Jeonju

Jeonju (Korean pronunciation: [tɕʌndʑu]) is a city in South Korea, and the capital of North Jeolla Province. It is an important tourist center famous for Korean food, historic buildings, sports activities and innovative festivals.

In May 2012, Jeonju was chosen as a Creative Cities for Gastronomy as part of UNESCO's Creative Cities Network. This honour recognize the city's traditional home cooking handed down through generations over thousands of years, its active public and private food research, a system of nurturing talented chefs, and its hosting of distinctive local food festivals.

History

Located in the fertile Honam plain, famous for strawberries and exceptional produce, Jeonju has been an important regional center in the province for centuries. Once, the city was the capital of Hubaekje Kingdom, which was founded by Gyeon Hwon. The city was regarded as the spiritual capital of the Joseon Dynasty because the Yi royal family originated there. The Chŏnju Kim in North Korea, of whom Kim Il-sung was descended from, have their ancestral seat (pon’gwan) in Jeonju as well.