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Naju

나주
Naju 나주
Municipal city
Korean transcription(s)
• Hangul	나주시
• Hanja	羅州市
• Revised Romanization	Naju-si
• McCune–Reischauer	Naju-si
	Flag Emblem of Naju
	Anthem: Good Job, Naju!
	Location in South Korea
	Coordinates: 35°02′N 126°43′E / 35.033°N 126.717°E
Country	South Korea
Region	Honam
Administrative divisions	1 eup, 12 myeon, 6 dong
Area
• Total	693.04 km2 (267.58 sq mi)
Population (2024-09)
• Total	116,891
• Density	196.2/km2 (508/sq mi)
• Dialect	Jeolla

Naju (Korean: 나주; Korean pronunciation: [na̞.dʑu]) is a city in South Jeolla Province, South Korea.

The capital of South Jeolla Province was located at Naju until it was moved to Gwangju in 1895. The name Jeolla Province actually originates from the first character of Jeonju (전; 全) and the first character of Naju (라; 羅; nowadays spelled and pronounced 나/na according to the South Korean standard). Dongshin University is situated in Naju. Naju is famous for the Naju Pear which is a large round pear that forms its district logo.

History

In the Later Three Kingdoms period of Korean history, Wang Geon (later Taejo of Goryeo Dynasty) occupied the Naju area, which was then part of Later Baekje Kingdom and came to become large base of his political support. He also married the daughter of the Magistrate of Naju, Lady Janghwa, who became the mother of Goryeo's second King Hyejong of Goryeo.^[2]
In 1986, the governmental name was changed from Geumseong to Naju.^[3]
In 1995, Naju was expanded to include Naju county.^[4]

Products

A well-known local product is the Naju pear, which has long been cultivated along the Yeongsan River.^[5]

Naju pears and Oriental melons are popular as gifts for Lunar New Year and other holidays.

Innovation city

Naju was designated an Innovation City [ko] and the opening ceremony for city construction was held on November 8, 2007. President Roh participated in the opening events.

As the city won the title of "Innovation City", several public organizations have relocated to here from Seoul. Start of the construction was 4th in line after Jeju, Gimcheon and Jinju. The organizations that were the targeted for moving are:^[6]

Culture & Others

The new city is set to be 7.327 square kilometres (2.83 sq mi) in area with the grand plan of developing it into a cultural center in the southwestern economy.^[7]

Near the Innovation City is the Naju Pear Museum and Pear Orchard for Tourists (나주배박물관 및 배밭 관광체험), which is dedicated to the Asian pear; all of its displays are in Korean.

Notable People

Jin Hyeon Ju (Stage Name Belle) - member of K-Pop group Cignature and leader of UNIS

Symbols

Flower: Pear blossoms
Bird: Dove
Tree: Ginkgo Tree

Festivals

Naju Pear Blossom Festival in April
Naju Rapeseed Festival in May
Naju Yeongsanpo Skate Festival in May

International relations

Twin towns and sister cities

Naju is twinned with:

Kurayoshi, Tottori, Japan
Wenatchee, Washington, United States
Isaac, Queensland, Australia
Nanchang, Jiangxi, China (since 2007)^[8]

Culture

The drama Jumong was filmed in Naju. An amusement park called 'Samhanji Theme Park' was used for the film set because of its traditional sceneries. The 2021 drama Nevertheless also had scenes filmed in Naju.^[9]^{[unreliable source?]}

It hosts events such as hands-on experience on natural dyeing process for children. Many elementary schools are registering for this program.^[10]