Suncheon

Suncheon
순천시
Korean transcription(s)
 • Hangul순천시
 • Hanja順天市
 • Revised RomanizationSuncheon-si
 • McCune–ReischauerSunch'ŏn-si
View of Suncheon
View of Suncheon
Flag of Suncheon
Location in South Korea
Location in South Korea
Coordinates: 34°57′02″N 127°29′15″E / 34.95056°N 127.48750°E / 34.95056; 127.48750
CountrySouth Korea
RegionHonam
Administrative divisions1 eup, 10 myeon, 12 dong
Government
 • MayorNo Gwan-gyu (노관규)
Area
 • Total907.43 km2 (350.36 sq mi)
Population
 (September 2024[1])
 • Total276,375
 • Density300/km2 (790/sq mi)
 • Dialect
Jeolla
Time zoneUTC+9 (Korea Standard Time)
Area code+82-61

Suncheon (Korean순천; Korean pronunciation: [sʰun.tɕʰʌn]) 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.[2]

  1. ^ "Population statistics". Korea Ministry of the Interior and Safety. 2024.
  2. ^ "Yeosu, Surrounding Cities to Merge". Archived from the original on 2007-10-24. Retrieved 2007-10-24.