Seongnam City is a satellite city of Seoul, located in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Surrounded by the Gwangju Mountain Range and formed along the Tancheon River, it’s divided into Sujeong, Jungwon, and Bundang districts. Established in 1973, Seongnam saw rapid growth, leading to the creation of Sujeong and Jungwon districts. Bundang New Town, planned in 1989, became a significant residential and commercial area. Cultural sites include Namhansanseong, Pangyo Museum, and Seongnam Arts Center. Download a tourist map of Seongnam by clicking the link.
Seongnam City (성남시, 城南市) is located in the mid-eastern part of Gyeonggi Province (경기도, 京畿道), South Korea. It is one of the satellite cities of Seoul, situated approximately 26 km southeast of Seoul’s city center. Seongnam is surrounded by the Gwangju Mountain Range (광주산맥) and is formed in a basin along the Tancheon River (탄천). The city hall is located in Yeo-su-dong (여수동, 呂水洞) in Jungwon District (중원구, 中院區). Seongnam is divided into three administrative districts: Sujeong District (수정구, 壽井區), Jungwon District (중원구, 中院區), and Bundang District (분당구, 盆唐區).
History
Seongnam City (성남시, 城南市) was established on July 1, 1973. It included the areas of Daewang-myeon (대왕면, 大旺面), Naksaeng-myeon (낙생면, 洛生面), Dolma-myeon (돌마면, 突馬面), and parts of Jungbu-myeon (중부면, 中部面) such as Dandae-ri (단대리, 丹垈里), Sangdaewon-ri (상대원리, 上垈院里), Tan-ri (탄리, 炭里), Sujin-ri (수진리, 壽進里), Bokjeong-ri (복정리, 福井里), and Changok-ri (창곡리, 倉谷里).
Due to rapid population growth, Seongnam became one of the top ten cities in South Korea by population in the 1980s. To efficiently manage the increasing administrative needs, Seongnam City Ordinance No. 858 was enacted on June 3, 1988, leading to the establishment of Sujeong Subdistrict Office (수정출장소) and Jungwon Subdistrict Office (중원출장소) on July 1, 1988, replacing the Dolma, Daewang, and Naksaeng Subdistrict Offices. On May 1, 1989, these subdistrict offices were upgraded to Sujeong District (수정구, 壽井區) and Jungwon District (중원구, 中院區) under Seongnam City Ordinance No. 931.
On April 27, 1989, the government announced plans to build Bundang New Town (분당신도시), covering about 540 million square feet in the southern greenbelt area of Seongnam. The plan included the construction of 106,000 housing units to accommodate 420,000 people. Accordingly, the Bundang Development Support Office was established on June 1, 1989, under Seongnam City Ordinance No. 971. The rapid construction of large apartment complexes led to a population surge, and on September 17, 1991, Bundang District (분당구, 盆唐區) was created, separating from Jungwon District.
On November 2, 2009, Seongnam City Hall moved to Yeo-su-dong (여수동, 呂水洞) in Jungwon District. On December 7, 2015, due to the construction of Wirye New Town (위례신도시), the administrative boundaries with Songpa District (송파구, 松坡區) in Seoul and Hanam City (하남시, 河南市) in Gyeonggi Province were adjusted.
Geography
Seongnam City (성남시, 城南市) is located in the southeastern part of Gyeonggi Province in South Korea. To the east, it borders Hanam City (하남시, 河南市) and Gwangju City (광주시, 廣州市) with a long mountain range including Namhansan (남한산, 522m), Cheongnyangsan (청량산, 479m), Geomdansan (검단산, 535m), and Bulgeoksan (불곡산, 312m). To the west, it borders Gwacheon City (과천시, 果川市) and Uiwang City (의왕시, 義王市) with Cheonggyesan (청계산, 618m) as the boundary. To the north, it borders Seoul’s Songpa District (송파구, 松坡區), Gangnam District (강남구, 江南區), and Seocho District (서초구, 瑞草區). To the south, it borders Yongin City (용인시, 龍仁市).
Surrounded by the Gwangju Mountain Range (광주산맥), Seongnam has a long, narrow valley basin formed along the Tancheon River (탄천). Bundang New Town (분당신도시), built in the southern part of Seongnam in 1989, and Pangyo New Town (판교신도시), constructed in the 2000s, are separated from the old downtown area by a green belt. This division splits the urban area and residential zones into two distinct parts.
Administrative Districts
Seongnam City (성남시, 城南市) is divided into three administrative districts: Sujeong District (수정구, 修正區), Jungwon District (중원구, 中院區), and Bundang District (분당구, 盆唐區). The total area is 141.72 square kilometers. As of the end of January 2023, the registered population is 408,915 households, totaling 924,087 people.
Sujeong and Jungwon District
During the era of President Park Chung-hee’s regime, Seongnam City began its development as a new city called “Gwangju Dae-dan-ji” in the central part of Gwangju County, Gyeonggi Province. Benefiting from its status as a residential city within the capital development zone, Seongnam City embarked on the creation of extensive industrial complexes, fostering labor-intensive heavy industries.
At that time, due to the redevelopment project in the Panjachon area near Cheonggyecheon, many residents were forcibly relocated to Seongnam City, where they established their new homes.
Presently, Seongnam City, in collaboration with Gyeonggi Province, offers tax incentives to companies occupying industrial complexes to attract various IT and advanced industries. This initiative aims to meet the demand from companies in the Teheran Valley, various public companies located in Bundang New Town, and major corporations in IT and advanced industries. Consequently, numerous modern factories, including apartment-style plants and intelligent buildings, have been established in the industrial complexes, leading to an increase in the number of newly constructed intelligent buildings and production output in various sectors. Industries present include finance, services, electronics, telecommunications, and chemistry.
The second and third industrial complexes in Jungwon District’s Sangdaewon-dong were recently renamed as “Seongnam High-tech Valley.” Meanwhile, the first industrial complex in Sujeong District’s Sinheung-dong, which was supposed to become a second urban center following the success of Moran Station Area in Seongnam City’s Sujeong and Jungwon Districts, has remained undeveloped for a long time due to land use issues. However, recent changes in regulations regarding flight safety altitude restrictions and the designation and approval of development plans for the “Seongnam Sinheung (1st Industrial Complex) Urban Development Area” have paved the way for large-scale redevelopment. This redevelopment aims to create a vibrant urban center with high-rise apartment complexes, department stores, and shopping malls, integrated with nearby attractions like Hwaseong Grand Park.
Bundang District
Bundang New Town was one of the five new towns planned during the tenure of President Roh Tae-woo’s administration, under the “Promise of Constructing 2 Million Homes.” In order to enhance the self-sufficiency function of the new city during the development of Bundang New Town, ‘Bundang Techno Valley’ was established in Lot 148 in Yatap-dong. Currently, various companies have moved in, but due to its inconvenient transportation and peripheral location, it hasn’t been as active as the commercial zones formed near the Bundang Line stations, which have better accessibility to neighboring cities. Nevertheless, many medium-sized companies have set up operations there.
Looking back at the initial urban planning of Bundang New Town, the area around Jeongja Station, which was then called ‘Baekgung Zone,’ on the west side of Tancheon in Jeongja-dong, was designated as a large-scale ‘Venture Valley’ commercial zone to revitalize the CBD function of Bundang New Town and enhance the city’s self-sufficiency function. (As a result, some affiliates of Naver and SK Group relocated to Bundang New Town.) Instead, due to the boom in luxury mixed-use apartments and residential office buildings in the commercial zone around Jeongja Station in the early 2000s, Bundang New Town saw significant construction of luxury mixed-use apartments and residential office buildings.
As Bundang New Town approaches its 15th year of occupancy and enters a stable phase, the government, facing development pressure due to its adjacency to Seoul’s Seocho-gu, Gangnam-gu, and Songpa-gu, developed Pangyo New Town as the second new town near the Gyeongbu Expressway Pangyo Interchange. To maintain the self-sufficiency function and excellent location conditions of the new town, urban support land was designated near the Pangyo Interchange for Pangyo Techno Valley. Various IT, BT, CT, NT, and advanced technology research facilities, as well as advanced infrastructure facilities and research support facilities, were planned and initiated there. Currently, numerous related companies have moved in, and many office intelligent buildings are under construction. The development was completed in 2013.
Culture and Tourism
Seongnam Arts Center The Seongnam Arts Center is equipped with three theaters including an opera house, concert hall, and ensemble theater, along with the main art gallery, Cube Art Museum, exhibition halls, academy, musical fountains, outdoor plaza, and convenience facilities.
Namhansanseong Designated as Historic Site No. 57, Namhansanseong was designated as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site on June 22, 2014. It is believed to have been built during the Unified Silla period as a fortress, serving as an important stronghold with special warehouses for storing military supplies. It was also evaluated as the most important relic for understanding the changes and functions of fortresses, as it features outer and inner walls typical of a mountain fortress from the Joseon Dynasty.
Pangyo Environmental Ecological Learning Center Introduced as an institution to help children understand the importance of ecosystem conservation and the value of life, and to foster understanding of the environment and nature.
Pangyo Museum As a museum that holds evidence of the exchange between the Three Kingdoms era of Northeast Asia, it houses nine relics of Hanseong Baekje, a densely populated area of stone chambers dating back over 1600 years, and two relics of Goguryeo, evidence of its southern expansion. It is introduced as a museum showcasing the history of Seongnam.
Seongnam Central Park It consists of various areas such as a grass square, evergreen square, Yeokmal square, Hwangsaewul square, outdoor performance venue, and a restored local cultural heritage site called the Dolmen Garden, as well as the Sunae-dong traditional houses.
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