Jung District () is one of the 25 districts of Seoul, South Korea. It has a population of 131,452 (2013) and has a geographic area , making it both the least-populous and the smallest district of Seoul, and is divided into 15 dong (administrative neighborhoods). Jung is located at the centre of Seoul on the northern side of the Han River, bordering the city districts of Jongno to the north, Seodaemun to the northwest, Mapo to the west, Yongsan to the south, Seongdong to the southeast, and Dongdaemun to the northeast.
Jung is the historical city center of Seoul with a variety of old and new, including modern facilities such as high rise office buildings, department stores and shopping malls clustered together, and also a center of tradition where historic sites such as Deoksugung and Namdaemun can be found. Jung is home to cultural sites such as the landmark N Seoul Tower on Namsan, the Myeongdong Cathedral, the Bank of Korea Museum, and the Gwangtonggwan, the oldest continuously-operating bank building in Korea and one of city's protected monuments since March 5, 2001. The Myeongdong neighborhood is one of the most famous shopping areas and popular tourist destinations in South Korea. The district has undergone significant redevelopment in the recent decades, especially with the remodeling of Seoul Plaza and the opening up of Cheonggyecheon, previously covered by an elevated highway.
Administrative divisions
NeighborhoodHangulHanjaCheonggu-dong청구동靑丘洞Dasan-dong다산동茶山洞Donghwa-dong동화동東化洞Euljiro-dong을지로동乙支路洞Gwanghui-dong광희동光熙洞Hoehyeon-dong회현동會賢洞Hwanghak-dong황학동黃鶴洞Jangchung-dong장충동奬忠洞Jungnim-dong중림동中林洞Myeong-dong명동明洞Pil-dong필동筆洞Sindang-dong신당동新堂洞Sindang 5-dong신당제5동新堂第5洞Sogong-dong소공동小公洞Yaksu-dong약수동藥水洞
Economy
Jung District is one of the most significant business cores of Seoul with many companies being based around Sejong-daero or Eulji-ro. Notable companies based in Jung District include Hanhwa, Shinsegae, Hanjin, Doosan Corporation, SK Telecom, LG U+, Daewoo International, Daehan Logistics, Ssangyong Cement, Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, Lotte Shopping and many more. Also, many banking and other financial companies have headquarters in Jung District, such as KB Financial Group, Woori Financial Group, Shinhan Financial Group, Hana Financial Group, Korea Life Insurance, Samsung Life Insurance, Industrial Bank of Korea, Korean Exchange Bank, Samsung Card. Major newspapers such as The Chosun Ilbo and JoongAng Ilbo, The Dong-A Ilbo are also based in Jung District.
The headquarters of South Korean food company CJ Cheil Jedang is in the CJ Cheiljedang Building in Ssangnim-dong, near the Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station.
Tourism Jung-Gu contains numerous popular tourist spots, both modern historical & modern. These include Deoksugung, Cheonggyecheon, Seoul Plaza, Namsan Tower, Dongdaemun Design Plaza, the Myeongdong Cathedral, the Bank of Korea Museum and the popular shopping district of Myeongdong. To support tourists visiting the district there are tour buses which operate from Sejong-daero and the Seoul Metropolitan Government provide tourist support services.
Jung District also hosts several major duty free stores, including Shilla, Shinsegae & Lotte. These, along with Myeongdong, constitute the busiest tourist shopping area in the city.
One of the most recent tourist developments in the district in Seoullo 7017. The development, also known as the Seoul Skygarden or Skypark, is an elevated, linear park built atop a former highway overpass connecting the western and eastern sides of Seoul Station. The development was modeled on the High Line in New York City.
Air France operates a ticketing office on the 11th floor of the Korean Air Building in Jung District."11th floor, Korean Air Building ." Air France. Retrieved on January 16, 2009. Air China has an office on the 1st and 2nd floors of the Hansuang Building in Seosomun-dong in Jung District."International Offices ." Air China. Retrieved on January 18, 2009. All Nippon Airways operates the Seoul Office in Room 1501 on the 15th floor of the Center Building in Sogong-dong, Jung District."ANA city offices Asia ." All Nippon Airways. Retrieved on August 13, 2011. "Seoul Office Room 1501, 15F Center Bldg. 91-1, Sogong-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul" Hainan Airlines operates its South Korea office in Suite 1501 of the Samyoung Building in Sogong-dong."Contact Us ." Hainan Airlines. Retrieved on January 18, 2009. MIAT Mongolian Airlines has its Seoul Branch Office in the Soonhwa Building in Sunhwa-dong."Contact Us ." MIAT Mongolian Airlines. Retrieved on June 27, 2010. "SEOUL BRANCH OFFICE 9th Floor, Soonhwa Building 5–2 Sunhwa-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul 100–130, Korea"
Former operations In the 1980s Korean Air had its headquarters in Jung District."World Airline Directory." Flight International. May 16, 1981. 1444. Its current headquarters are located in Gonghang-dong, Gangseo-gu.
Transport
Rail and Metro Being the central district of the city, Jung District is connected to numerous subway lines and shares Seoul Station with Yongsan District (the station straddles the border between the two districts). Seoul Station is served by intercity rail services run by KORAIL (KTX, ITX, Mugunghwa & tourist services) as well as AREX Airport Railroad services. Seoul Station is also served by Lines 1 and 4 of the Seoul Metro. the station also features a large multi-lane bus station immediately adjacent to the eastern (main) entrance.
Buses Aside from Seoul station, the district is well served by both buses and subway lines. Lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 all run through the district. Local (green), city (blue) and express (red) buses operate throughout the district.
Government
Seoul City Hall is located within Jung District. The current building, which was opened in 2012, sits beside the former building, which is now home to Seoul Metropolitan Library. The National Human Rights Commission of Korea has its headquarters in the Gumsegi Building in Jung District.
The Korean Maritime Safety Tribunal (KMST) formerly had its headquarters in the S1 Building in Sunhwa-dong, Jung District."." Korean Maritime Safety Tribunal. Retrieved on January 17, 2012. "168 S1building, Sunhwa-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea 110-793""Location." () Korean Maritime Safety Tribunal. Retrieved on January 17, 2012. "168 S1building, Sunhwa-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul, 100-773, Republic of Korea" The offices of the KMST are now in Sejong City.
Diplomatic missions Being at the center of the city, the district hosts numerous foreign embassies.
Education
Tertiary education Dongguk University, a private university established in 1906, is located in Jung District. The University achieved full university status in 1953 and is one of the few Buddhist-affiliated universities in the world.
Primary & Secondary Education
The Russian Embassy School in Seoul was established on May 31, 2002 and operates as part of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs."Основные сведения ." Russian Embassy School in Seoul. Retrieved on March 30, 2016. "11 гил-43, Сеосомун-ро, Чунг-гу, г. Сеул, 100–120, Республика Корея" Seoul Chinese Primary School (also known as Hanxiao Chinese Primary School), a Taiwanese-oriented international primary school, is located in Myeong-dong."SEOUL CHINESE PRIMARY SCHOOL." International School Information, Government of South Korea. Retrieved on March 30, 2016.
Symbol Color: Green Tree: Pine tree Flower: Rose Bird: Korean magpie
Historic figures Jung District has long been considered the center of Seoul. As a result, historically it was considered a fitting place for many scholars who stayed in Seoul to discuss and pursue crucial academic or political subjects during the Joseon period.
Han Myŏnghoe: A scholar and tactician in the early Joseon Dynasty Namgung Uk: Activist for the Korean independence movement
Landmarks
Deoksugung Namdaemun Bank of Korea Museum Global Village Folk Museum Grand Ambassador Seoul hotel Gwangtonggwan Koreana Hotel (Seoul) National Theater of Korea Seoul Museum of Art Myeongdong Cathedral N Seoul Tower Namsan Chungmu Arts Hall Lotte Hotel Seoul Tour Financial Hub Center
Sister cities
Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia Hunchun, People's Republic of China Xicheng District, People's Republic of China
References
External links
Jung-gu Official site in English Jung-gu Official site in Korean