| Daejeon | |
| Official Name: | Daejeon Metropolitan City |
| Native Name: | Korean: 대전 |
| Settlement Type: | Metropolitan City |
| Translit Lang1: | |
| Image Blank Emblem: | Emblem of Daejeon.svg |
| Blank Emblem Type: | Logo |
| Pushpin Map: |
|
| Pushpin Label Position: | right |
| Pushpin Relief: | 1 |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | South Korea |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Hoseo |
| Parts Type: | Districts |
| Parts: | 5 |
| Government Type: | Mayor–council |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Lee Jang-woo |
| Leader Title1: | Body |
| Leader Name1: | Daejeon Metropolitan Council |
| Area Total Km2: | 539.85 |
| Population Total: | 1,469,543 |
| Population As Of: | January 2022 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Dialect |
| Population Blank1: | Chungcheong |
| Iso Code: | KR-30 |
| Demographics Type2: | GDP |
| Demographics2 Footnotes: | [1] |
| Demographics2 Title1: | Total |
| Demographics2 Info1: | KR₩ 50 trillion US$ 40 billion (2022) |
| Translit Lang1 Type1: | Hangul |
| Translit Lang1 Info1: | Korean: 대전광역시 |
| Translit Lang1 Type2: | Hanja |
| Translit Lang1 Info2: | Korean: 大田廣域市 |
| Blank Name: | Flower |
| Blank Info: | White magnolia |
| Blank1 Name: | Tree |
| Blank1 Info: | Pine |
| Blank2 Name: | Bird |
| Blank2 Info: | Korean magpie |
Daejeon (; pronounced as /ko/) is South Korea's fifth-largest metropolis, with a population of 1.5 million as of 2019.[2] Located in a central lowland valley between the Sobaek Mountains and the Geum River, the city is known both as a technology and research center, and for its close relationship with the natural environment.[3] Daejeon serves as a hub of transportation for major rail and road routes, and is approximately 50 minutes from the capital, Seoul, by KTX or SRT high speed rail.[4]
Daejeon (along with Seoul, Gwacheon and Sejong City) is one of South Korea's administration hubs. The city is home to 23 universities and colleges, including Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and Chungnam National University, as well as government research institutes, and research and development centers for many chaebols such as Samsung, LG, mostly located in the city's Daedeok Yeongu Danji.[5] [6]
From the 1980s, multiple national administrative functions were moved from Seoul to Daejeon, most of which are now located in the Daejeon Government Complex, resulting in another population increase.[7] The city was a sub host for the 1986 Asian Games, hosted the Expo 1993, the International Mathematical Olympiads in 2000 and will be the main host city of the 2027 Summer World University Games, and was elevated to the status of Metropolitan City in 1989.[8] [9]
Daejeon is situated in a lowland valley with three major rivers, all of them eventually flowing into the Yellow Sea by way of the Geum river. The city is surrounded by several small mountains, and is located approximately south of Seoul and north of Busan, and east of the Yellow Sea.[10] Daejeon experiences a monsoon-influenced, four-season climate with wet, hot summers and drier, cold winters.
Daejeon is bordered to the east by Boeun County and Okcheon County in North Chungcheong Province, to the west by Gongju and Gyeryong in South Chungcheong Province, to the south by Geumsan County and Nonsan in South Chungcheong Province, and to the north by Sejong Special Self-Governing City and Cheongju in North Chungcheong Province. Its geographical coordinates range from 127°14′ to 127°33′ east longitude and 36°10′ to 36°29′ north latitude. Daejeon covers an area of 539.98 square kilometers and has a population of 1,518,775 as of 2015. Administratively, the city is divided into five districts and 79 administrative neighborhoods (177 legal neighborhoods). The metropolitan city hall is located in Dunsan-dong, Seo District, Daejeon.[11]
The earliest record of the modern name 'Daejeon' is in the 1481 geography book, Donggukyeojiseungram. 'Daejeon' (대전 大田) is a Hanja translation of the native placeword for the area, 'Hanbat', meaning Great fields. Hanbat, is a compound word that adds 'Han' (한/often transcribed in Hanja as 韓, as in Korea),that means Great or big, and the word 'Bat', meaning field, leading to Big/Great Field(s).[12] The 'Han' translated into 'Dae' (大) - both meaning big, and 'Bat' translated to 'Jeon' (田), both meaning fields.
The name Hanbat is still in use as a road name for Hanbat-daero, or Hanbat road, a road of 12.7 kilometers connecting Daejeon's Yuseong district to Dong-gu.http://www.daejeon.go.kr/cmm/Download.do?filePath=FileUpload%2FBEF%2Fdj2009%2Fincomming%2Fgongbo%2FAKK0A0A0insertdb_jsp%2F2%EA%B0%9C%EC%9D%B4%EC%83%81_%EC%9E%90%EC%B9%98%EA%B5%AC%EC%97%90_%EA%B1%B8%EC%B2%98_%EC%9E%88%EB%8A%94_%EB%8F%84%EB%A1%9C%EA%B5%AC%EA%B0%84_%EB%93%B1%EC%9D%98%EA%B2%B0%EC%A0%95%28%EA%B3%A0%EC%8B%9C_%EC%A0%9C2009-177%ED%98%B8%29.hwp&fileName=2%EA%B0%9C%EC%9D%B4%EC%83%81+%EC%9E%90%EC%B9%98%EA%B5%AC%EC%97%90+%EA%B1%B8%EC%B2%98+%EC%9E%88%EB%8A%94+%EB%8F%84%EB%A1%9C%EA%B5%AC%EA%B0%84+%EB%93%B1%EC%9D%98%EA%B2%B0%EC%A0%95%28%EA%B3%A0%EC%8B%9C+%EC%A0%9C2009-177%ED%98%B8%29.hwp
It is unclear exactly when humans first inhabited the Daejeon area. However, the Paleolithic site of Seokjang-ri in nearby Gongju, Chungcheongnam-do, and the Yongho-dong site in Daedeok District, Daejeon, suggest that people lived here from around that time. From the Bronze Age, artifacts[13] such as bronze items, dwelling sites, and pottery have been excavated, providing concrete evidence of sustained human habitation.
During the Proto–Three Kingdoms Period, the area was part of Mahan, one of the Three Han states. It is believed to have been home to Sinheunguk (臣釁國), one of the small states that made up Mahan. However, some theories place Sinheunguk in Seosan or Yesan County in South Chungcheong Province, so its exact location is uncertain. Proponents of the Daejeon theory speculate that "Sinheung" is related to Jinhyeon-hyeon, which will be discussed later and eventually connects to the place name Jinjam-dong.[14] Meanwhile, the area around the now Yuseong District is thought to have been the site of Naebiri-guk (內卑離國) of Mahan. This is because the Three Kingdoms-era place name for Yuseong District, Nosaji, is also recorded as Naesaji (內斯只), and both names share the element "Nae" (內).[15]
In the Three Kingdoms Period, the area became part of Baekje's territory and was known as Usul-gun (雨述郡),centered around Eumnae-dong in Daedeok District and including Hoedeok-dong. Also on Usul-gun,in the city exists the remains of Bakjae's mountain fortress Usul-fortress [16] , which was declared a city-designated monument in 1989. This name is a transcription of the native Korean place name "Bisul" or "Bisuri," where they took the meaning "rain" from the character 雨 and the sound "sul" from 述. At Gyejoksan Mountain in Jang-dong, Daedeok District, there is a legend that "when the mountain cries during severe drought, rain comes," leading to the place name "beak-dal-san" or "beakdal" mountain,[17] [18] and "Bisuri," meaning "rainy peak."[19] This legend is also recorded in early Joseon-era texts like the Geographical Appendix to the Annals of King Sejong