Suncheon is the largest city in South Jeolla Province, South Korea, with a population of 280,719 as of 2022. It is located in the southeast of the province and is a scenic agricultural and industrial city, known for tourist attractions, such as Suncheon Bay. The port city of Yeosu is around forty minutes south of Suncheon and Gwangyang twenty minutes to the east of the city. It is currently experiencing strong development due to being included as part of the Gwangyang Bay Free Economic Zone, one of three newly created Free Economic Zones (FEZs) in South Korea due to open within the next decade. As of October 14, 2007 plans are being set up and a referendum is being planned for a merging of the cities of Yeosu, Suncheon and Gwangyang into a new metropolitan city, taking advantage of the Gwangyang Bay Free Economic Zone, Yeosu's Expo 2012 bid and port facilities, Suncheon's educational institutes and Gwangyang's POSCO plant.

History

Yeosu–Suncheon Rebellion

In October 1948, a rebellion swept Yeosu, Suncheon, and nearby towns, when South Korean soldiers refused to take part in the suppression of the ongoing Jeju uprising. The rebel forces killed a number of ROK soldiers, police, officials, and landlords. A couple days later, the rebellion was crushed by the South Korean military. Civilians thought to have aided the rebellion were also summarily executed.

Tourism

2013 Suncheon Garden Exposition

Temples

Castles

Mountains

Parks

Museums

Filming locations

Slogans

On its website, Suncheon is dubbed by its city council as the City of Beautiful People, and its slogan is "Aha! Suncheon."

Twin towns – sister cities

Suncheon is twinned with:

Notable people from Suncheon