Nepedia
Back to Discover
Advanced Reader
🗺️

Daejeon

geography Maturity 11-13 Next article →

Daejeon is a major metropolitan city in South Korea. It is the country's fifth-largest city by population. As of 2015, the city had 1,518,775 residents.

Population of Daejeon, South Korea
Population of Daejeon, South Korea

The city sits in a central lowland valley. This valley lies between the Sobaek Mountains and the Geum River. Geographically, Daejeon is located south of Seoul and north of Busan. It is also positioned east of the Yellow Sea.

Map Daejeon-gwangyeoksi
Map Daejeon-gwangyeoksi

The city covers a total area of 539.98 square kilometers.

The city serves as a vital hub for technology and research. It is home to the Daedeok Innopolis. This area contains many government research institutes. It also hosts research and development centers for large companies known as chaebols. Examples of these companies include Samsung and LG.

KAIST from across Gapcheon
KAIST from across Gapcheon

Education is also a major part of the city. Daejeon contains 23 universities and colleges. This includes the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, or KAIST.

KAIST, August 2019 1
KAIST, August 2019 1

Another important school is Chungnam National University.

Chungnam National University Law School Building N12
Chungnam National University Law School Building N12

Daejeon is also a central point for transportation and administration. It grew as a railway town. Today, it is a major transportation hub. You can reach the capital, Seoul, in about 50 minutes using high-speed rail. This includes the KTX or SRT train systems.

Daejeon Expo Science Park (dry river)
Daejeon Expo Science Park (dry river)

The city is one of South Korea's administration hubs. Since the 1980s, many national administrative functions moved from Seoul to Daejeon. Most of these offices are now in the Daejeon Government Complex. This movement caused the city's population to increase.

The climate in Daejeon follows a four-season pattern. It is influenced by the monsoon. This means the weather changes significantly throughout the year. Summers are typically hot and wet. Winters are much colder and drier.

View from the East Garden in Daejeon Hanbat Arboritum, Daejeon, Korea
View from the East Garden in Daejeon Hanbat Arboritum, Daejeon, Korea

The city's geography includes three major rivers. All of these rivers eventually flow into the Yellow Sea via the Geum River. Small mountains also surround the lowland area.

The name Daejeon has deep roots in the local language. It is a Hanja translation of the native word Hanbat. Hanbat is a compound word. The part "Han" means great or big. The part "Bat" means field. Therefore, Hanbat means "Great Fields."

Korea-Daejeon-Uam Historic Park-01
Korea-Daejeon-Uam Historic Park-01

This name is still used today for Hanbat-daero. This is a 12.7-kilometer road connecting the Yuseong district to Dong-gu. The earliest written record of the name appears in a 1481 geography book.

Human history in this region spans thousands of years. Evidence of Paleolithic people exists at the Yongho-dong site in the Daedeok District. During the Bronze Age, people lived here in permanent settlements. These people used pottery and bronze items.

Two people viewing sunset from Bomunsan (mountain) Fortress in Daejeon, Korea
Two people viewing sunset from Bomunsan (mountain) Fortress in Daejeon, Korea

During the Three Kingdoms Period, the area was part of the Baekje kingdom. It was known as Usul-gun. This area included Eumnae-dong and Hoedeok-dong. The Usul-fortress remains as a city-designated monument. The region was often a frontline during wars between Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla.

Daejeon has a history of hosting large international events. The city was a sub-host for the 1986 Asian Games. In 1993, it hosted the Expo.

1993 Daejeon Expo Mascot
1993 Daejeon Expo Mascot

This event featured the mascot Kumdori. The city also hosted the International Mathematical Olympiads in 2000. Looking forward, Daejeon will be the main host city for the 2027 Summer World University Games. The city also supports major sports.

Daejeon World Cup Stadium
Daejeon World Cup Stadium

It features large venues like the Daejeon World Cup Stadium and the Daejeon Hanbat Baseball Stadium.

558 words

Where will your curiosity go next?

Keep exploring at your chosen reading level.

🖼️ Images & Media (13)
File:1993 Daejeon Expo Mascot.jpg
1993 Daejeon Expo Mascot.jpg
File:Map_Daejeon-gwangyeoksi.png
Map_Daejeon-gwangyeoksi.png
File:Population of Daejeon, South Korea.svg
Population of Daejeon, South Korea.svg
File:Korea-Daejeon-Uam Historic Park-01.jpg
Korea-Daejeon-Uam Historic Park-01.jpg
File:Chungnam National University Law School Building N12.jpg
Chungnam National University Law School...
File:KAIST, August 2019 1.jpg
KAIST, August 2019 1.jpg
File:KAIST from across Gapcheon.jpg
KAIST from across Gapcheon.jpg
File:Daejeon Expo Science Park (dry river).jpg
Daejeon Expo Science Park (dry river).jpg
File:Daejeon Culture and Arts Center.jpg
Daejeon Culture and Arts Center.jpg
File:View from the East Garden in Daejeon Hanbat Arboritum, Daejeon, Korea.jpg
View from the East Garden in Daejeon...
File:Two_people_viewing_sunset_from_Bomunsan_(mountain)_Fortress_in_Daejeon,_Korea.jpg
Two_people_viewing_sunset_from_Bomunsan_(m...
File:Daejeon World Cup Stadium.JPG
Daejeon World Cup Stadium.JPG

+ 1 more

More to explore

🔬 Go deeper

More advanced topics to explore

🪜 Step back

Simpler topics to build understanding

What is Nepedia?

A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.