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Coordinates: 35°52′N 128°36′E / 35.867°N 128.6°E / 35.867; 128.6

Daegu 대구 大邱
—  Metropolitan City  —
Daegu Metropolitan City
transcription(s)
- Hangul	대구광역시
- Hanja	大邱廣域市
- Revised Romanization	Daegu-gwangyeoksi
- McCune-Reischauer	Taegu-kwangyŏksi
Clockwise from top left: Cityscape of Daegu, Dalseong Park, Seomun Market, Kyungpook National University and Daegu City Hall
Flag Emblem of Daegu
Map of South Korea with Daegu highlighted
Country	South Korea
Region	Yeongnam
Districts	7
Government
- Mayor	Kim Bum-il (김범일)
Area
- Total	884.15 km2 (341.4 sq mi)
Population (2009)[1]
- Total	2,512,604
- Density	2,842/km2 (7,360.7/sq mi)
- Dialect	Gyeongsang
Flower	Magnolia
Tree	Fir
Bird	Eagle
Website	daegu.go.kr (English)

Daegu (Korean pronunciation: [tɛɡu]), also known as Taegu^[2], and officially the Daegu Metropolitan City, is the third largest metropolitan area in South Korea, and by city limits, the fourth largest city^[3][4] with over 2.5 million people. The city is the capital and principal city of Gyeongsangbuk-do (simply Gyeongbuk), the province surrounding the city, although it is not legally part of the province. These two areas are often called Daegu-Gyeongbuk, and have a population of over 5 million.

The city is located in south-eastern Korea about 80km inside from seacoast, near the Geumho River and its mainstream Nakdong River in Gyeongsang-do, also called the Yeongnam region. The Daegu basin, where the city lies, is the middle part and rare plain of that region. It made the city the region's center of politics, economy, and culture.

In ancient times, Daegu was a part of the Silla kingdom which unified the Korean Peninsula first, and in the Joseon dynasty period, it was the capital of Gyeongsang-do which was one of the eight provinces of the country. The city also was the home of the regimes in the period of South Korea's rapid economic growth (1960-80's). Today, the city has become one of the major cities of Korea and is making efforts to be the center of the fashion and high-tech industries.

History

Prehistory and early history

Dalseong Park, believed as the center of Daegu in the old times.

Archaeological investigations in the Greater Daegu area have revealed a large number of settlements and burials of the prehistoric Mumun Pottery Period (c. 1500-300 B.C.). In fact, some of the earliest evidence of Mumun settlement in Gyeongsangdo have been excavated from Siji-dong and Seobyeon-dong.^[5] Dongcheon-dong is one of the substantial Mumun agricultural villages that have been excavated.^[6] The Dongcheon-dong site dates to the Middle Mumun (c. 850-550 B.C.) and contains the remains of many prehistoric pit-houses and agricultural fields. Megalithic burials (dolmens) have also been found in large numbers in Daegu.

Ancient historical texts indicate that during the Proto-Three Kingdoms of Korea period, Daegu was the site of a chiefdom or walled-town polity known in historical records as Dalgubeol. The first mention of Dalgubeol is dated to 261^{[citation needed]}. We know nothing of the earlier history of Dalgubeol, and little of what came later, except that it was absorbed into the kingdom of Silla no later than the fifth century. The vestiges of the wall at that time are seen, and then relics were excavated in the current Dalseong Park.

Silla

Silla defeated the other two kingdoms of the Three Kingdoms of Korea in the late 7th century, with assistance from Tang China. Shortly thereafter, in 689, Silla's King Sinmun considered moving the capital from Gyeongju to Daegu, but was unable to do so.^[7] We know of this initiative only through a single line in the Samguk Sagi, but it is presumed that it indicates both an attempt by the Silla king to augment royal authority and the entrenched resistance of the Gyeongju political elites that was the likely cause of the move's failure.^[8] The city was given its current name in 757.

In the late 1990s archaeologists excavated a large scale fortified Silla site in Dongcheon-dong, Buk-gu.^[9] The site at Locality 2 consists of the remains of 39 raised-floor buildings enclosed by a formidable ditch-and-palisade system. The excavators hypothesize that the fortified site was a permanent military encampment or barracks. Archaeologists also uncovered a large Silla village dating to the 6th to 7th centuries AD at Siji-dong.^[5]

Later Three Kingdoms and Goryeo

During the Later Three Kingdoms period, 890-935, Daegu was initially aligned with Hubaekje. In 927, northern Daegu was the site of the Battle of Gong Mountain between the forces of Taebong under Wang Geon and those of Hubaekje under Gyeon Hwon. In this battle, the forces of Taebong were crushed and Wang Geon himself was saved only by the heroism of his general Shin Sung-gyeom. However, it appears that the conduct of the Hubaekje forces at this time changed local sympathies to favor Wang Geon, who later became the king of Goryeo.

Numerous place-names and local legends around Daegu still bear witness to the historic battle of 927. Among these are "Ansim", which literally means "peace of mind", said to be the first place where Wang Geon dared to stop after escaping the battle, and "Banwol", or half-moon, where he is said to have stopped and admired the moon before returning to Taebong. A statue commemorating the battle now stands in northern Daegu, as does a memorial to Sin Sunggyeom.

In the Goryeo period, the first edition of the Tripitaka Koreana was stored in Daegu, at the temple of Buinsa.^[10] However, this edition was destroyed when the temple was sacked in 1254, during the Mongol invasions of Korea.^[11]

Joseon

Daegu in the 18th century

Always an important transportation center, in the Joseon Dynasty Daegu lay on the Great Yeongnam Road which ran between Seoul and Busan. It lay at the junction of this arterial road and the roads to Gyeongju and Jinju.

In 1601, Daegu became the administrative capital of the Gyeongsang-do, which is current Daegu, Busan, Ulsan, Gyeongsangbuk-do, and Gyeongsangnam-do. At about that time, the city began to grow into the national major city. The status was continued for nearly three hundred years, then the city has been the capital of Gyeongsangbuk-do since Gyeongsang-do was divided into two provinces, Gyeongsangbuk-do (means the northern Gyeongsang-do) and Gyeongsangnam-do (southern) in 1896.

Daegu's first regular markets were established during the late Joseon period. The most famous of these is the Yangnyeongsi herbal medicine market. This became a center of herbal trade in Joseon, and even attracted buyers from neighboring countries. Traders from Japan, who were not permitted to leave the Nakdong River valley, hired messengers to visit the market on their behalf. Seomun Market which stood at the city's west gate at that time, was one of the top three markets in the Joseon period.

Korean Empire and Japanese rule

Korea began to open to the world in the late 19th century. In 1895, Daegu became the site of one of the country's first modern post offices, as part of the reforms pushed by the Japanese after the murder of Empress Myeongseong.^[12]

Beginning in the late 1890s, many Japanese merchants and workers came to Daegu, which lay on the newly-constructed Gyeongbu Line railroad connecting Seoul and Busan.

In 1905, the old fortress wall was surreptitiously destroyed. The rest of the fortress wall is remembered only through the names such as the streets Dongseongno and Bukseongno, "east fortress street" and "north fortress street", which now run where the wall once stood.

The Korean independence movements were active in Daegu. These began as early as 1898, when a branch of the Independence Club was established in the city.^[13] As the demise of the Korean Empire approached in 1907, local citizens led by Seo Sang-don organized the National Debt Repayment Movement. This movement spread nationwide, although it was unsuccessful in its attempt to repay the country's debt through individual donations. Resistance activities continued after the 1910 annexation, notably during the March 1st movement of 1919. At that time, four major demonstrations took place in Daegu, involving an estimated 23,000 people.^[14]

After Japanese rule

The end of Japanese rule in 1945 brought years of turbulent change to Daegu. Under the USAMGIK provisional military government and the subsequent First Republic, Daegu was a hotbed of unrest. In October 1946, the Daegu uprising took place, one of the most serious incidents of unrest during US military rule,^[15] where police attempts to control rioters on October 1 caused the death of three student demonstrators and injuries to many others, sparking a mass counter-attack killing 38 policemen^[16]. It was also the site of major demonstrations on February 28, 1960, prior to the fraudulent presidential election of that year.^[17]

Daegu and all of North Gyeongsang saw heavy guerrilla activity in the late 1940s, as thousands of refugees arrived from the fighting in Jeolla.^[18] In November 1948, a unit in Daegu joined the mutiny which had begun in Yeosu the previous month.^[19]

During the Korean War, much heavy fighting occurred nearby along the Nakdong River. Daegu sat inside the Pusan Perimeter, however, and therefore remained in South Korean hands throughout the war. As in many other areas during the Korean War, political killings of dissenters were widespread.

In the second half of the twentieth century, the city underwent explosive growth, and the population has increased more than tenfold since the end of the Korean War. The city was heavily politically favored during the long military dictatorship of Park Chung-hee, when it and the surrounding area served as his political base. Conservative political movements remain powerful in Daegu today. Daegu is a political base for Korea's ruling Grand National Party.

In the 1980s, Daegu separated from Gyeongsangbuk-do and became a separately administered provincial-level Directly Governed City (Jikhalsi), and was redesignated as a Metropolitan City (Gwangyeoksi) in 1995. Today, Daegu is the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Korea with respect to both population and commerce.

Politics

Daegu Metropolitan Council building (former Daegu city hall)

There are two local governments in the city, the Daegu Metropolitan Government in Jung-gu and Gyeongbuk Provincial Government in Buk-gu. The provincial government will be relocated to Andong in its proper province, Gyeongbuk. The mayor and heads of city's eight districts are diretly elected by the citizens every four years. The city council has twenty nine members which consist of twenty six from the same number of electoral districts and three proportional representations. They are also directly elected every four years. Most of them are the members of the Grand National Party (Hannara-dang), the main conservative political party in South Korea. Daegu is the home to the party and has produced many Presidents of the Republic of Korea. As the capital of the Korean conservatives, the city has strong political power.

Administrative divisions

The 7 wards and 1 county of Daegu.

Daegu is divided into 7 wards (Gu) and 1 county (Gun).

• Jung-gu (중구, 中區) - means the central ward.
• Dong-gu (동구, 東區) - means the east ward.
• Seo-gu (서구, 西區) - means the west ward.
• Nam-gu (남구, 南區) - means the south ward.
• Buk-gu (북구, 北區) - means the north ward.
• Suseong-gu (수성구, 壽城區)
• Dalseo-gu (달서구, 達西區)
• Dalseong-gun (달성군, 達城郡)

Geography

Topography

Daegu sits in a basin surrounded by low mountains. Palgongsan to the north, Biseulsan to the south, Waryongsan to the west, and a series of smaller hills in the east. The Geumho River flows along the northern and eastern edges of the city, emptying in the Nakdong River west of the city.

Climate

Daegu has a humid subtropical climate. The mountains that comprise the basin trap hot and humid air. Similarly, in winter, cold air lies in the basin. The area receives little precipitation except during the rainy season of summer, and is sunny throughout much of the year. Data gathered since 1961 indicate that the mean temperature for January, the coldest month in Daegu, is -0.7°C and that for August, the warmest month, is 26.3°C. The City's lowest record temperature was -20.2°C. And the City's highest record temperature was 40.0°C.^[20]

Economy

Daegu Dyeing Industrial Complex in Bisan-dong, Seo-gu, is known as the largest dyeing cluster in the world

Daegu Fashion Fair 2008

Daegu is the city of the manufacturing industry. The major industries are textiles, metals and machinery. The quality of the apples grown around the city is renowned around Korea. Many companies such as Daegu Bank, Korea Delphi, Hwasung corp., and TaeguTec are headquartered in this city, and Samsung and Cheil Industries were born here. Numerous factories are located in the industrial complexes being to the west and north side of the city including the Seongseo Industrial Complex, West Daegu Industrial Complex, Daegu Dyeing Industrial Complex, and so on.

The city is the economic and industrial core of the Daegu-Gyeongbuk region, one of the major industrial areas in Korea. It accounted for as many as 94 percent of Korea's trade surplus in 2006.^[22] The electronics industries in Gumi and the steel industries in Pohang rendered great services to that surplus. The world's remarkable manufacturing factories like Anycall (Samsung Mobile) and POSCO's main factories are located near the city. The city and its neighbouring cities were designated for the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Free Economic Zone by the central government in 2008. It is specialized in knowledge-based service and manufacturing industries.

Historically, Daegu has been the commercial center of the southern part of the Korean Peninsula with Seoul in the center and Pyeongyang in the north (current North Korea), because of its advantageous location. Some huge old markets like Seomun Market are still doing a flourishing business in the city.

Fashion industry

Beginning in the late 1990s, the city is actively making efforts to promote fashion industry based on its textile and clothing manufacturing industries under the 'Daegu:Fashion City'. The city opens many exhibitions related to the fashion and textile industries including the Daegu Fashion Fair and Preview in Daegu annually or semiannually, and invites national institutes. A large new town specialized in the textile-fashion industries is under construction in Bongmu-dong, northeastern Daegu. The district, officially named Esiapolis, takes aim at the fashion hub of East Asia. Textile complexes, textile-fashion institutions, an international school, fashion malls as well as residential areas plan to be developed in the district.^[23]

Culture and sightseeing

Generally, Daegu is known as a conservative city. People from Daegu are seen as conservative, modest, and patient. As the largest city in the country beside Seoul not on a seacoast, and one of the major metropolitan areas in the nation, traits of Daegu residents in Korea are similar to those of Chicago in United States or Lyon in France. Traditionally, Buddhism was strong; today there are still many temples. Confucianism was popular in Daegu, with a large academy based in the city. Neon cross-topped spires of Christian churches can also be seen in the city.

Sights

The most well-known sight of the city is the stone Buddha called Gatbawi on the top of Gwanbong, Palgongsan. It is famous for its stone hat. People from all over the country visit the place, because they believe that the Buddha grants whosever one desire at least. Administratively, the site itself is located in the neighboring city, Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk.

Scenery of Donghwasa

Mountains, put around the urban area, keep many traditional and renowned temples like Donghwasa, Pagyesa, and Buinsa ('-sa' means temple). Donghwasa itself dates from the Silla period, as does the stupa of King Minae. Many artifacts of the Silla period are found around Donghwasa in northern Daegu. Those temples have played a role of rest places to citizen mentally and physically. As well as the temples, the old villages like the Otgol village (Gyeongju Choi clan's original residence area) and the Inheung village (Nampyeong Mun's) are in the suburbs.

In the urban area, the Joseon Dynasty's administrative or educational buildings including Gyeongsang-gamyeong (경상감영, 慶尙監營) and Daegu-hyanggyo (대구향교, 大邱鄕校) remain. The main gateway of the city in that period called Yeongnam-jeilmun (영남제일문, 嶺南第一門, means the first gateway in Yeongnam) is restored in Mangudang Park, east of Daegu.

Gyesan Cathedral

Westernstyle modern architectures like Gyesan Cathedral and the old building of Jeil Church are preserved in many places of the urban area. Gyesan Cathedral is the third oldest gothic church building in Korea^[24] and the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Daegu which is one of three archdioceses in South Korea. Several buildings, in the present Keisung middle/high school and the KNU middle/high school, are famous too.

Yangnyeongsi (약령시, 藥令市) in Namseongno (often called Yakjeon-golmok) is the oldest market for Korean medicinal herbs in the country with a history of 350 years. Bongsan-dong which has some art galleries and studios is being developed as the artistic center of the city since the 1990s.

Daegu Tower, also called Woobang Tower or Duryu Tower, is sitted on Duryusan, the middle of the urban area. It is the tallest contemporary structure (202 meters high) and the symbol of today Daegu. It has an observatory commanding good views of the city.

Nearby tourist attractions include Haeinsa—a Buddhist temple that houses the Tripitaka Koreana (a woodblock edition of the Tripitaka and one of the world's oldest extant complete collections of the Buddhist scriptures)—. Haeinsa is located in Gayasan National Park of Hapcheon, Gyeongnam. The historic city of Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk, the capital of the ancient kingdom of Silla is located east of Daegu.

Mountains and parks

Palgongsan, Biseulsan, and Apsan are the representative mountains in Daegu ('-san' means mountain). Those serve as neighbour parks to citizens. Apsan, just in the south of the city, is the closest mountain from the urban area among the three. It has many trails, Buddhist temples, a Korean War museum, and a gondola ride to the peak. In the urban area, several small mountains and hills play a same role as it. Dalseong Park sits inside a 1500-year-old earth fortress. Duryu Park or Duryusan has many sports facilities. It also has the Daegu Tower and Woobang Land, the largest amusement park out of the capital area. Many small gardens in the heart of the city such as the National Debt Repayment Movement Memorial Park (Gukchae bosang undong ginyeom gongwon) and 2·28 Park, are loved by people.

Downtown and shopping

Dongseongno

Dongseongno (동성로, 東城路) is the downtown of Daegu lying from the Daegu Station to Jungang pachulso (central policebox) near the Banwoldang subway station in the center of the city Jung-gu. It has the Jungangno subway station as the nearest station from its heart. Like its name meaning the street in the east fortress, the eastern part of Daegu-eupseong (대구읍성, 大邱邑城, means the Daegu fortress) was situated along this street. The fortress, however, had been demolished in the early 20th century. Today, many shops and stores in the place, form the largest and the broadest downtown area not in the city, but in the whole country except the capital city, Seoul. In most cases, famous brands open their branch shop first here out of the Greater Seoul area.^[25]

Sub-downtowns in the city have its own commercial powers and colors. The area around the Seongseo Industrial Complex subway station in Dalseo-gu is a concentration of many amusement spots, and young people easily can be seen around Kyungpook National University in Buk-gu. Deuran-gil (means the street inside the field) in Suseong-gu is for many restaurants.

The city has a number of department stores. Many of these belong to national or multinational chains, but the local Daegu Department Store also operates two branches, while another local chain, Donga Department Store operates four in the city proper. The six department stores among them gather at the downtown. Traditional markets such as Seomun Market, Chilseong Market, and Bangchon Market sell all sorts of goods.

Festivals

Many traditional ceremonies and festivals in agrarian society were disappeared in the process of modernization. A Confucian ritual ceremony called Seokjeondaeje is held at Daegu-hyanggyo every spring and autumn. The Yangnyeongsi herb medical festival and Otgol village festival are the contemporary festivals about traditional culture.

Daegu Int'l Musical Festival 2009

Lately in the city, enthusiasm about performing arts is growing and the local government is trying to meet its demand. Daegu International Opera Festival (DIOF), Daegu International Musical Festival (DIMF), and Daegu International Bodypainting Festival (DIBF) are three of the most famous festivals on each field in Korea, although those have short histories.^[26]

Various festivals in various themes like the Colorful Daegu Festival, Dongseongno festival, Palgongsan maple festival, Biseulsan azelea festival, Korea in Motion Daegu, and so on, are held by the city, each ward, or the specific groups, all through the year.

On August 25 through August 31, 2008, Daegu hosted the first ever Asian Bodypainting Festival, a sister event of the World Bodypainting Festival in Seeboden, Austria.

Museums

• Daegu National Museum - A notable national museum collecting relics excavated in and around Daegu
• Daegu Bangjja Yugi (Korean Bronzeware) Museum
• Hengso Museum of Keimyung University
• Korea Video Museum
• Kyungpook National University Museum
• Museum for Daegu National University of Education
• Museum of Natural Dye Arts

Theaters

• Daegu Opera House - The first theater in Korea only for performing opera
• Suseong Artpia
• Keimyung Art Center - One of the largest scale theaters in the city.
• Daegu Culture and Arts Center

Sports

The official emblem of the 2011 World Championships in Athletics was released in July 2009.

On March 27, 2007, the city was selected as the host city for the 2011 World Championships in Athletics. Daegu competed with cities such as Moscow, Russia and Brisbane, Australia to earn the votes of the IAAF Council. This event will be the fourth IAAF World Championships in Athletics to be held outside Europe, and the first games in the mainland Asia. It will be also the third worldwide sports event held in Korea after the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul and 2002 FIFA World Cup. Daegu hosted the 2003 Summer Universiade and was one of the 2002 FIFA World Cup's venues. The city also hosts the Colorful Daegu Pre-Championships Meeting every year since 2005.

Daegu Stadium

All the events were held and will be held in Daegu Stadium, the second largest sports complex in South Korea as a seating capacity of 66,422.

Sports teams

Daegu is a home of Samsung Lions, a professional baseball club, which belongs to KBO. The home stadium is the Daegu Baseball Stadium.

Daegu is home to the KBL Basketball team Daegu Orions.

Daegu is also home to the K-League soccer club Daegu FC, one of the best citizen soccer teams in Korea.^{[citation needed]}

Media

There are three terrestrial TV broadcasting stations in the city: KBS Daegu Broadcast Station, Daegu MBC, and TBC. These are affiliated companies of central broadcasting stations in Seoul just like other local broadcasting companies in South Korea. TBC (Taegu Broadcasting Corporation) depends on SBS. They cover to Gyeongsangbuk-do out of the city. Each company have their radio stations too.

International Daegu

Daegu is largely a homogeneous community that includes non-Koreans. However, number of immigrants from South and Southeast Asia work in automotive-parts factories on the city's west side. In addition, there is a small group of English-speaking Westerners working in English schools and university programs. The American military bases are also home to several thousand Americans. Recently Chinese students have begun studying Korean at universities in Daegu, and there is an increasing number of graduate and post-graduate students from other Asian countries. As elsewhere in Korea, Korean, Chinese, Japanese and Western food is most common but recently Indian and Russian foods have become available.

Daegu hosts three American military bases, Camp Walker, Camp Henry and Camp George, the latter which houses Daegu American School (primarily for children of military personnel). Camp George also houses most of the [Enlisted]ranked soldiers. Camp Henry serves as the primary place of work for all the military personnel. Camp Walker services as the home to Officer ranked soldiers Major and up. Although non-military families can enroll their children at the school, most either home-school their children or send them to a small Christian private school which teaches about 25 children near the central business district of Daegu.

Education

Colleges and universities

Kyungpook National University, School of Medicine

The central library of Yeungnam University

The main building of Keimyung University

There are many universities in and around Daegu. Kyungpook National University (Gyeongbuk-dae) was founded in 1946 and is one of the most highly ranked and well organized national universities in Korea. It holds first place in the city in almost all of the fields. Yeungnam University, located in the nearby city Gyeongsan, is one of the most prestigious private universities in Korea outside of the Seoul, along with Keimyung University.^{[citation needed]} The former university in sciences and the latter in arts have an advantage over each other. There are some smaller post-secondary universities just off the city such as Catholic University of Daegu and Daegu University. Daegu National University of Education is renowned for elementary education.

Other uninversities and colleges include Daegu Arts University, Daegu Cyber University, Daegu Haany University, Daegu Health College, Daegu Mirae College, Daegu Polytechnic College, Daegu Technical College, Daegu University of Foreign Studies, Kyongbuk College of Science, Kyongbuk University of Foreign Studies, Kyungil University, Taekyeung College, Taeshin Christian University, Yeungjin College, and Youngnam Theological College and Seminary. Daegu and its satellite towns are one of the areas which have the most large private higher educational institutions in Korea. Many of those schools are located in the Gyeongsan city which serves the Daegu region as a college town.

Medical institutions

Some large university hospitals make the city the medical hub of south-eastern Korea. The Kyungpook National University Hospital, founded as Daegu-dongin-uiwon in 1907, is the representative hospital in the city. The Dongsan Medical Center (attached to Keimyung University), founded as Jejungwon in 1899, is one of the oldest western style medical clinics in Korea. The Yeungnam University Medical Center has the largest beds in the city. The yearly treatment amount of these tertiary hospitals in the city also including the Daegu Catholic University Medical Center is the second largest in South Korea after that of Seoul.^[27] In 2009, the Sinseo Innovative City in the city was chosen for Cheomdan-uiryo-bokhap-danji (means the high-tech medical complex) and will be supported by the Korean government.^[28]

Transportation

Rail

Dongdaegu Station

Daegu is the hub of the Korean inland railroad traffic. The main railroad station in the city, Dongdaegu Station has the second largest passenger traffic in Korea after Seoul Station^[29], and the largest train traffic.^[30] The station re-opened in 2004 after extensive renovations serves the KTX highspeed train, Saemaul and Mugunghwa trains.

All kinds of trains except KTX depart from Daegu Station, an all-new building with cinemas, restaurants and a Lotte Department Store, located near the city centre.

Subway

Munyang Station, the terminal of the subway line 2

Also, there are two subway lines, and the third line is under construction. Fare is 1100 won on distance and 950 won with a prepaid card. There is a free interchange scheme between the metro and bus within an hour of first use for the prepaid card users.

Road

There are two types of buses which are local and limited express. Limited express buses have more seats, but often passengers are required to stand. As of 2008, Local bus costs 1100 won, Limited express bus costs 1500 won. Discounted fare is available with a prepaid card. For the local bus is available at 950 won and for the limited express at 1300 won.

Bus route numbers are made up with 3 digits, each number indicates the area that bus serves. For example, number 407 bus runs from zone four, to zone zero, and then to zone seven. Other routes, usually circular, are named for the districts they serve and numbered 1 through 3.

Traffic is sometimes heavy. However, the major thoroughfares handle fairly high volumes of traffic without too much trouble.

Air

Daegu is served by Daegu Airport (international/domestic) located in northeastern Daegu.

Famous natives

Former President Roh Tae-woo, First Lady Kim Ok-sook, politician Park Geun-hye, Daewoo Group founder Kim Woo-jung, Samsung Group former chairman Lee Kun-hee, and actress Son Ye-jin were all born in Daegu.

Many young entertainers such as Shinee's Key and 2PM's Junsu were also born in this city.

Sister cities

• Atlanta, United States (1981)
• Almaty, Kazakhstan (1990)
• Qingdao, China (1993)
• Belo Horizonte, Brazil (1994)
• Hiroshima, Japan (1997)
• Saint Petersburg, Russia (1997)
• Milan, Italy (1998)
• Plovdiv, Bulgaria (2002)

Independent cities in South Korea

• Seoul
• Busan
• Daegu
• Incheon
• Daejeon
• Gwangju
• Ulsan

See also

• List of Korea-related topics
• List of cities in South Korea
• History of Daegu
• Gyeongsang

Notes

Further reading

• Cumings, Bruce. Korea's place in the sun: A modern history. New York: W.W.Norton. ISBN 0-393-31681-5. 
• Daegu-Gyeongbuk Historical Society (대구-경북역사연구회). 역사 속의 대구, 대구사람들 (Yeoksa sok-ui Daegu, Daegu saramdeul) (Daegu and its people in history). Seoul: Jungsim. ISBN 89-89524-09-1. 
• Lee, Ki-baik (1984). A new history of Korea, rev. ed. Tr. by E.W. Wagner and E.J. Shultz. Seoul: Ilchogak. ISBN 89-337-0204-0. 
• Nahm, Andrew C. (1996). Korea: A history of the Korean people, 2nd ed.. Seoul: Hollym. ISBN 1-56591-070-2. 
• Shin, Hyeong-seok (신형석). (1999). 통일신라의 새로운 수도가 될 뻔했던 대구 (Tongilsilla-ui saeroun sudo-ga doel ppeonhaetteon Daegu) (Daegu, which almost became the new capital of Unified Silla). In Daegu-Gyeongbuk Historical Society, ed., pp. 78–91.*
• Lee, Jungwoong (이정웅) (1993). 팔공산을 아십니까 (About Mt. Palgong). Daegu: 그루. ISBN 2000752000813. 
• Lee, Jungwoong (이정웅) (2000). 대구가 자랑스러운 12가지 이유. Seoul: 북랜드. ISBN 89-7787-158-1. 
• Lee, Jungwoong (이정웅) (2006). 푸른 대구 이야기. Daegu: 그루. ISBN 89-8069-138-6. 

External links

• City website (English)
• Daegu : Official Site of Korea Tourism Org
• City Bus Schedule and Routes

Regions and administrative divisions of South Korea Regions Capital area · Gwandong (Yeongdong · Yeongseo) · Hoseo · Honam (Jeju) · Yeongnam Provinces Chungbuk · Chungnam · Gangwon · Gyeonggi · Gyeongbuk · Gyeongnam · Jeonbuk · Jeonnam Special self-governing province Jeju Special city Seoul Metropolitan cities Busan · Daegu · Daejeon · Gwangju · Incheon · Ulsan Proposed/Planned Cities Metropolitan Cities Suwon-Hwaseong-Osan · Namyangju-Guri · (Seongnam-Hanam)-Gwangju · Uiwang-Anyang-Gunpo · Cheongju-Cheongwon · Changwon-Masan-Jinhae · Jinju-Sancheong · Yeosu-Suncheon-Gwangyang · Mokpo-Muan · Jeonju-Wanju Special Autonomous City Sejong

From Wikitravel

Daegu (대구, 大邱), also spelled Taegu, is the third largest city in South Korea.

Get in

By plane

Daegu Airport [1] (TAE/RKTN) has some services to Seoul, Jeju, China, Philippines and Bangkok. The airport is quite small and shared with the Airforce.

It is located in eastside of the city. To go to the downtown area, there is a bus (No. 401, Fare: W1,100) and you can also ride a taxi. (Dongsungro district(Centre of the city/fare around W7,000, 25min), Dongdaegu train station (Around W3,000, 10min)).

There is a hotel, Hotel Airport [2] in the same area. The roomrate is usually from around W130,000 including tax.

By train

There are two train stations in the city. One is Dongdaegu(East Daegu) station and the other is Daegu station. Both two stations connect by Subway Line 1, as the same name.

• Dongdaegu(East Daegu) station

It is the main, larger station. Note that KTX trains stop only at this station. KTX trains connect Seoul to Busan via Daegu and Daejeon, usually they take an hour and 40 minutes to Seoul and an hour to Busan. They are usually in every 20~30 minutes. The fare to Seoul is W36,600, Busan is W10,800 and Daejeon is W16,100. (At the time of June 2008) There are other trains such as Saemaeul and Mugunghwa. They also go to Seoul and Busan. (Gyeongbu line) But you can go to other places from this station. There are trains to Yeongcheon and Pohang, Gyeongju, Ulsan and Haeundae.(Haeundae is a very famous beach in Busan city)

• Daegu station

It is located in the centre of the city(Dongsungro/Jungangro). The station is a complex building with Lotte department store(the largest domestic department chain). Only Saemaeul and Mugunghwa trains stop at this station. Because of its location, it is easy to access to the downtown(5 to 10 min by walk) or other places of the city.

For travelling by train, visit an Official website of Korail. [3] It provides Timetables, fare, and some informations around their stations.

By car

1. Gyungbu highway located between Daejun and Kyong Ju

By bus

There is an extensive intercity bus system in South Korea. Buses go directly from Daegu to Seoul in just under 4 hrs. They only have 3 seats in a row allowing for larger and more comfortable seats than on a normal North American bus.

Map of Daegu

• Subway:

Daegu has a two-line subway network that intersects at the main downtown stop Banwoldang. Line 1 ( red line) runs from Daegok to Ansim and Line 2 ( green line) runs from Munyang to Sawol. Stops are announced in both Korean and English. Subways typically run from 5:30am to 11:30pm. Tickets can be purchased from machines or at a customer service booths. To enter the subway, scan your token and HOLD ON TO IT because you will need to insert your token as you exit. There are ticket machines marked " complimentary tickets" but these are for people with specific ID cards.

• Taxi:

Taxis are cheap and easy to find. Be aware that people in Daegu do not use street addresses. To give directions, you should give the nearest landmark to your destination such as a department store, hotel, or movie theater.

• PDA Rental Service:

You can barrow the PDA from Tourist Information Center at Daegu Airport, Daegu Tourist Information Center and some hotels for your trip. It will help you to travel in Daegu because it has contents for tourist information such as map, transportation, tourist sites, accomandation, restaurants and shopping, and GPS service. In addition, it also provides usful expressions in Korean, English and Japanese, and has a '119' key which will be used for emergency situation. If you have ID card (or passport for foreigners) and credit card, you can use the PDA for free but you need to pay the Communication fee. Tel :053-803-3633, [4].

• City Tour:

When you have a difficulty to look around many places, you can use the City Tour Bus. It shows you many cultural remains and tour places. It opens throughout the year and starts at 10:00 everyday from Daegu Tourist Information Center, Dongdaegu Train Station and Banwoldang. It costs about 5 dollar for adult, 4 dollar for middle and high school student and 3 dollar for elementary school students.

Woobang Tower, landmark of Daegu

Palgongsan : Pangongsan is a mountain located north-east of Daegu and about 20km from downtown. It's central peak is Birobong which is 1,192m above sea level and also has other peaks such as Dongbong and Seobong. Although it belongs to Daegu City as a addimision boundary, it contains 4 other cities and its total size is 30,593km². It looks like a sacred ground of Buddhism because there are many Buddhist statues, pagodas and rock cliffs Buddhas in Palgong Mountain. Gatbawi is a budist statue located on the top of mount Palgongsan which is believed to grant one’s wish once in a life and attracts visitors from the whole country.

Hiking trails of Palgongsan:

1. Donghwasa Temple -> 20 min. -> Budoam Hermitage -> 40 min. -> Yeomburam Hermitage -> 60 min. -> Dongbong Peak -> 90 min. -> Ticket Booth
2. Pagyesa Temple -> 40 min.-> Pagyejae Pass-> 3 hrs. -> Dongbong Peak -> 2hrs. & 40 min. -> Inbong Peak -> 100 min. -> Bakhongam Hermitage -> 50 min. -> Eunhaesa Temple
3. Eunhaesa Temple -> 50 min. -> Bakhongam Hermitage -> 2 hrs. -> Inbong Peak -> 90 min. -> Gatbawi Buddha -> 40 min. -> Parking lot

Other parks include Bongmu Reports Park between Daegu Airport and the entrance of Palgong Mountain, it has playgrounds and equipment for tennis, Jokku, badminton, shooting and so on; you can enjoy of outdoor variety sports.

Not only the Palgong Mountain, but also Apsan Park, Woobang Tower Land, Daegu Arboretum, Mangwoo Park, Gyeongsan-gamyeong Park and Gukchaebosang Memorial Park are also good sightseeing. And if you arrive in downtown, Dongsungro, you can enjoy shopping for jewelry and clothes and visiting Kyodong Market and Seomoon Market add you more fun.

Work

Like all Korean cities, Daegu has numerous job openings for ESL / EFL teachers at public schools and private academies. Most teaching jobs require applicants to be a native English speaker and to have a three- or four-year college degree. Salaries for teaching jobs generally start between 2.0 and 2.5 million Korean Won per month and often include free housing and round-trip airfare.

For more information about teaching English in Korea, visit eslcafe.com, worknplay.co.kr, and englishspectrum.com.

Sleep

Budget

Union Tourist Hotel: The Union Tourist Hotel is located just west of Daegu station. Rates are between 38,000 and 50,000 Won per night. The rooms are fairly large and clean but somewhat old, and the bathrooms, especially the bathtubs, are in need of remodeling. Nevertheless, it is a quiet, comfortable, and affordable place to stay. If you call to reserve a room, you receive a discount. Front desk number: 053-252-2221.

LifeSpa, a short taxi ride from Jincheon subway station. It might be best to ask for 'Oncheon', or follow a map from the website, http://www.lifespa.kr/page_lifespa5.php. This is a jjimjilbang in west Daegu, near to the west bus terminal, Woobang Tower Land and Duryu Park. The entry fee, under 10,000 WON, includes access to a large bathing area and impressive hot rooms. There are provincially themed rooms including Mungyeong and Gyeongju rock. One scorchingly hot room has a carriage of rocks on tracks that seem to have come from a great subterranean forge. There is a snow room, which is far more impressive than most jjimjilbang ice rooms, with falling snow from above. Unfortunately, this room can look a little ransacked if it has hosted families or drunks in the evening. There are small male and female sleeping rooms, but the open sleeping areas are fairly quiet too. The provision of sleeping mats is much worse than in most jjimjilbangs. The baths and saunas are large and impressive. There are several standard pools, a big cooled pool where kids enjoy swimming, a great pine steam sauna and a traditional hot spring room with cold fresh air. The PC room is large and in good repair, there is a restaurant and a rooftop garden and there are far more television screens than could possibly be necessary.

Splurge

Of course someone not on a tight budget will be able to stay at the better hotels in Daegu. Readers are cautioned though that what go as deluxe hotels in Daegu are not much better than "motel6".

The nicest hotel in Daegu is probably Hotel the Inter-Burgo, which is far out of the city center.

The next is probably the Walker Lodge, but is only for military.

Others include:

Eldis Regent: drawbacks include small parking lot that is overfilled at any event (weddings), usually weekends, but clears out in evening. Also rare for a taxi driver to recognize the name, expect to show a map or give directions from the Prince (nearby).

Prince: almost any taxi driver knows when you ask for the Prince Hotel. Parking area seems smaller than the others but generally with less trouble. Standard rooms are fairly large but many seem a bit run down. Water coolers in the hallways save on bottled water. Wireless internet reception varies.

Grand: Rooms roughly the same as the Prince. Has a parking garage but often a tight squeeze.

Daegu Garden: Rooms said to be not as nice as the Prince or Grand, is near a more active nightlife area.

Stay safe

Like the rest of Korea, all of Daegu is safe at any time of the day. However, Westerners, especially minorities, may encounter hositlity from drunken men, but this is rare and seldomly escalates.

• Gayasan Mountain National Park, home to Haeinsa, one of Korea's Three Jewel Temples and a World Heritage Site