[The road to sister city affiliation]
Exchanges between Gwangju and Sendai commenced in 1992, as a
result of Gwangju's wishes to affiliate with Sendai as a sister city.
In 2000, a friendship promotion pact was established between the two
cities, and exchanges became even more extensive. The similarities and
continuous exchanges between the two cities, along with the desire to
lead the 2002 FIFA World Cup to a success, prompted Gwangju and Sendai
to sign an agreement on April 20, 2002 and affiliate as sister cities. |
[ Brief History ]
During the three kingdom period, Gwangju was ruled by Baekje, and was
called "Mujinju". When unified Shilla emerged, the name of
the city changed to "Muju". The present-day name, Gwangju,
which means "The City of Light," was first used in A.D. 940,
after the Goryo Dynasty was founded.
1929 The Gwangju Student Independence Movement occurs
1949 Gwangju-eup changes to Gwangju-shi (city)
1980 The Gwangju Democratic Uprising occurs
1986 Becomes Gwangju Municipal City
1995 Becomes Gwangju Metropolitan City
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[ Major Facilities ]
(Arts and culture)
Gwangju National Museum, Gwangju City Folk Museum, Gwangju Culture
and Art Center, Gwangju Biennale Hall |
(Universities)
Chonnam National University, Chosun University, Honam University |
(Sports)
Gwangju World Cup Stadium, Mudung Stadium |
(Major events)
Gossaum Nori (January) Gwangju Kimchi Festival (October), Gwangju
Biennale (Biennial) |
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