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Mungyeong (; ) is a city in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. The local government, economy, and transportation networks are all centered in Jeomchon, the principal town. Mungyeong has a lengthy history, and is known today for its various historic and scenic tourist attractions. The city's name means roughly "hearing good news." Recently, development has been somewhat stagnant with the decline of the coal industry. Since the 1990s, the proportion of people who rely on the tourism industry through Mungyeong Saejae has gradually increased.
The city of Mungyeong was created after Jeomchon City and rural Mungyeong County were combined in 1995. It is now an urban-rural complex similar to 53 other small and medium-sized cities with a population under 300,000 people in South Korea.Lee, Jae Won; Lee, Man Hyung. (1997) Urban-Rural Integration Conflicts After 1994's Reform in Korea Dosi Yeongu, Korea Center for City and Environment Research, vol3. pp.103-121Yun, Daesic; Hwang, Junghoon. Moon, Changkeun. (June. 2008) (in Korean) A Study on Analysis of Mode Choice Characteristics and Travel Pattern in Urban-Rural Integrated City Korea Research Institute For Human Settlements, p.118
At any rate, the rising power of Silla controlled the area by 505. Capitalizing on the territory's strategic potential, Silla set up various mountain fortresses in the area to control movement in and out of western Korea. Control of transit through the area would have gained even greater importance after Silla's 553 seizure of the Han River valley on the western side of the mountains. At this time the low Haneuljae pass near Poam Mountain was probably the favored crossing, in contrast to the higher Mungyeong Saejae pass which came into favor in the Joseon Dynasty.
As Silla reorganized its administrative structure under King Seongdeok in 757, the Mungyeong area was placed under the province of Sangju, and divided among various hyeon, or local districts. During this Unified Silla period the temple of Gwaneumsa, of which all but a few traces have vanished, was constructed near Haneuljae in present-day Mungyeong-eup.
In the early Goryeo period, in 983, King Seongjong reorganized local government yet again. Most of Mungyeong remained divided into assorted hyeon, under the central jurisdiction of Sangju. In 1390, Mungyeong-gun (Mungyeong County) begins to appear in the records, although not with its current boundaries.
In the Joseon period, the Eight Provinces were laid out and thus Mungyeong became part of Gyeongsang Province, which it remains. During later Joseon times, the road from Seoul to Busan was established running over Mungyeong Saejae. Beginning in the 18th century, gates were erected on the road to control traffic and protect travelers from brigandage. These gates are still preserved today.
The first railroads were constructed in the area during the period of Japanese occupation. Jeomchon Station was opened on December 25, 1924. However, the pace of resource extraction did not accelerate greatly until the post-war period, under the first South Korean government led by Syngman Rhee. Construction on the Gaeun Line, with the goal of improving access to the coal deposits around Gaeun, began on January 18, 1953, before the official end of the Korean War (the line was completed in 1955).
Local self-governance was established in the early years of the Republic of Korea, but abruptly cancelled following the military coup of 1961. After the end of military dictatorship, local representative government was reinstituted in 1991. At that time, the present-day territory of Mungyeong was divided between Jeomchon City and Mungyeong County. The city acquired its present-day borders on January 1, 1995, when the two former units were merged to form Mungyeong City.
Mungyeong stands on the border between North Gyeongsang and North Chungcheong Provinces. On its northern and western borders, it adjoins the North Chungcheong districts of Danyang County, Jecheon, and Chungju on the north and Goesan County on the northwest. Within North Gyeongsang province, Mungyeong adjoins Yecheon County to the east and Sangju to the south.
The topography of Mungyeong is dominated by the Sobaek mountains, which form the line between North Gyeongsang and North Chungcheong provinces. The city's highest point lies on this line, at 1161-meter Munsu peak of Worak Mountain in Dongno-myeon. The city's terrain, cut by numerous valleys, slopes down from the Sobaek peaks toward the valleys of the Nakdong River and its tributary, the Yeong River. At their meeting-point in Yeongsun-myeon, the rivers are barely 200 m above sea level. Above the valleys, the soil is thin and outcroppings of igneous or sedimentary bedrock are common. Millions of years of erosion have created spectacular cliffs and escarpments in many areas, some of which have become major attractions for local tourism.
| Mungyeong-eup | 문경읍 | 聞慶邑 |
| Gaeun-eup | 가은읍 | 加恩邑 |
| Yeongsun-myeon | 영순면 | 永順面 |
| Sanyang-myeon | 산양면 | 山陽面 |
| Hogye-myeon | 호계면 | 虎溪面 |
| Sanbuk-myeon | 산북면 | 山北面 |
| Dongno-myeon | 동로면 | 東魯面 |
| Maseong-myeon | 마성면 | 麻城面 |
| Nongam-myeon | 농암면 | 籠岩面 |
| Jeomchon 1(il)-dong | 점촌1동 | 店村1洞 |
| Jeomchon 2(i)-dong | 점촌2동 | 店村2洞 |
| Jeomchon 3(sam)-dong | 점촌3동 | 店村3洞 |
| Jeomchon 4(sa)-dong | 점촌4동 | 店村4洞 |
| Jeomchon 5(o)-dong | 점촌5동 | 店村5洞 |
| 1975 | 161,095 |
| 1980 | 147,242 |
| 1985 | 139,731 |
| 1990 | 119,416 |
| 1995 | 92,239 |
| 2000 | 90,846 |
| 2005 | 70,926 |
| 2010 | 69,021 |
| 2013 | 75,664 |
| 2017 | 73,294 |
The local government has set up various institutions to promote agricultural and industrial development, including "agro-industrial complexes" located around the rural districts. These efforts have met with some success, as for example the area under orchard cultivation expanded significantly in the late 1990s.
Local journalism, therefore, is primarily limited to local weekly such as the Saejae Sinmun. These weeklies are dominated by classified advertising, but also carry a selection of local news and commentary.
In recent years, cable television and high-speed internet service has become widespread in Mungyeong.
Six of the myeon, or townships, form an L, with its bottom in the southeast near the confluence of the Yeong and Nakdong rivers: Yeongsun-myeon, Sanyang-myeon, Maseong-myeon, Hogye-myeon, Sanbuk-myeon and Dongno-myeon. Nongam-myeon lies south of Gaeun, at Mungyeong's southern limit.
Gaeun-eup was once an important town in its own right, but has now become largely marginalized. Mungyeong-eup, the principal center of the city apart from Jeomchon, is found in the northern area of the county. It was the seat of Mungyeong County before that entity was merged with Jeomchon City to form the modern boundaries of Mungyeong. It still retains a relatively high profile in the county, with its own library and intercity bus terminal.
Various literary figures of the Joseon period hailed from Mungyeong, as did heroes of the resistance against Japanese attacks in the late 16th century (the local commander Sin Gil-won, 1548–1592) and of the righteous army movement in the early 20th (the leader I Gang-nyeon, 1858–1908).
Various other places around Mungyeong are renowned for their scenery. Among these is the Jinnam Bridge area, which a regional newspaper called the Yeongnam Ilbo once called "one of the eight wonders of Gyeongsangbuk-do." There are three museums in Mungyeong: the historical museum at Mungyeong Saejae, a ceramics museum nearby, and the Coal Museum in Gaeun-eup. Additional local tourist attractions include destination spa, a shooting range, a paragliding area, and the Gyeongcheon Lake reservoir in the east.
Parkland takes up a significant portion of Mungyeong's total area. The Songnisan National Park covers part of Gaeun-eup in the southwest. Mungyeong Saejae is itself a provincial park, covering a substantial area of Mungyeong-eup. Also covering part of Mungyeong-eup and a considerable chunk of Dongno-myeon is Woraksan National Park.
The municipal government has striven to convert the coal-mining tradition into a tourist attraction as much as possible. For example, a Coal Museum has been set up in Gaeun, which was once the heart of the mining district. Likewise, the former Gaeun Line railroad has been converted into a bicycle path.
In April 2020 a cable-driven people mover - called the "Mungyeong Dansan Tourist Monorail" - opened to take people to the peak of Mount Dan (959 meters above sea level) near Mungyeongsaejae Pass. Ten 8-passenger vehicles take visitors to the summit, with a round trip time of 35 minutes. (Although the system is called a 'monorail' it runs on two rails). The summit has a number of attractions including camping sites and mountain bike trails.
In October 2015, competitions were held in various parts of North Gyeongsang Province. It was held in Mungyeong, and the match was held in Mungyeong at the stadium of the Korean Armed Forces Athletic Corps.
Before the end of 2004, the portion of the Jungbu Naeryuk Expressway running through Mungyeong was completed. Interchanges with the expressway are located at Jeomchon and Mungyeong-eup. This has led to significant changes in local transit patterns and the local economy.
The city's public transit needs are primarily served by buses: city buses which operate locally and to neighboring Sangju and Yecheon, and intercity buses which carry passengers to more distant destinations. Bus terminals are located in Mungyeong-eup and Jeomchon. Because of low passenger traffic, most intercity buses which pass through Mungyeong also stop in Sangju.
Mungyeong is also served by passenger rail, through the Gyeongbuk Line, which runs from Yeongju to Gimcheon (where it joins the Gyeongbu Line, and stops at Jeomchon Station. In the past, the Mungyeong Line and Gaeun Line, spurs which run from Jeomchon Station to Mungyeong-eup and Gaeun-eup, also carried passenger traffic. However, this was discontinued by the Korean National Railroad in 1995, as part of a general restructuring. The Gyeongbuk Line carries three to five passenger trains a day in each direction, in addition to significant freight traffic.
No airports are located within Mungyeong, but a small airport with passenger service operates in neighboring Yecheon.
The city retains ties to traditional arts. Various Korean folksongs, including the Mungyeong Saejae arirang, are distinctive to the district. However, the most intensely promoted art form in the district is Mungyeong's traditional ceramic craft, which dates to the Joseon period and is still practiced by many master potters in the area.
The city is also well known for its traditional tea bowl festival since 1999.
Local cuisine, although broadly similar to South Korean cuisine in general, does contain some local flourishes. The North Gyeongsang specialty jjim dalk, a spicy chicken and noodle dish, and Chuncheon-style chicken galbi are widely available.
In 2015, Mungyeong hosted the 6th International Military Sports Council (CISM) Military World Games. Military World Games.
Many parents supplement their children's public education with private instruction, and thus there are numerous , or private academies, both in Jeomchon and outlying areas.
There is only one institution of higher education within Mungyeong, namely Mun Kyung College in Hogye-myeon. Many attend universities nearby, such as Sangju National University, or elsewhere in the country.
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