History Mokpo

1 history

1.1 mahan , 3 kingdoms eras
1.2 goryeo , joseon dynasties
1.3 open port
1.4 under japanese rule
1.5 after independence

history
mahan , 3 kingdoms eras

mokpo belonged mahan confederacy during era of 3 han confederacies during samhan period, , called mul ahye-gun while under control of baekje kingdom. after silla defeated baekje, mokpo s region absorbed, , name changed myeonju. in 946, name once again changed mullyang-gun, , became part of muan prefecture, in haeyang province. @ time, prefecture of muan referred larger area, incorporated not mokpo area called muan , several islands of sinan county. according kbs documentary, coastal , offshore areas of mokpo witnessed superior productivity of crops, , important shipping routes naju established along yeongsan river.

goryeo , joseon dynasties

to commemorate role in region s history, statue of admiral yi sun-sin stands guard on mokpo.

what today known mokpo had origins in goryeo period. dynasty s founder, wang geon, serving general later goguryeo (also known taebong), ruled gung ye. taebong covered central area of korean peninsula including current-day gaeseong, called song ak.

as naval power, wang geon ordered attack kingdom of later baekje, which, later goguryeo, kingdom emerged after disintegration of unified silla. operation met successful results. during time, wang geon met second queen, queen janghwa, whom had son, became hyejong of goryeo.

in 1439, 21 years after king sejong of joseon dynasty came power, mokpo garrison (jin) established, designed control twelve offshore islands. during japanese invasions of korea (1592–1598), admiral yi sun-sin established garrison of naval forces @ mokpo , island of goha, in order secure base provisions , ship repairs, such turtle ships, known geobukseon , panokseon.

open port

on october 1, 1897, mokpo became open port, fifteen years after opening of port of incheon. japan, mokpo held geographical advantage being located midway between nagasaki, japan, , chinese mainland. japan valued mokpo proximity abundant crops of jeolla provinces. after opening, housing japanese settlers rapidly developed in order establish self-government. japanese settled predominantly in today yudal-dong neighborhood, close main port. japanese consulate remained there until establishment of japanese protectorate on korea.

the japanese settlers gradually bought farmland in vicinity of mokpo, had been illegal. these agricultural fields desirable because inexpensive , not heavily taxed. resulting harvests these fields made rice cheaper in japan, although price of rice in jeolla province doubled result. after 1905, influx of japanese settlers increased , expanded geumhwa-dong, many cherry trees planted along street. japanese called area sakuramachi , means downtown of cherry blossom trees. korea s full annexation japan in 1910, city given new name, mokpo-bu, , saw construction of colonial institution, oriental development company.

under japanese rule

see also: korea under japanese rule

mokpo s status open port made viable option use nearby county of wando link region s many offshore islands. in 1914, completion of honam railway line connected city daejeon. on april 1, 1914, county of mokpo-bu divided several administrative sections. county s urban downtown area, bunae-myeon, became today mokpo city. following order number 11 of general japanese government of korea, muan county incorporated jido, palguem, , docho, other areas formerly comprising mokpo-bu. during japanese colonial period, mokpo s harbor used forcibly export produce of region.

in 1918, colonists established ginning facilities manufacturing large amounts of goods in both mokpo , iri (current iksan in north jeolla province). in 1932, city incorporated parts of muan, becoming 6th largest city in korean peninsula population of 60,000. indigenous products cloth, rice, salt, , coastal foods. harbor played important role, supplying goods japan, including large quantities of cotton.

after independence

in 1949, mokpo bu attained title of mokpo-si (si meaning city ), after soc government altered administrative region. in 1973 , 1987, large areas added mokpo city, including 1 of famous tourist spots, samhakdo (which means 3 cranes laid above sea ). samhakdo reclaimed connecting series of islands, process of landfill operations lasted 1968 1973. island divided 3 major sections, , on 6 years city constructed 5 bridges link 3 sections. in 2000, city initiated plan restore naturalized island tourism, brought tremendous criticism environmental groups. on march 1, 2007, samhakdo opened public. other projects in mokpo included coastal filling process near north harbor , building of new port in chungmu-dong.

in 1980, gwangju democratization movement swept area. in mokpo, student movements initiated several people marching along boulevard mokpo station second plaza, carrying cards displaying word freedom. mokpo station served hub many groups supporting people of gwangju.

on october 1, 1997, mokpo celebrated centennial port city, , announced second opening of port. mokpo hometown of former president kim dae-jung, received nobel peace prize in 2001.