Introduction
City in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea
Municipal City in Hoseo, South KoreaNonsan
논산Municipal CityKorean transcription(s) • Hangul논산시 • Hanja論山市 • Revised RomanizationNonsan-si • McCune–ReischauerNonsan-si
FlagEmblemNickname: City of StrawberrysLocation in South KoreaCoordinates: 36°12′N 127°5′E / 36.200°N 127.083°E / 36.200; 127.083Country South KoreaRegionHoseoAdministrative divisions2 eup, 11 myeon, and 2 dongGovernment • MayorBaek Seong-hyeon (백성현)Area • Total554.82 km2 (214.22 sq mi)Population (September 2024) • Total108,883 • Density220/km2 (570/sq mi) • DialectChungcheongTime zoneUTC+9 (Korea Standard Time)
Nonsan (Korean: 논산; Korean pronunciation: [non.san]) is a city in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. It is located at 36°12′N 127°5′E / 36.200°N 127.083°E / 36.200; 127.083. The origin of Nonsan's geographical names is said to have come from the small garden "Nolmoe," which rises in the middle of farming fields, where rice paddies and mountain are said to reflect geographical features. The city belongs to the Daejeon Metropolitan Area.
History
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Nonsan has a significant history. During the Samhan period, Nonsan is believed to have been part of Mahan territory. In the Baekje period, the district belonged to Hwangdeungyasan-gun. The crucial battle in which Silla defeated Baekje is thought to have taken place in the general area of Nonsan. Later, in the Silla period, Nonsan was divided into two different towns: Deogeun and Hwangsan.
The train station was built in 1911, in the same year as the rail line through the Nonsan plain was completed.
The modern city of Nonsan was established in 1914, by the merger of the four counties of Yeonsan-gun, Eunjin-gun, Noseong-gun and Seoksung-gun.
During the Korean War, a POW camp was set up by the U.S. and South Korean forces. On June 18, 1953, at the Nonsan camp as well as at POW camps at Busan,
Masan, and Kwangju, thousands of POWs swarmed out of the camps and melted into the local population in order to avoid being repatriated to North Korea.
Transportation
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Nonsan is served by the national railroad system and city, regional and national bus lines. An expressway connects the city to Daejeon and other cities. Many streets have bike paths, sharing pavement with sidewalks. The stream running through the city proper is not navigable, but downstream it joins the Geum River, and an outlying subdivision of the city serves as a significant fishing port.
Chungcheong Metropolitan Railroad is proposed, in the third phase, to set Ganggyeong Station for the starting point and connect the city with Gyeryong, Daejeon, and Cheongju.
