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Changwon’s Official English Website

Changwon CIty English Website

Changwon official english-language city website, https://changwon.go.kr/language/main.do, can be overwhelming at first glance, but with a little digging, it’s possible to find some interesting, albeit flawed information. The website is divided into six sections: About Changwon, Enviromental Capital, Business, Culture & Tourism, Living, and Community. The following is a breakdown of each section: About Changwon The first …

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Neighborhood Map (Masan-happo gu, Masan-hoewon gu)

Continuing the task of mapping out Changwon’s neighborhoods (dongs), here is our map of central Masan, including Masan-happo gu and Masan-hoewon gu.  Unlike our central Changwon map, we were able to track down the actual neighborhood borders, thanks to the korean-language version of Masan’s wikipedia pages (1, 2).  For the …

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Gyeongnam Art Museum

Changwon, as the capital of Gyeongnam province, is home to the Gyeongnam Art Museum, the province’s main art museum.  Also known as GAM, the museum was announced in December 2003, and opened in June 2004.  The museum’s exterior is a pretty unique site in Changwon, with large glass facades spanning …

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Changwon Marine Park

Located on Eumji-do, on the south coast of Jinhae, is the Changwon Marine Park (formerly known as Jinhae Marine Park).  Connected to the mainland via the 250m long Eumji bridge, it is a complex, initially started in 2000 at a cost of 52 billion won. The Oceanic Life Theme Park …

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Maritime Filming Set

Deep down south in the Masan countryside (Gusan myeon), on the edge of an East China Sea inlet, is a historical recreation filming set for TV dramas. The filming set, which is a small formation of buildings, includes an iron smelting facility, a horse stable, and markets, all decorated with wares …

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Visa Run to Fukuoka

Please note: All information in this article is current as of early 2013.  If viewing this well in the future, logistics and numbers may vary. If you’ve been here awhile (or at least long enough to be changing jobs), you’ll have learned that if you have a tourist, student, or …

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Changwon Daero Map

Ever wonder what a ‘daero’ (대로) is?  It’s a big road.  They’re all over town.  Most famous in Changwon is Changwon Daero. This is the large, extremely straight road north of industrial complex.  If you’ve ever wondered what or where they are, use this simplified map!

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October 2012 Festivals – Oct 20th, 21st

October in Korea is full of festivals!  Here’s a map detailing when and where some festivals are for the weekend of October 6th and 7th.  We put it together using Korean Tourism Org’s database.  Please note that not all festivals appear there, and thus we have a difficult time tracking everything …

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OCTOBER 2012 FESTIVALS – OCT 13TH 14TH

October in Korea is full of festivals!  Here’s a map detailing when and where some festivals are for the weekend of October 6th and 7th.  We put it together using Korean Tourism Org’s database.  Please note that not all festivals appear there, and thus we have a difficult time tracking everything …

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House of Changwon

House of Changwon (창원의 집) is one of the few peeks into ancient Korean culture offered in Changwon.  Formerly the residence of a scholar named Ducheol, visitors can catch a glimpse into what life what life in Korea back in the day.  Or at least what life was like for …

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October 2012 Festivals – Oct 6th 7th

October in Korea is full of festivals!  Here’s a map detailing when and where some festivals are for the weekend of October 6th and 7th.  We put it together using Korean Tourism Org’s database.  Please note that not all festivals appear there, and thus we have a difficult time tracking …

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Movie Makers of Changwon

This post is the first of a series looking at the people who live or lived in Changwon and create.  Specifically, this post looks at the movie makers of our city, past and present. It would be naive to claim this to be the definitive source on the topic, as certainly, there are many …

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September 2012 Korea Festival Calendar

This season, we’re parsing down our biannual schedule of Korean festivals into individual months.  May we proudly present September 2012.  Aside from the Masan Fish Market festival on 14th through 16th, all of these festivals are out of Changwon’s province. But in October, there will be several in Changwon alone. …

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Neighborhood Map (Uichang gu, Seongsan gu)

We proudly present to you a map of neighborhoods (dong) in the central Changwon area (Uichang gu and Seongsan gu).  This map features the approximate locations of each neighborhood, using information gleaned from Google maps.  These neighborhoods are the smaller, colloquial dongs, as detailed in Changwon’s Neighborhood System, and thus, much …

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Changwon’s Neighborhood System

If you don’t have a handle on Korea’s administrative divisions, please read our article on that topic first. Changwon (according to its website) has a population nearing 1.1 million people.  In 2010, it incorporated the bordering cities Jinhae and Masan.  Consequentially, has undergone redistricting to accommodate its larger size. At the highest level, the city is divided …

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An Introduction to Korea’s Administrative Divisions

South Korea is divided and subdivided in generally clear and easy to understand ways. The following is a brief introduction: The country is divided into 9 provinces (도) (Jeju is one, though it is self-governing (특별 자치도)), 6 metropolitan cities (광역시), and 1 special city (특별시) (Seoul) which serves as the country’s capital.  The metropolitan cities are governed …

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Rose Park

Changwon’s seasonally flower-filled park, Rose Park (장미공원) is a great place to see many colors and species of roses in the early summer (late May – early June).  A popular tourist spot when the roses are blooming, expect to see lots of families taking photos and having picnics.  Just outside …

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Seongsan Shell Mound

Seongsan Shell Mound “성산패총” is a large park on Oe-dong mountain, containing a mound of shells dating back to the early Iron Age.  These shells (as well as pottery and bones) give archeologists important study materials regarding the lives of early settlers in the southern tip of the Korean peninsula.  The site was …

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Gyeongsangnam do Korean War Monument

Built in 1985, the Korean War Monument (충혼탑) is located in Uichang gu, near the row of parks stretching from Deok dong to Sam dong.  Set back from the street is a massive 47.1 meter (+150 feet) monument dedicated to the 1,142 soldiers from Gyeongsangnam province that died in the …

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National 3:15 Cemetery

The National 3:15 Cemetery is dedicated to lives lost during a protest in Masan on March 15, 1960.  It overlooks Masan from the side of the mountain behind the Hite factory in Masanhoewon gu.  In addition to the cemetery, there is a large monument as well.  Unrelated, but behind the complex …

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