Jongno District (
Korean: 종로구;
RR: Jongno-gu) is a
district (gu) in
Downtown Seoul, South Korea. It is the historic center of Seoul, and contains the Joseon-era royal palace
Gyeongbokgung and the former presidential residence, the
Blue House.
Etymology
In Korean, the name '
Jongno' means Bell Street.[2] Jongno district is named after the road Jongno, which is a major trunk road running through the center of the district. The bell in question refers to
Bosingak belfry, which sits at Jonggak intersection, on Jongno road.[3]
Description
Jongno has been the center of the city for 600 years, since it is where the
Joseon dynasty established its capital city. The district is commonly referred to as the face and heart of Korea because of its important roles in the politics, economics, culture, and history as the capital city.[4] Jongno District is home to palaces in which the kings used to reside and work, such as
Gyeongbokgung,
Changdeokgung,
Changgyeonggung, and
Unhyeongung. The South Korean president's former residence, the
Blue House, is also located in the Jongno District.[4]
Jongno district was historically the center of
Joseon & latterly the
Korean Empire and retained its prominence in the modern era after the establishment of the
Republic of Korea.
Hanyang, the capital of Joseon, included Jongno district and
Jung district.
In October 1394 (the third year of
King Taejo's reign), Taejo Lee Seong-gye moved his capital from
Gaegyeong to Hanyang.[8] The capital of
Goryeo, Gaegyeong, had a strong base of traditional forces against Lee Seong-gye. In addition, the topography divination theory states that the new dynasty was unlucky due to its failure, and that it also moved to Hanyang with regard to water transport of rice and military geographical conditions. Following the relocation of the capital city, the Joseon government pushed for the construction of Hanyang, starting with the construction of Jongmyo. The construction of the main palace,
Gyeongbok Palace and the separate palace,
Changdeok Palace was done. In 1395, it was renamed as Hanyang Department. In 1399 (the first year of
King Jeongjong's reign), the capital was moved to Gagyeong for a while because of the Prince's rebellion but, in 1405 (the fifth year of
King Taejong's reign), the capital changed back to Hanyang. The city grew into a large city with about 200,000 people at
King Sejong's time.
Economy
As the traditional heart of Seoul, Jongno's central location continues to attract both local and foreign businesses to set up offices there and remains an important business district. Notable companies based in Jongno include
Kumho Asiana Group,
Kyobo Life,
Lotte Group,
SK Group,
Hyundai Engineering & Construction,
Daewoo E&C,
Daelim Group,
East Asia Daily and many more. The district also features numerous major business centers and office buildings housing businesses as well as diplomatic missions.
The headquarters of South Korean skincare retailer
The Face Shop is located in the LG Gwanghwamun Building on
Sinmunno 2-ga.[9]
Tourism plays a major role in the district's economy. Several of the most well-known attractions are located in the district, as is
Gwanghwamun Plaza which attracts huge numbers of tourists every year given its central location. In addition, the tourist areas of
Insa-Dong and
Bukchon Hanok Village also attract huge numbers of visitors. Another popular tourist destination is
Gwangjang Market, previously called Dongdaemun Market. It is one of the oldest traditional markets in the country and is visited by approximately 65,000 each day.[11][12]
Politics and government
Jongno district is considered as the most important
district in
South Korean politics, as it is located in the heart of Seoul, and thus in the heart of the Republic of Korea.[13][14] The district was the home to the official residence of the
President, the
Blue House (Cheongwadae) until 2022, and two of the three largest plazas in Seoul (the first being
Gwanghwamun Plaza, and the other
Cheonggye Plaza), making the district the first constituency to appear in the
National Election Commission's election statistics, and in exit polls for every nationwide election. Because of the significance in politics the district has, every political party carefully selects its own candidate to run in every election, and even most minor parties nominate their candidates to run in the district while they choose not to nominate candidates in other constituencies in Seoul.
Jongno has elected three
presidents to represent it in the
National Assembly:
Yun Posun,
Roh Moo-hyun and
Lee Myung-bak. Although Jongno is named as 'district', but its residents are entitled to elect their own mayor and form their own district council, as 25 districts in Seoul——including Jongno——have city-equivalent status. The City of Seoul has province-equivalent status and its
mayor is regarded as a cabinet-minister-level position. The mayorship is regarded as a higher position than any other provincial governors, as these positions are regarded as deputy minister level positions.[15]
Traditionally, the district has been regarded as a
Conservative stronghold riding in Seoul, since Seoul natives and rich people used to form a majority in terms of resident numbers in towns such as Pyeongchang, Samcheong-dong, Sajik-dong, Jongro 1 and 4. However, as
Democrats gradually gained power in the
Sudogwon region in the 2010s, and eventually making the region their stronghold, the party also gained power in the district, thanks to the votes of
Sungkyunkwan University students in Hyehwa-dong and residents of relatively lower income in towns such as
Changsin-dong and
Sungin-dong.
As of June 2020, the district was regarded as
Democratic stronghold, as are many other constituencies in Seoul.[16] The district was represented by
Lee Nak-yon, a
Democrat, former
Prime Minister and leader of
his party, who resigned his office to run for the Korean presidency; the city government was led by Kim Yeong-jong, a three-term mayor who served from July 2010 to November 2021, and also a
Democrat.
The
ConservativePeople Power Party made a comeback in the district when
Choi Jae-hyung was elected as National Assembly member for Jongno in the by-elections of March 2022. In the subsequent local elections in June, Chung Moon-heon, a member of the same party, was elected Mayor.
The district council serves administrative functions such as Foreign Seal Registration, International Marriage, Adoption, Acknowledgement reports and Alien Registration Certificates for
foreigners residing in Jongno District. In year 2022, current mayor of Jongno District is
Chung, Moon Hun.[25]
Subdivisions
Those are some of the district administrative dongs (행정동). For a complete list, see
here.[26]
^"Popular plaza". Korea JoongAng Daily. 3 August 2009. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013. Retrieved 27 February 2013.{{
cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (
link)
^Hoh, Kui-Seek (3 August 2009).
"The road less travelled, by cars". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013. Retrieved 27 February 2013.{{
cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (
link)
^"우리역사넷". contents.history.go.kr. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
^"Company location". The Face Shop official website. Retrieved 9 October 2012.
^Home. Air Seoul. Retrieved on 1 November 2016. "Kumho Asiana Main Tower,76, SaemunanRo Jongro Gu Seoul" –
Korean address: "(우)03185 서울특별시 종로구 새문안로 76 금호아시아나 본관"
^"
Location." (
Archive) Ministry of Foreign Affairs (South Korea). Retrieved on 1 January 2014. "Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 60, Sajik-ro 8-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Korea (110–787)"
^"
Contact InfoArchived 2014-01-01 at
archive.today." (
Archive)
The Globe Program. Retrieved on 1 January 2013. "Ministry of Education & Human Resources Development Central Government Complex, 77-6 Sejong-no, Jongno-gu Seoul, 110–760 South Korea"
^"
Location." (
Archive) Ministry of Health and Welfare. Retrieved on 1 January 2014. "Ministry of Health & Welfare Hyundai Building 6~12 F" and "Ministry of Health & Welfare (MW): 75 Yulgok-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Korea 110-793, call center 129"