Paju
Paju is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Paju was made a city in 1997; it had previously been a county.
The city area of Paju is, and it is located just south of Panmunjeom on the 38th parallel. In 2015, the population of Paju was over 427,000. To defend the South Korean capital, Seoul, many U.S. and South Korean Army bases are set up in the area.
In 2002, the northernmost South Korean railway station, Dorasan, was opened. North Korean territory and Kaesong City can be seen from Mount Dora in the city.
City symbols
Cosmos
Cosmos is Paju City's representative of flowers growing wild in Spring. It has very strong vitality, and symbolize unity and harmonious life as a citizen of Paju City. The flowers have different colors, including pale pink and red.Gingko
s are usually planted as street trees. People can obtain high-quality wood from them. Also, their leaves and fruits are used as a valuable medicine.Pigeon
Pigeons are meek and gentle with soft feathers which follow humans well. They symbolize the peace and security of mankind, and they mean to desire the unification of the Korean Peninsula and the well-being of citizens.Badge of Paju City
The badge brings the look of Paju implicitly. Semiconductors, which symbolize high-tech industry, high-quality culture and books, and life based on the shape of the rice industry have represented the badge with the symbol Paju logo.Natural environment
Paju city has east and west low type of geographic trait. Many mountains are located in eastern Paju, assemble to create the border with Yangzhou. In northern Paju, mountains form the border with Goyang. Moreover, in central Paju some lower mountains spread toward south. For the major rivers in Paju, there are Imjin River and Han River. Imjin River flows between northern west and west, and Han River flows in western south of Paju. The average annual temperature of Paju is 10.5 ℃, the average January temperature is -4 ℃ and the average temperature is 25 ℃ in August. Lastly, annual precipitation of Paju is around 1,300mm.Tourist attractions
Heyri Art Valley
is the largest art village in South Korea and its Korean culture and many genres of art attract visitors. The area includes residences, workrooms and galleries for artists, museums and performance spaces designed by artists. It was planned from 1998 and its name Heyri is derived from a traditional farming song of Paju. Architects tried to combine the view of nature with the valley when they make plan. The valley hosts art performances appealing to audiences of all ages. The attractive theme brings people to visit every weekend, and more people visit the valley in spring and autumn because it holds art festival during the seasons.Specialties
Jangdan bean
Jangdan beans are one of Paju’s famous traditional specialties. From a long time ago, crops have been important for Korean people’s livelihood because their land and environment were suited for agriculture. Therefore, two major crops, rice and bean, have been developed over time. Jangdan bean is one of these crops which have been harvested in Paju. The name Jangdan is derived from the name of a village in Paju, which existed before the Korean War. Even though the village is now gone, people still call the bean the Jangdan bean because the former village was so well known for these beans. Today, Jangdan beans are only commonly seen In Panmunjom which is located at the border between South Korea and North Korea.Education
The city has 3 polytechnic universities including Doowon Technical University College.Paju English Village
Paju English Village is a huge area which was constructed to teach children English and let them experience western culture. Hundreds of foreign teachers are hired in the village. The educational village pushes ahead various curriculum to provide several educational programs called "English Camp". To attend the programs, children's parents have to pay and send children to the village for several days. The length of the program is depending on the type of program. People also visit the village because of its visual and new cultural atmosphere.Sports
, an independent baseball team, has been based in the city.Administrative divisions
Paju is divided as follows:- Beobwon-eup
- Paju-eup
- Munsan-eup
- Jori-eup
- Wollong-myeon
- Papyeong-myeon
- Jeokseong-myeon
- Gwangtan-myeon
- Tanhyeon-myeon
- Gunnae-myeon
- Jangdan-myeon
- Jinseo-myeon
- Jindong-myeon
- Gyoha-dong
- Geumchon1-dong
- * Geumchon-dong
- * Adong-dong
- * Yadong-dong
- * Geomsan-dong
- * Maekgeum-dong
- Geumchon-2-dong
- * Geumchon-dong
- * Geumneung-dong
- Unjeong 1-dong
- * Gyoha-dong
- * Dangha-dong
- * Wadong-dong
- Unjeong 2-dong
- * Mokdong-dong
- Unjeong 3-dong
- * Dongpae-dong
- * Yadang-dong
Military bases
- Camp Bonifas and Camp Liberty-Bell
- Camp Dodge – closed
- Camp Edwards – closed
- Camp Garry Owen – closed
- Camp Giant – closed
- Camp Greaves – closed
- Camp Howze – closed
- Camp Irwin – closed
- Camp Pelham – closed
- Camp Semper Fidelis
- Camp Stanton – closed
- Multi-Purpose Live Fire Complex, also called Rodriguez Range or Rodriguez Live Fire Complex
Military cemetery
Attractions
- Gloucester Valley Battle Monument – war memorial
- Heyri Art Valley – with 350 artists in fine arts, music, theater, photography, sculpture, crafts and literature. It aims to promote cultural interchange, education, and exhibit and sell hand-crafted works of art.
- Jayuro Road of Freedom
- Panmunjom
- Korean Demilitarized Zone
- Paju Book City
- Tongilro Road of Unification or National Road No. 1
- Yong Ju Gol – a red-light district
Notable people
- Sim Sang-jung, former leader of the Justice Party, member of the National Assembly representing Gyeonggi Goyang A, and 2017 South Korean presidential election.
- Kim Young-moo, poet and scholar
- Ahn Jung-Hwan, professional footballer and show host
- Cho Jae-jin, professional footballer
- Yoon Do-hyun, musician, lead singer of YB
- Kang Jiyoung, pop singer and actress, former member of South Korean girl group Kara
- Hwang Kwanghee, member of South Korean boy group
- Lee Mi-Swel, contestant on K-pop Star, a South Korean talent show competition.
- Choi Ji-woo, South Korean actress
- Kim Eun-jung, children's writer
- Park Shin-hye, South Korean actress
- Park Myung-keun, South Korean politician and four-time elected member of the National Assembly.
- Kim Da-mi, South Korean Actress
In popular culture
- It is the location of the 2009 film Paju, starring by Lee Sun-kyun and Seo Woo.
- Parts of Burning, South Korea's 2018 submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, are set in Paju.
- The Mnet survival show Produce 101 as well as its second season were filmed at the English Village.
Sister cities
- Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada
- Cuenca, Castilla–La Mancha, Spain
- Eskişehir, Turkey
- Hadano, Kanagawa, Japan
- Jinzhou, Liaoning, China
- Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang, China
- Pasadena, California, United States
- Stellenbosch, South Africa
- Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia