now home to prominent companies such as KT[4] (formerly Korea Telecom), Naver, and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries.
Pangyo Techno Valley is the premier industrial complex in Seongnam.[5] Nowcom has its headquarters in Pangyo.[6] Because of its significance, Pangyo now serves as a core area of Seongnam, replacing the old downtown in northeast Jungwon and Sujeong.
Seongnam FC is a professional football club based in the city. The club now competes in the K League 2.
Seongnam is well-known for one of the highest educational standard. Dong Seoul University and Gachon University are the major universities in the city. Many high schools provide competitive and rigorous education to local students.
Seongnam is under jurisdiction of Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education. The municipal office of education reports to Gyeonggi Provincial Superintendent, and is located in Seohyeon-dong, Bundang-gu.
The city's only international school is Korea International School - Pangyo. Seongnam is home to the Seongnam Foreign Language High School and Gachon University's primary campus.[7]
In Seongnam, there are 1 provincial library, and 17 municipal libraries.
The Seongnam Arts Center includes three theaters: the opera house, concert hall, and ensemble theater. It also includes the main arts hall and the cube arts hall, an academy, musical fountains, outdoor recreation facilities, and leisure facilities.[8]
Seongnam has a humid continental climate (Köppen: Dwa), but can be considered a borderline humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cwa) using the −3 °C (27 °F) isotherm.
Seongnam is twinned with:[10]
37°26′N 127°9′E / 37.433°N 127.150°E / 37.433; 127.150