Gwacheon

Gwacheon is a city in Gyeonggi-do Province, South Korea. It lies close to Seoul in the heart of the Seoul National Capital Area, and also lies just east of Anyang. Seoul Subway Line 4 passes through the city.

Various attractions associated with Seoul, including Seoul Grand Park, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul Land, Gwacheon National Science Museum, and Seoul Race Park are located in the city. It is also home to a major administrative center of the Korean government.

History

Early history

In 475 CE, the land that would one day become Gwacheon was a part of Yulmok-gun, a county of the Korean Peninsula's Goguryeo dynasty. Later, in 757, Unified Silla dubbed the area Yuljin-gun, a county of Hansan-ju, and the Goryeo dynasty renamed it Gwaju in 940. From 990 - 994, Gwaju was known by such nicknames as "Bulim" and "Buan." The year 1018 saw Goryeo christen the area Gwaju-hyeon, but the Joseon dynasty changed its name to Gwacheon-hyeon in 1413. Gwacheon-hyeon was a part of Gwangju-mok, Gyeonggi Province. Much larger than today's Gwacheon-si, Gwacheon-hyeon included such territory as modern-day Gunpo.