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Sangju (; ) is a city in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. Although Sangju is rather rural, it is very old and was once a key city. Along with Gyeongju, it gives rise to half of the name of the Gyeongsang Provinces. Sangju is nicknamed Sam Baek, or "Three Whites", referring to three prominent agricultural products rice, silkworm cocoons, and dried from the area.
The north and west extremes of the city are found in Hwabuk-myeon, at 127°47′55″E and 36°14′6″N, respectively. The southern limit lies in Gongseong-myeon at 36°14′06″N, on the border with Gimcheon. The eastern edge of Sangju is found in Jungdong-myeon at 128°20′28″E. The city thus spans a total distance of about from north to south, and about from east to west.
All of Sangju lies in the valley of the Nakdong River. Various tributaries flow into the Nakdong in Sangju, including the Yeong (which rises in Mungyeong). The land slopes down from the Sobaek Mountains in the east to the river basin. The highest elevation in Sangju is found at the top of Songnisan, 1,058 m above sea level. Like most of South Korea, the terrain is generally hilly, with only a few flat areas along the rivers. Because of this rugged terrain, 67% of the land in Sangju is classified as "vacant," unused for agricultural or other purposes.
Namsan mountain is located in the city.
Under Silla, the fortress of Sangju was one of the nine ju, or provincial administrative units, into which the portions of the kingdom near Gyeongju were divided. It played a critical role in regulating traffic along the east–west transit route which connected the Han River valley in the west (which Silla acquired in 553) with Gyeongju area. It would have been the first major city that Buddhism missionaries from Goguryeo would have reached when travelling down from Haneuljae Pass in the 6th century.
During the tumultuous decline of Unified Silla in the late 9th century, a number of rebellions occurred in Sangju, as they did throughout the country. Notable among them are the rebellions of Ajagae, who seized the fortress of Sangju and declared himself a general, and the Silla noble Bak Eon-chang, who established the kingdom of Later Sabeol in the Sabeol-myeon area until he was defeated and overthrown by the Later Baekje leader Kyŏn Hwŏn in 927. Ajagae surrendered to Wang Kŏn in 918.
In 1895, as part of a general reorganization of local government, Sangju was designated Sangju-gun (Sangju County). In 1914, its boundaries were extended to cover Hamchang County, present-day Hamchang-eup. On January 1, 1986, separate administrative divisions were created for the city center (which was called Sangju City) and the outskirts (which continued to be called Sangju County). On January 1, 1995, the city and county were reunified to create the present-day entity of Sangju City.
Under Japanese occupation, the occupation government made various efforts to modernize local agriculture and resource extraction. The railroad through Sangju was completed in 1924, and around the same time the agricultural-training institution which would become Sangju National University was established.
In 2002, the first Carthusian monastery in Asia was established in the city, the Charterhouse Our Lady of Korea.
The area has been famed for sericulture (silk production) since Silla times. Currently of land are employed for silk production, bringing in about 434 million won annually. In addition, numerous other are farmed in the area. The most important agricultural product is rice, of which the city Sangju produces the seventh most in the country, with in production yielding 162.9 billion won. Other important products include , , , and .
Sangju today is an important regional center of industry and commerce as well, having a significant economic impact on neighboring areas. This is facilitated by its strong transit connections (see Transportation, below). Sangju’s agricultural output also includes some specialized and traditional products such as dried persimmon and fruits raised at high altitude.
The lone eup is Hamchang-eup, on the city's northern border with Mungyeong.
From west to east along the city's northern border, the myeon are Hwabuk-myeon, Oeseo-myeon, Euncheok-myeon, and Ian-myeon which adjoins Hamchang-eup. From north to south along the western border are Sabeol-myeon, Jungdong-myeon, and Nakdong-myeon. From east to west along the southern border are Cheongni-myeon, Gongseong-myeon, Modong-myeon, and Moseo-myeon in the southwest corner. Along the central western border lie Hwadong-myeon and Hwanam-myeon. In addition, the interior of the city includes Hwaseo-myeon, Gonggeom-myeon, Naeseo-myeon and Oenam-myeon.
The dongs are clustered around the city center, and from 1986 to 1995 they constituted the entirety of Sangju (see "History, above). They are Bukmun-dong in the northern part of town, Gyerim-dong in the northeast, Dongmun-dong to the east, Dongseong-dong to the southeast, Sinheung-dong to the south, and Namwon-dong to the west. Namwon-dong is the most populous, with 13,334 registered residents (2002).
| +List of eup/myeon/dong !eup/myeon/dong !Hangeul !Hanja | ||
| Hamchang-eup | 함창읍 | 咸昌邑 |
| Sabeol-myeon | 사벌면 | 沙伐面 |
| Jungdong-myeon | 중동면 | 中東面 |
| Nakdong-myeon | 낙동면 | 洛東面 |
| Cheongni-myeon | 청리면 | 靑里面 |
| Gongseong-myeon | 공성면 | 功城面 |
| Oenam-myeon | 외남면 | 外南面 |
| Naeseo-myeon | 내서면 | 內西面 |
| Modong-myeon | 모동면 | 牟東面 |
| Moseo-myeon | 모서면 | 牟西面 |
| Hwadong-myeon | 화동면 | 化東面 |
| Hwaseo-myeon | 화서면 | 化西面 |
| Hwabuk-myeon | 화북면 | 化北面 |
| Oeseo-myeon | 외서면 | 外西面 |
| Euncheok-myeon | 은척면 | 銀尺面 |
| Gonggeom-myeon | 공검면 | 恭儉面 |
| Ian-myeon | 이안면 | 利安面 |
| Hwanam-myeon | 화남면 | 化南面 |
| Namwon-dong | 남원동 | 南院洞 |
| Bukmun-dong | 북문동 | 北門洞 |
| Gyerim-dong | 계림동 | 溪林洞 |
| Dongmun-dong | 동문동 | 東門洞 |
| Dongseong-dong | 동성동 | 東城洞 |
| Sinheung-dong | 신흥동 | 新興洞 |
The Jungbu Naeryuk Expressway, number 45, runs from north to south through the city and connects Sangju with the national expressway grid. The Sangju interchange is located near the city center, and the North Sangju interchange is near Hamchang. An additional expressway, number 30, which will run from west to east, is under construction.
In addition, national highways connect Sangju with many neighboring cities and towns. For example, National Road 3 has served as the traditional artery connecting Sangju with Mungyeong and Chungju, and National Road 25 continues to play an important role tying Sangju to its neighbor on the western side of the Sobaek mountains, Boeun County.
There are 43 elementary schools in Sangju, including eleven branch schools. There are 17 public middle schools in the city, including two branch schools. Of these, one each is reserved exclusively for male and female students. In addition, there are five private middle schools, of which two are female-only, two male-only, and one coeducational. The city also boasts six private and six public high schools: four of the private and two of the public institutions are gender-segregated. Half of the high schools offer technical training, and half maintain a general academic focus.
Sangju is home to Sangju National University, a government-administered institution with a focus on agriculture technology. Many young people of college age leave the area to attend schools in the Seoul National Capital Area or other major cities.
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