Anyang, Gyeonggi

Anyang is divided into two-halves for administrative purposes: the Manan district to the west and Dongan district to the east. The Manan district is an old and original downtown area centered on Anyang Station. It is dominated by a shopping area with outdoor markets, known as "ilbeonga" (first street). The Dongan district is a new, wealthy suburb of Pyeongchon. The tallest building in Anyang is the Acro Tower, which was completed in April 2007. It is a twin-tower office building in the Dongan district, across the street from Anyang City Hall. Anyang is a convenient transportation center between Seoul and other major cities across the country.

Anyang spans 58.46 square kilometres (22.57 sq mi). Forest and fields constitute 30.15 km² (11.64 sq mi), urban development constitutes 11.51 km² (4.44 sq mi), dry fields constitute 1.8 km² (0.69 sq mi), rice paddies constitutes 1.25 km² (0.48 sq mi), and other land use constitutes 13.76 km² (5.31 sq mi).[2] Anyang is surrounded by mountains on all four sides. These mountains are Gwanak Mountain and Samsung Mountain to the north, Suri Mountain to the southwest, and Cheongye Mountain and Morak Mountain to the other sides. There are eight streams and rivers in Anyang, with a length of 34 kilometres (21 mi).

The main river is Anyang River (one of the four main tributaries of the Han River in Seoul), which is 32.2 km (20.0 mi) long. It has a basin area of 275 km² (106 sq mi), fed by 21 tributaries. The center of the overall elliptical basin topography is low and flat. The river runs through the center of Anyang city and is a common place for people to walk, jog, or ride bikes.[3] The river flows through seven cities in Gyeonggi Province. This, however, has caused major issues with pollution. River banks are often covered with parking lots or athletic fields, combined with poor sewerage systems in the upper reaches of the river. As a result, the Anyang Stream Watershed Management Committee for Water Quality Improvement had been established to address some of these issues.[3] Between 1974 and 1977, Samduck paper and Samyoung hardboard factories poured industrial waste into the Suam and Samseong Rivers (two of the tributaries of Anyang River), causing the rivers to become toxic. This pollution was serious, and local residents dug pools to collect the industrial waste, producing a large, damp paper slab at the base of the pools. Local elder women citizens cut out the paper slabs into blocks that were sold back to Samduck; the remaining residues from the drying process were kept and used as fire fuel by the residents during winter. The "owner of Samduck recently donated his factory ground to the city as a gesture of compensation to the citizens of Anyang".[4] In November 2008, the site reopened as a city park.

Anyang is very cold and dry in winter and hot and humid in summer. However, Anyang is cooler than Seoul in summer. The average annual temperature is 12.3c, while the average rainfall is 1,344mm. Around two-thirds of Anyang's rainfall occurs during monsoon season between June and August.[5]

Anyang city panorama, 2006.

The name Anyang originates from Anyang mall which was established by Wang Geon, the First Emperor of the Goryeo dynasty. In the fourth year of Hyōgong, king of Silla (900), Wang Geon, a general of Gung Ye, was passing through Samsung Mountain to quell the rebellion in the Gumju (Siheung) and Gwaju (Gwacheon) areas. During their travels, the troops met an old Buddhist priest named Neungjung, and while listening to the priest, Wang Geon had the idea of building a temple at the location. Anyang itself is a Buddhist term signifying a heavenly land where unimaginable joy and freedom overflow.

As with most towns and cities in South Korea, Anyang has experienced tremendous urban growth during the past few decades. Anyang was severely battered by warfare during the Korean War.[8] Ten years after it ended, the area's population was still largely rural and its landscape agricultural. It was well known for its grape growing. Anyang was given city status in 1973 and has grown to become the 15th most populated city in the country. It is also becoming a commuter city for many workers in Seoul because of its close proximity.

Like most cities in South Korea, the population is made up almost entirely of ethnic Koreans. In 1968, the population was about 50,000[15] and in 2004 the population was around 600,000.[15] In 2007, there were 624,197 South Koreans resident in Anyang (311,702 males and 312,495 females), and 6,491 non-South Koreans (3,148 males and 3,343 females). Non-South Koreans were Chinese (4,706), Vietnamese (315), Americans (283), Filipinos (168), Japanese (147), British (21), and others including Israelis (771).

Anyang City Hall has a project named 'Anyang Art City 21 Project' which aims to create "a beautiful city, an art city and a well-being city by adding virtuosity to the exterior of city buildings and harmonizing the city sight with natural environment".[22]

Anyang also has the country's only Singing Road, which is made from grooves cut into the ground, which driven over causes a tactile vibration and audible rumbling transmitted through the wheels into the car body. Drivers can hear the tune of "Mary Had a Little Lamb", and the road is intended to help motorists stay alert and awake.[23]

As of 2007 Anyang has 84 kindergartens (6,685 students), 40 elementary schools (48,639), 24 middle schools (29,084), 22 high schools (31,259), two junior colleges (17,638), three universities (13,634) and one school for the disabled (244). The universities include Anyang University, Seonggyeol University, and Gyeongin Education University, while the colleges are Daelim College and Anyang Technical College. Gyeongin National University of Education[28] is also nearby in the mountains.

In addition there were 1,026 private educational institutions listed in 2008 with 97,289 students in attendance.[29] These are predominantly after school academies where students go to get additional study or complete homework in a variety of subject areas such as English or Maths. The main area for these institutes is 'academy street', known locally as 'hagwon ga', which is located a few kilometres directly to the south of Anyang Central Park in Dongan Gu.

Anyang has eight public libraries (Pyeongchon library, Suksoo library, Kwanak library, Bakdal library, Manan library, Hogye library, Bisan library, Children library, and Gwanyang library).[2] Many people use it, and due to its different 'Closed days', people use it variously. Bisan library and Gwanyang library was built up recently; Bisan in 2010, Gwanyang in 2016.

Anyang is home to the Anyang Halla ice hockey team who play in the Asia League Ice Hockey. They won their first Asian hockey league title in 2010 and were the first South Korean team to do so. Anyang is also home to the Anyang KGC basketball team, playing in the Korean Basketball League. They won the league for the first time in 2012. Anyang founded its own professional football team in 2013, FC Anyang, who plays in the K League 2. The team replaces FC Seoul who were based in Anyang and were known as the Anyang LG Cheetahs before being relocated to Seoul in 2004 for commercial reasons. FC Anyang are a citizen team, funded by the city council along with sponsorship money from principal sponsor, Kookmin Bank. All three teams play at the Anyang Stadium complex.

Sporting facilities in Anyang include the Anyang sporting complex (which features a stadium for athletics and football, an indoor ice rink, a basketball stadium, and an open air and indoor swimming pool). The main stadium was built in 1986 and seats 18,216 people.[30] Anyang also has an inline roller skating stadium which hosted the 2006 World Roller Speed Skating Championships, and an inline skate rink in Pyeongchon at Anyang Central Park. There are also numerous council-run outdoor basketball courts and football fields in the city of Anyang, along with those on school land.

There are many museums, parks and ancient remains in Anyang, although due to its location and relatively low profile Anyang City does not attract many international tourists. The majority of visitors to Anyang's attractions are either domestic travelers or local residents. The main hotels in Anyang are Samwon Plaza Tourist Hotel, Sogno Hotel, Koam Tourist Hotel, the Anyang Blue Monte Resort & Youth Hostel all located in Manan Gu, and Central Tourist Hotel in Dongan Gu.

The Anyang History Museum is located in Galsan-dong, Dongan-Gu, with the major theme of the museum being the displaying of the history and culture of the Anyang area.[31] A site featuring the banner poles from a Joongcho temple is located in Manan Gu. They are the only banner poles in Korea from the period 827AD, and are so unique that they are designated national treasure no. 4. Anyang also hosts the collected writings of Toegye Lee Hwang (1501–1570), which were written to teach his follower Kwon Ho-Mun how to write (national treasure no. 548).[32] Anyang also possesses dozens of nationally recognised 'tangible assets' including Manan Bridge, and the Maaejong rock engraving of a bell from the end of the Silla Dynasty.[33] In addition, Anyang contains the tombstone of Park Suh, a civil servant in the middle Joseon period, as well as dolmens in Pyeongchon, a stone chambered grave in Bisan dong, and a letter engraved in stone by Ji Woon Yong at Sammak Temple.[34]

In 2007 there were 16,311 reported cases of crime in Anyang. There were 13,771 arrests made during the same year.[38] In 2008, there were 20,854 crimes. The following year, there were 16,990 crimes. However, the recent installation of new CCTV has led to the crime rate decreasing.

In 2013, Anyang (along with Busan) was listed as one of the most polluted cities (in terms of air pollution) in the world's largest economies, with nearly 70 micrograms of particulate matter of less than 10 micron size per cubic meter.[39]

From 2016 to now, the construction of GS cogeneration system lead to many conflicts between GS and the residents living near Pyeongchon-Dong. Many people believe that the power plant increases air pollution, which is already a heavy issue in Korea.

Anyang is well served by bus, subway and rail services. The intercity bus terminal is located directly opposite Anyang Station which was first opened in January 1905. It was rebuilt into a large, modern building, which reopened in December 2001 and is adjacent to Lotte Department Store. It takes approximately 40 minutes on line one from Anyang to Seoul Station. There are six other stations in Anyang: Myeonghak, Gwanak and Seoksu, and Beomgye, Pyeongchon and Indeogwon, the first three on line one and the latter three on line four.

Domestic relations

City	Province
Yeongwol	Gangwon-do
Goesan	North Chungcheong
Yesan	South Chungcheong
Jangsu	North Jeolla
Hampyeong	South Jeolla
Ulleung	North Gyeongsang
Hadong	South Gyeongsang

International relations

City	State	Country	Year
Komaki	Aichi Prefecture	Japan	1986
Hampton	Virginia	United States	1989
Garden Grove	California	United States	1989
Weifang	Shandong	China	1995
Ulan-Ude	Buryatia	Russia	1997
Naucalpan	State of Mexico	Mexico	1997
Tokorozawa	Saitama Prefecture	Japan	1998
Sorocaba	São Paulo	Brazil	1998

• Anyang Halla
• Anyang Station
• Beomgye Station
• Geography of South Korea
• List of cities in South Korea
• Seoul National Capital Area

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Anyang, South Korea.

• City government website (in English)
• Location of the melody road Sound Tourism website