Cheongju

Cheongju is the capital city of Chungcheongbuk-do (province), South Korea. The city is divided into two wards ("Gu"), Heungdeok-gu (western part of the city) and Sangdang-gu (eastern part of the city). Cheongju has been an important provincial town since ancient times. During Hideyoshi's Invasions of Korea, Cheongju was the site of the Battle of Chongju, during which the Korean forces re-took the city from the Japanese forces in an important early victory. The government of the province relocated here from Chungju in 1908. The opening of the Chungbuk-line in 1926 sparked regional development. In 1946, Cheongju and Cheongwon-gun were separated, and in 1949, Cheongju was upgraded to Cheongju City. Afterwards, it went through the...