SEO
CHEON COUNTY
General Information
1. Natural Environment
Seocheon-gun is situated at the midpoint of the west coast of Republic of Korea and in the southernmost region of Chungcheongnam-do. The northwest area of Seocheon contains the tip of the Charyeongsanmaek Mountain Range, extending in the southwest direction through the central regions of Chungcheongnam-do. The area of Seo-myeon is comprised of low hills that are up to 100m tall and basins. The Geumgang River, one of the four major rivers of Korea, flows down to the southeast area of Seocheon and further enriches the fertile soil of this region, thereby creating vast stretches of fertile land bridging the Naepo and Honam plains. The western and southern seashores of Seocheon are classified as a rias coast, which is characterized by well-developed tidal flats and sandy beaches.
2. Tourism Resources
There are diverse festivals taking place in Seocheon in every season including the Hansan Ramie Fabric Cultural Festival, which is the one and only festival celebrating the traditional fabric of Korea, as well as the Hongwon Port Jeoneo (Gizzard) Festival, Seocheon Camellia Octopus Festival, and Maryangpo Sunrise Festival. Also, there are many tourist attractions such as the Geumgang River estuary embankment, a paradise for migratory birds, the Sinseong-ri Reed Field, which gained national fame through the movie, "JSA - Joint Security Area," tidal flats, serving as a valuable habitat for numerous sea creatures, and the Chunjangdae Beach, where there is a dense forest of acacia and black pine trees. Furthermore, numerous visitors from around the country come to Seocheon not only for a vacation but also for thematic tours and experience programs that are conducted at the tidal flats, farming villages, etc.
3. History and Culture
Seocheon has been home to many historical figures and loyal subjects including Mogeun Yi Saek, one of the three most prominent Confucian scholars of the Goryeo Dynasty and the master of neo-Confucianism, and Wolnam Yi Sang-jae, a man of religion and one of the leaders of the Independence Movement. Seocheon is also a part of the cultural sphere of Gibeolpo (former name of Janghang), which was the military and economic hub of Baekje, and for this reason, the traces of Baekje still remain to this day. Visitors come to Seocheon to discover the specialty products of the region including the Hansan Semosi (ramie fabric with fine texture) and Hansan Segokju (a variety of rice wine), the cultural assets such as the Biin Five-story Stone Pagoda as well as the Jeosanpareup-gilssam-rori (weaving game of eight townships in Jeosan, Seocheon), designated as Chungnam Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 13.
4. Administrative Information
As of late 2014, Seocheon has a population of 58,872 people, 13 eup and myeon areas (2 eups and 11 myeons) and 637 civil servants (1 civil servant serving every 92 residents). The land usage rate is fairly high as there are many residents occupying a relatively small area.
5. Local Economy
There is 14,426ha of agricultural land, accounting 40.5% of the total area. To be more specific, there are 3,400ha of vegetable farmlands and 11,026ha of rice paddies. Rice, which is one of the major agricultural products produced in this area, is mainly cultivated in the fertile lands of Hansan-myeon, Hwayang-myeon and Maseo-myeon, situated near the estuary of the Geumgang River. There is 15,081ha of forest area, accounting for 42.1% of the total area. A wide variety of forest products including chestnuts, mushrooms, walnuts, jujubes, acorns and ginkgos are produced here, and chestnuts account for most of the production volume. Seocheon is also a producer of medicinal plants including medicinal herbs and cornus fruits. Furrthermore, there is high production of local specialties such as ramie in Jongcheon-myeon and Sicho-myeon, ginger in Munsan-myeon and Sicho-myeon, and silkworm cocoons in Munsan-myeon. Hansan ramie fabrics that are locally made are famous as a local specialty product.
The western region of Seocheon-gun is adjacent to the West Sea, along the 72.5km-long coastline, and consists of 5,000ha aquaculture lands. Laver accounts for most of the aquaculture production. As of late 2000, there are 114 manufacturing enterprises specializing in various business areas except for textile, chemistry and machinery industries. There is an agricultural-industrial complex each in Janghang-myeon and Jongcheon-myeon, and it has been home to a total of 44 enterprises as of 2001. The Seocheon Thermal Power Plant, which makes use of poor-grade coal, is located in Seo-myeon, and it supplies power to the industrial facilities near the streams and rivers of the central region.
There are various types of commercial bodies concentrated in the two permanent marketplaces and three regular marketplaces. Most of these shops are in the food and beverage service industry, and they are mostly restaurants servicing the public. The main commercial district is Seocheon-eup, which contains 5 financial institutions. Of particular note, with the accelerated economic growth of China, Seocheon is expected to emerge as the logistics base of the Yellow Sea region of Northeast Asia in the 21st century. For this reason, there has been effects to develop Seocheon into a region undertaking a pivotal role in the Yellow Sea region. For instance, there has been an extension of the Seohaean Expressway (Seocheon IC, Chunjangdae IC and Dongseocheon IC) into this region, and many other social overhead capital (SOC) and development projects are being undertaken such as the double railway of Janghang line, Seocheon-Gongju Expressway, extension of the Port of Janghang, and construction of the Janghang National Ecological Industry Complex.