Hadong County

Hadong 하동군
County
Korean transcription(s)
• Hangul	하동군
• Hanja	河東郡
• Revised Romanization	Hadong-gun
• McCune-Reischauer	Hadong-kun
Flag Emblem of Hadong
Location in South Korea
Country	South Korea
Region	Yeongnam
Administrative divisions	1 eup, 12 myeon
Area
• Total	675.53 km^2 (260.82 sq mi)
Population  (September 2024[1])
• Total	40,909
• Density	85.9/km^2 (222/sq mi)
• Dialect	Gyeongsang
Website	https://www.hadong.go.kr

Hadong County (Korean: 하동군, Hadong-gun) is a county in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It is on the far-west side of the province, bordering South Jeolla Province. The county office is located at Hadeong-eup.

History

The county of Hadong was called Dasachon (Korean: 다사촌; Hanja: 大沙县, "county of much sand") when it was a part of the Jin state, later becoming a part of Nangnoguk (Korean: 낙노국; Hanja: 樂奴國), one of twelve statelets of the Byeonhan confederacy. According to the History of the Three Kingdoms, the region was called Handasa-gun (Korean: 한다사군), then changed into Hadong-gun in 757 CE, during the reign of King Gyeongdeok of Silla. During the Goryeo dynasty, the area was known as Hadong-hyeon (Korean: 하동현). In 1414, during the reign of the Joseon-era King Taejong, it became known as Hanamhyeon (Korean: 하남현) with Namhaehyeon (Korean: 남해현). It was raised to the status of Hadongdohobu (Korean: 하동도호부) in 1740, in the thirtieth year of King Sukjong's reign.^[2] During the Korean War the region was the site of a North Korean attack on US Army forces, the Hadong Ambush.

• 1702: Agyang-myeon (악양면, 岳陽面) added to Hadong-gun
• April 1, 1914: Seo-myeon (Korean: 서면) and Geumyang-myeon (Korean: 금양면) added
• January 1, 1915: Part of Seomjin-ri (Korean: 섬진리), Daap-myeon (Korean: 다압면), Gwangyang-gun (광양군, 光陽郡), South Jeolla Province added
• 1917: Naehoengbo-myeon (Korean: 내횡보면) renamed to Hoengcheon-myeon (Korean: 횡천면); Deokyang-myeon (Korean: 덕양면) renamed to Jingyo-myeon (Korean: 진교면)
• January 1, 1933: Geumyang-myeon (Korean: 금양면) was abolished and incorporated into Jingyo-myeon (Korean: 진교면) and Geumnam-myeon (Korean: 금남면), formerly Nam-myeon (Korean: 남면)
• October 1, 1938: Hadong-myeon (Korean: 하동면) elevated to Hadong-eup (Korean: 하동읍)

Local sights and attractions

Nestled between the Seomjin River and Mount Jiri, the county is a popular destination for both domestic and foreign tourists who enjoy nature.^[3] Parts of the Jirisan National Park lie within the county and form the county's notable hilly, mountainous landscape.^[4]

The Ssanggyesa (Ssangye Temple) is a notable historic temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism and is a designated National Treasure.

Pak Gyeongni's 16-volume novel Land is partly set in the village of Pyeongsa-ri (Korean: 평사리; Hanja: 平沙里) in Agyang-myeon, Hadong County. A replica of the fictional Choi family's home was built there to commemorate the author's legacy.^[3][5]

Green tea

Hadong has been famous for its green tea since the Silla era, when an envoy brought green tea seeds from the Tang Empire to be planted locally.^[3] The local government has historically promoted this as a major local attraction, including sponsoring a tourism advertisement that aired on CNN in 2007.^[6] The annual "wild tea" festival, lasting 25 days, takes place during May and June.^[3][4]

Development

While much of Korea has experienced an explosion of industrial development, Hadong remains a destination for those who wish to escape the bustle of city living.^{[original research?]} However, a lack of activity in the industrial sector has left the government with little incentive to expanding the sometimes inadequate existing road infrastructure.^{[original research?]} A petition for the allocation of funds for new road construction was signed by a number of Hadong residents.^[7]

Former South Korean president Lee Myung-bak has recently^[when?] announced plans for the construction of a Gyeongsangnam-do leisure resort palace in Hadong.^[8]

Notable people

• Jeong Gi-ryong
• Yi Byeong-ju, a novelist, journalist, and reporter
• Jeong Ho-seung
• Kang Man-soo
• Jeong Gongchae, who won the 1960 Contemporary Literature (Hyundae Munhak) Award for poetry for "Coal" (石炭) and "Freedom" (自由)^[9]

Schools

• • High schools
• • Middle schools
• Agyang Middle School

Twin towns – sister cities

Hadong is twinned with:

• Anyang, South Korea
• Gwangyang, South Korea
• Geoje, South Korea
• Seongdong-gu, South Korea
• Haeundae-gu, South Korea
• Zhangqiu, China
• Ya'an, China
• Zhangjiajie, China

References

1. "Population statistics". Korea Ministry of the Interior and Safety. 2024.
2. Official website http://www.hadong.go.kr/e/main/frame.asp?test=/e/01/01_02.asp?m=m1 Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
3. "Green Tea, Nature and Market at Hadong". The Korea Times. 2008-03-13.
4. "Asia Society Korea Travel Series 4 – Hadong County". Asia Society. Retrieved 2021-03-05.
5. "A statue of Pak Kyong-ni to be set up at Toji Foundation". The Dong-a Ilbo. 2018-05-03.
6. http://www.hadong.go.kr/e/main/frame.asp?test=/e/01/01_02.asp?m=m1^{[permanent dead link‍]}
7. 하동군 국도 19호선 4차선 확.포장 시급 Newsis 2008-01-22
8. [이명박 정부 개발 핫 이슈] "동아시아 7대 경제권 도약 꿈꾼다" 2008-01-22 Retrieved 2008-01-26
9. "Prix littéraires 1960". frwiki.net.

External links

• County government website Archived 2017-03-12 at the Wayback Machine

35°04′N 127°45′E