# Gwangju (광주)
**Gwangju** (광주; hanja 光州, meaning "light prefecture") is the name of two South Korean cities: Gwangju Metropolitan City (광주광역시), the sixth-largest city in the country and the principal city of the southwest, and Gwangju in [Gyeonggi Province](https://www.edgepedia.org/gyeonggi-province) (경기도 광주시), a satellite city southeast of Seoul. The name was first used in 940, when the Goryeo king Taejo renamed the Baekje-era district of Mujinju as Gwangju and established a regional administrative office there[1](https://www.gwangju.go.kr/eng/contentsView.do?pageId=eng20). The two cities are unrelated administratively; the Gyeonggi city kept the older county name while the southwestern city grew into a metropolitan government[2](https://www.gjcity.go.kr/portal/contents.do?mId=0101010000).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Name origin | First used in 940 (23rd year of King Taejo of Goryeo), replacing Mujinju; the city calls itself the "City of Light"[1](https://www.gwangju.go.kr/eng/contentsView.do?pageId=eng20) |
| Gwangju Metropolitan City | Sixth-largest city in South Korea, about 1.4–1.5 million people, five districts, 501.19 km², in the southwest[3](https://www.cct.go.kr/english/?cate=104001&menu=3&sub=1) • [4](https://k-mice.visitkorea.or.kr/mice/upload/eng/help/tools/pdf/gwangju.pdf) |
| Metropolitan status | Direct-controlled city from November 1, 1986; renamed Gwangju Metropolitan City on January 1, 1995[1](https://www.gwangju.go.kr/eng/contentsView.do?pageId=eng20) |
| May 18 Democratic Uprising | 1980 citizen revolt against the military regime, brutally suppressed; a defining event in Korea's democratization[5](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6462286/) |
| Gyeonggi Gwangju | 430.99 km² southeast of Seoul; population 421,149 in September 2026, including 19,673 foreign residents[6](https://www.gjcity.go.kr/portal/contents.do?mId=0102010200) • [7](https://www.gjcity.go.kr/portal/population/view.do?mId=0102060000) |
| 2026 integration | Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City launched July 1, 2026, uniting the metropolitan city with South Jeolla Province, 3.2 million people[8](https://www.chosun.com/english/national-en/2026/07/01/QMDH6LRL5BD73CCS2Q7ZZUQ66Y/) |
## Name and early history
The name Gwangju entered the record in 940, when Mujinju was renamed Gwangju and a dodok-bu (a regional administrative office) was established[1](https://www.gwangju.go.kr/eng/contentsView.do?pageId=eng20). The city's own account traces the name to the Goryeo scholar [Yi Saek](https://www.edgepedia.org/yi-saek), whose book *Seoseokjueonggi* referred to the area as "Gwangjiju," or "Village of Light"[1](https://www.gwangju.go.kr/eng/contentsView.do?pageId=eng20).
The Korean-language history of the metropolitan city places the region in the Iron Age Mahan confederacy, citing the Chinese *Records of the Three Kingdoms* mention of Gusa Odan and Bulmi as polities associated with the area[9](https://www.gwangju.go.kr/contentsView.do?pageId=www214). Under Unified Silla, King Gyeongdeok reorganized the peninsula into nine districts in 754, and the region belonged to Muju under Namwon-kyung[1](https://www.gwangju.go.kr/eng/contentsView.do?pageId=eng20). During the Joseon dynasty Gwangju belonged to Jwa-do (the left half) of Jeolla Province, and its status was repeatedly reduced to a county or restored after local incidents[9](https://www.gwangju.go.kr/contentsView.do?pageId=www214).
Under Japanese rule, Gwangju was promoted to Gwangju-eup in 1931 and to Gwangju-bu in 1935, with its administrative area expanded to 41 jungs[1](https://www.gwangju.go.kr/eng/contentsView.do?pageId=eng20). After liberation, the city became Gwangju City in 1949 under the new Republic of Korea government[1](https://www.gwangju.go.kr/eng/contentsView.do?pageId=eng20).
## Gwangju Metropolitan City
**Growth into a metropolitan city.** Gwangju was promoted to a direct-controlled city (jikhalsi) on November 1, 1986, following Busan, Daegu, and Incheon, at which point it had 3 districts, 72 dongs, and an area of 215.11 km²[1](https://www.gwangju.go.kr/eng/contentsView.do?pageId=eng20). On January 1, 1988, Songjeong City and all of Gwangsan-gun were integrated into the city, raising the area to 501.20 km² and creating the four-district structure of 83 dongs and 9 offices[1](https://www.gwangju.go.kr/eng/contentsView.do?pageId=eng20). On January 1, 1995, the direct-controlled designation was replaced by fully autonomous metropolitan-city status, and on March 1, 1995, Nam-gu was separated from Seo-gu, producing the five districts that still exist[1](https://www.gwangju.go.kr/eng/contentsView.do?pageId=eng20). By December 2019 the city had 95 neighborhoods and a population of 1,480,293 including international residents[1](https://www.gwangju.go.kr/eng/contentsView.do?pageId=eng20). Gwangju served as the administrative center of South Jeolla Province until 2005[3](https://www.cct.go.kr/english/?cate=104001&menu=3&sub=1).
**May 18 Democratic Uprising.** In 1980 a citizen revolt against the military regime was brutally suppressed in Gwangju, an event that shaped the city's identity and its reputation for active civil society and left-leaning politics[5](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6462286/). The city government describes the uprising as a beacon of democratization in which lives were lost in defense of justice, democracy, human rights, and freedom, and it has campaigned to designate May 18 as a national holiday[1](https://www.gwangju.go.kr/eng/contentsView.do?pageId=eng20).
**Culture.** Gwangju is the birthplace of the Southern School of Chinese painting (Namjonghwa) and of pansori, a Korean narrative singing genre[1](https://www.gwangju.go.kr/eng/contentsView.do?pageId=eng20). The Gwangju Biennale, an international arts festival first held in 1995, now runs every two years[1](https://www.gwangju.go.kr/eng/contentsView.do?pageId=eng20). Since the early 2000s the city has promoted itself as the "Hub City of Asian Culture," supporting the creative economy and international cultural events[5](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6462286/); the Asia Culture Center opened to the public in November 2015[1](https://www.gwangju.go.kr/eng/contentsView.do?pageId=eng20). The Hub City project aimed to promote five creative sectors: music, crafts and design, games, high-tech images, and edu-tainment[10](https://publications.iadb.org/publications/english/document/Creative_and_Cultural_Industries_in_Urban_Revitalization_A_Practice_Based_Handbook.pdf).
**Economy and demographic trend.** After the Korean War Gwangju experienced a long period of economic decline and deindustrialization, and only from the 1980s did it build a more diversified economic base[5](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6462286/). A study of urban development stages found that Gwangju entered an urban shrinkage stage in the late 2010s[11](https://journal.kaopg.or.kr/articles/article/95dV/). The city's current administration targets restructuring toward high value-added industry built on artificial intelligence, future mobility, and energy[12](https://www.gwangju.go.kr/eng/contentsView.do?pageId=eng17).
## Gwangju in Gyeonggi Province
The other Gwangju is a city of 430.99 km² in central Gyeonggi Province, southeast of Seoul, bordered by Yeoju and Icheon to the east, Seongnam to the west, Yongin to the south, and, across the Han River, Namyangju, Yangpyeong, and [Hanam](https://www.edgepedia.org/hanam) to the north[6](https://www.gjcity.go.kr/portal/contents.do?mId=0102010200). Its terrain is a valley landscape surrounded by the Gwangju mountain range centered on Namhansan; cultivated land is only 22.16 km², about 5 percent of the city's area, and farming specializes in vegetables for the nearby Seoul market, including tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, chicory, and mushrooms[6](https://www.gjcity.go.kr/portal/contents.do?mId=0102010200).
The city's recorded history is long: prehistoric stone tools were excavated at Gonjiam, the fortress at [Namhansanseong](https://www.edgepedia.org/namhansanseong) was built in 1626, and in 1577 the area was elevated to Gwangju-bu with 23 townships[2](https://www.gjcity.go.kr/portal/contents.do?mId=0101010000). Through the 20th century its territory was repeatedly carved up as Seoul, Seongnam, and Hanam grew; in 1963 five districts were transferred to Seoul, in 1973 parts went to Seongnam, and in 1989 the eastern and western townships became part of Hanam[2](https://www.gjcity.go.kr/portal/contents.do?mId=0101010000). The remaining Gwangju-gun was elevated to Gwangju-si on March 21, 2001[2](https://www.gjcity.go.kr/portal/contents.do?mId=0101010000). Its population stood at 421,149 in September 2026, of whom 19,673 were foreign residents[7](https://www.gjcity.go.kr/portal/population/view.do?mId=0102060000).
The climate is continental, with hot, humid summers and cold, dry winters; the annual mean temperature is 12.7 °C, annual precipitation 1,317 mm, and mean wind speed about 1.5 m/s from the northwest[6](https://www.gjcity.go.kr/portal/contents.do?mId=0102010200).
## The 2026 integration
On July 1, 2026, Gwangju Metropolitan City and South Jeolla Province merged into the Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City, the first integration of two metropolitan-level administrative regions in South Korea, 40 years after Gwangju's elevation to a direct-controlled city[8](https://www.chosun.com/english/national-en/2026/07/01/QMDH6LRL5BD73CCS2Q7ZZUQ66Y/). The combined population of 3.2 million ranks fourth among South Korea's metropolitan-level administrative regions, behind Gyeonggi, Seoul, and Busan[8](https://www.chosun.com/english/national-en/2026/07/01/QMDH6LRL5BD73CCS2Q7ZZUQ66Y/). The central government committed 5 trillion won annually for four years, 20 trillion won in total, and the new city gained authority over large-scale development approvals and economic free zone designations[8](https://www.chosun.com/english/national-en/2026/07/01/QMDH6LRL5BD73CCS2Q7ZZUQ66Y/).
## References
1. [The History of Gwangju, Gwangju Metropolitan City (English)](https://www.gwangju.go.kr/eng/contentsView.do?pageId=eng20)
2. [연혁, 광주시청 (Gyeonggi Gwangju history)](https://www.gjcity.go.kr/portal/contents.do?mId=0101010000)
3. [Hub City of Asian Culture Gwangju, Asia Culture Center](https://www.cct.go.kr/english/?cate=104001&menu=3&sub=1)
4. [Welcome to GWANGJU!, Visit Korea MICE](https://k-mice.visitkorea.or.kr/mice/upload/eng/help/tools/pdf/gwangju.pdf)
5. [Assessing transformative capacity for sustainable urban regeneration: A comparative study of three South Korean cities, PMC](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6462286/)
6. [지역특성, 광주시청 (Gyeonggi Gwangju regional characteristics)](https://www.gjcity.go.kr/portal/contents.do?mId=0102010200)
7. [인구, 광주시청 (Gyeonggi Gwangju population)](https://www.gjcity.go.kr/portal/population/view.do?mId=0102060000)
8. [Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City Launches After 40-Year Separation, The Chosun Daily](https://www.chosun.com/english/national-en/2026/07/01/QMDH6LRL5BD73CCS2Q7ZZUQ66Y/)
9. [광주의 유래와 연혁, 광주광역시](https://www.gwangju.go.kr/contentsView.do?pageId=www214)
10. [Creative and Cultural Industries in Urban Revitalization: A Practice-Based Handbook, IDB](https://publications.iadb.org/publications/english/document/Creative_and_Cultural_Industries_in_Urban_Revitalization_A_Practice_Based_Handbook.pdf)
11. [A Study on the Urban Shrinkage of Metropolitan Cities: Case Study on Gwang-ju Metropolitan City, Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial Cooperation Society](https://journal.kaopg.or.kr/articles/article/95dV/)
12. [Vision and Goals of the City, Gwangju Metropolitan City (English)](https://www.gwangju.go.kr/eng/contentsView.do?pageId=eng17)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Places and geography › Settlements and neighborhoods › Cities and towns › Cities, towns, and villages of East Asia › Cities of Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Mongolia*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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