Pyeongtaek (Korean: 평택; Korean pronunciation: [ˈpʰjʌŋ.tʰɛk]) is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Located in the southwestern part of the province, Pyeongtaek was founded as a union of two districts in 1940, during the Goryeo dynasty. It was elevated to city status in 1986 and is home to a South Korean naval base and a large concentration of United States troops. The South Korean government plans to transform Pyeongtaek to an international economic hub to coincide with the move of the United States Forces Korea (USFK) to Pyeongtaek. During the Korean War, it was the site of an early battle between U.S. and North Korean forces, the Battle of Pyongtaek. It is the location of Pyeongtaek University.
Pyeongtaek
평택시 | |
|---|---|
| Korean transcription(s) | |
| • Hangul | 평택시 |
| • Hanja | 平澤市 |
| • Revised Romanization | Pyeongtaek-si |
| • McCune–Reischauer | P'yŏngt'aek-si |
 | |
 Flag  Emblem of Pyeongtaek | |
 Location in South Korea | |
| Country | South Korea |
| Region | Gyeonggi Province (Sudogwon) |
| Administrative divisions | 4 eup, 5 myeon, 13 dong |
| Area | |
• Total | 452.31 km2 (174.64 sq mi) |
| Population (2019 Apr) | |
• Total | 500,787 |
| • Density | 1,107/km2 (2,870/sq mi) |
| • Dialect | Gyeonggi |
| Demonym(s) | 평택시민 (Pyeongtaek-simin), Pyeongtaeker |
Military base
editThe South Korean and United States governments came to an agreement[when?] to enlarge Camp Humphreys—a U.S. Army installation outside Anjeong-ri, a community in Pyeongtaek—and move the majority of US forces stationed in and north of Seoul to the Camp Humphreys area. Invoking eminent domain, the government obtained the surrounding land for the base expansion. This would result in the community's third displacement from their own land since the Japanese occupation during World War II.[1]
The move originally included the headquarters of the ROK/US Combined Forces Command, which has operational control of South Korean, U.S., and U.N. combined forces during wartime. In March 2007, ROK Minister of Defense Kim Jang-soo and U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates agreed to dissolve the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command on April 17, 2012.[2] This would allow ROK forces to have wartime control of its military during a military confrontation with the North. The ROK/US agreement allows USFK to move to one centralized location away from the congestion of Seoul and its surrounding areas. This relocation agreement results in returning two-thirds of the land currently used by the United States Military back to the South Korean government. By 2008, the U.S. military was to have consolidated 41 installations down to 10 due to the relocation agreement. USFK's only jail facility in South Korea is at Camp Humphreys.
Osan Air Base is in Songtan, a district in Pyeongtaek.
South African War Memorial
editThe Korean War Monument of the South African Air Force was opened on 29 September 1975 by the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of Korea in memory of the 37 South African Air Force members who served during the Korean War.[3][4]
Education
editThis section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (March 2016) |
- Hankwang High School
- Pyeongtaek University (평택대학교).
- Pyeongtaek International Christian School (평택크리스천외국인학교).[5]
Climate
editPyeongtaek has a humid continental climate (Köppen: Dwa), but can be considered a borderline humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cwa) using the −3 °C (27 °F) isotherm.
| Climate data for Pyeongtaek (1993–2020 normals) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 2.7 (36.9) |
5.8 (42.4) |
11.8 (53.2) |
18.7 (65.7) |
24.5 (76.1) |
28.3 (82.9) |
30.2 (86.4) |
31.1 (88.0) |
27.0 (80.6) |
21.0 (69.8) |
12.7 (54.9) |
4.8 (40.6) |
18.2 (64.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −2.0 (28.4) |
0.7 (33.3) |
5.9 (42.6) |
12.5 (54.5) |
18.4 (65.1) |
22.8 (73.0) |
25.7 (78.3) |
26.2 (79.2) |
21.6 (70.9) |
14.9 (58.8) |
7.6 (45.7) |
0.3 (32.5) |
12.9 (55.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −6.7 (19.9) |
−4.3 (24.3) |
0.3 (32.5) |
6.3 (43.3) |
12.8 (55.0) |
18.3 (64.9) |
22.2 (72.0) |
22.6 (72.7) |
17.1 (62.8) |
9.3 (48.7) |
2.2 (36.0) |
−4.5 (23.9) |
8.0 (46.4) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 17.5 (0.69) |
25.0 (0.98) |
33.1 (1.30) |
65.8 (2.59) |
77.6 (3.06) |
109.5 (4.31) |
300.6 (11.83) |
257.1 (10.12) |
139.4 (5.49) |
53.6 (2.11) |
44.3 (1.74) |
20.8 (0.82) |
1,144.3 (45.05) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 3.9 | 4.0 | 5.3 | 6.6 | 6.8 | 7.0 | 12.6 | 11.5 | 7.7 | 5.4 | 7.5 | 5.6 | 83.9 |
| Source: Korea Meteorological Administration[6] | |||||||||||||
Notable people
edit- Park Wan-Kyu, a Korean singer, the 5th and 11th vocalist of rock band resurrection.
- Lee Eun-Gyeol, a magician and illusionist in Korea.
- Won Kyun, A military general of the mid Joseon dynasty who served during the Imjin War.
Notes
edit- ^ U.S. Move Is Spurring Evictions In S. Korea (Washington Post article)
- ^ Massive Force Mobilized to Evict U.S. Base Protestors (Chosun Ilbo article (English))
- ^ Activists Are Only Using the People of Pyeontaek (Chosun Ilbo English Editorial) article
- ^ More Violence Looms in Planned Rally at U.S. Base Site
- ^ U.S. base expansion in Korea sparks protests (Socialism and Liberation) article
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Eviction village: A farmer's tale". 27 February 2007 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ Changes to Wartime OPCON: Challenges for the ROK Archived 2007-10-11 at the Wayback Machine, Chosun
- ^ http://www.bucksvoice.net/bkva/assets/documents/south-africa-dec-2014 Archived 2017-04-25 at the Wayback Machine SOUTH AFRICAN KOREAN WAR VETERANS ASSOCIATION
- ^ "South African Embassy, Seoul". www.southafrica-embassy.or.kr.
- ^ "Pyeongtaek International Christian School." International School Information (Government of South Korea). Retrieved on March 30, 2016.
- ^ "Climatological Normals of Korea (1991 ~ 2020)" (PDF) (in Korean). Korea Meteorological Administration. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 January 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
External links
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