Jongno District


Jongno District is a district in central Seoul, South Korea. It takes its name from a major local street, Jongno, which means "Bell Street".

Characteristic

Jongno District has been the center of the city for 600 years, since it is where the Joseon dynasty established its capital city. Jongno District is commonly referred to as the face and heart of Korea because of its important roles in the politics, economics, culture, and history as the capital city. Jongno District is home to palaces in which the kings used to reside and work, such as Gyeongbok Palace, Changdeok Palace, Changgyeonggung and Unhyeon Palace. The South Korean president's current residence, the Cheongwadae, is also located in the Jongno District.
With the historical value and cultural properties, Jongno District attracts visitors' attention. These include the restored Cheonggyecheon stream, the traditional neighborhood of Insa-dong, and the Jongmyo shrine. Art Center Nabi and Gahoe Museum, a relics museum is also located in the district. A number of colleges and universities are located here; these include the main campuses of Sungkyunkwan University and Baehwa Women's College.
Jongno District is also home to Jogyesa, the chief temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism.
The area is also home to the Gwanghwamun Plaza a public open space on Sejongno and is part of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's plans for environmentally friendly renovation projects such as the Cheonggye Stream and Seoul Plaza. It is also of historical significant as the location for royal administrative buildings and features statues of the Admiral Yi Sun-sin of Joseon Dynasty and King Sejong the Great of Joseon.

History

Etymology

in Korean, the name 'Jongno' means Bell Street. Jongno district is named after the road Jongno, which is a major trunk road running through the center of the district. The bell in question refers to Bosingak belfry, which sits at Jonggak intersection, on Jongno road.

Hanyang

Jongno district was historically the center of Joseon & latterly the Korean Empire and retained its prominence in the modern era after the establishment of the Republic of Korea. Hanyang, the capital of Joseon, included Jongno district and Jung district.
In October, 1394, Taejo Lee Seong-gye moved his capital from Gaegyeong to Hanyang. The capital of Goryeo, Gaegyeong, had a strong base of traditional forces against Lee Seong-gye. In addition, the topography divination theory states that the new dynasty was unlucky due to its failure, and that it also moved to Hanyang with regard to water transport of rice and military geographical conditions.
Following the relocation of the capital city, the Joseon government pushed for the construction of Hanyang, starting with the construction of Jongmyo. The construction of the main palace, Gyeongbok Palace and the separate palace, Changdeok Palace was done. In 1395, it was renamed as Hanyang Department. In 1399, the capital was moved to Gagyeong for a while because of the Prince’s rebellion but, in 1405, the capital changed back to Hanyang. The city grew into a large city with about 200,000 people at King Sejong’s time.

Economy

As the traditional heart of Seoul, Jongno is still an important business center. Notable companies based in Jongno include Kumho Asiana Group, Kyobo Life. Lotte Group, SK Group, Hyundai Engineering & Construction, Daewoo E&C, Daelim Group, East Asia Daily and many more. The district also features numerous major business centers and office buildings housing businesses as well as diplomatic missions.
The headquarters of South Korean skincare retailer The Face Shop is located in the LG Gwanghwamun Building on sinmunno 2-ga.
The head office of Air Seoul is in the Kumho Asiana Main Tower in Sinmunno 1-ga, Jongro Gu.

Culture & Tourism

Tourism plays a major role in the district's economy. Several of the most well-known attractions are located in the district, as is Gwanghwamun Plaza which attracts huge numbers of tourists every year given its central location. In addition, the tourist areas of Insa-Dong and Bukchon Hanok Village also attract huge numbers of visitors. Another popular tourist destination is Gwangjang Market, previously called Dongdaemun Market. It is one of the oldest traditional markets in the country and is visted by approximately 65,000 each day.

Politics

Jongno district is considered as the most important district in South Korean politics, as it is located in the heart of Seoul, and thus in the heart of the Republic of Korea. The district is the home to the official residence of the President, the Blue House, and two of the three largest plazas in Seoul, making the district the first constituency to appear in the National Election Commssion's election statistics, and in exit polls for every nationwide election. Because of the significance in politics the district has, every political party carefully selects its own candidate to run in every election, and even most minor parties nominate their candidates to run in the district while they choose not to nominate candidates in other constituencies in Seoul.
Jongno has elected three presidents to represent it in the National Assembly: Yun Posun, Roh Moo-hyun and Lee Myung-bak. Although Jongno is named as 'district', but its residents are entitled to elect their own mayor and form their own district council, as 25 districts in Seoul, including Jongno, have city-equivalent status. The City of Seoul has province-equivalent status and its mayor is regarded as a cabinet-minister-level position. The mayorship is regarded as a higher position than any other provincial governors, as these positions are regarded as deputy minister level positions.
Traditionally, the district has been regarded as a Conservative stronghold riding in Seoul, since Seoul natives and rich people used to form a majority in terms of resident numbers in towns such as Pyeongchang, Samcheong-dong, Sajik-dong, Jongro 1 and 4. However, as Democrats gradually gained power in the Sudogwon region in the 2010s, and eventually making the region their stronghold, the party also gained power in the district, thanks to the votes of Sungkyunkwan University students in Hyehwa-dong and residents of relatively lower income in towns such as Changsin-dong and Sungin-dong.
As of 2020, the district is regarded as Democratic stronghold, as are many other constituencies in Seoul. The district is represented by Chung Sye-kyun, a Democrat, former Speaker of the National Assembly and now the Prime Minister; the city government leaded by Kim Yeong-jong, also a Democrat.

Government and Diplomatic Missions

The headquarters of the Ministry of Security and Public Administration is located in the Seoul Government Complex in Jongno District. The third and fourth floors of the same building house the Ministry of Unification.
The headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is located in the MOFA Building in Jongno District.
Previously the Ministry of Education had its headquarters in the Central Government Complex in Jongno District. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism also had its headquarters in Jongno District. The Ministry of Health and Welfare had its headquarters in the Hyundai Building. The offices of those ministries have moved to Sejong City.
Before merged into another ministry in 2008, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries was located in Jongro-gu. It was re-established in Sejong City.
Being at the center of the city, the district hosts numerous diplomatic missions:
The current mayor of Jong-no district is Kim Yeong-jong, a Democrat; Kim has served as mayor from July 2010. The district council serves administrative functions such as Foreign Seal Registration, International Marriage, Adoption, Acknowledgement reports and Alien Registration Certificates for foreigners residing in Jongno District.

Subdivisions

Those are some of the district administrative dongs. For a complete list, see :Template:Jongno District|here.

Attractions

Education

Universities:
Private schools:
Public schools: