Andong

History

Around 1 BC, Andong was founded by the Jinhan people, and it was known as Gochang. During the Three Kingdoms period, the area was controlled by the Silla kingdom. The Battle of Gochang in 930 was fought here between Hubaekje forces and the Goryeo army led by Wanggeon, who won control of the city and renamed it Andong.

After the ascent of the Joseon dynasty to the throne of Korea, Andong became a centre of Confucianism. The area was extremely conservative for a long time and produced many leading confucian scholars. Toe-gye Yi Hwang (1501–1570), one of the most prominent of all Korean scholars, came from Andong. Yi Hwang retired back to his homeland late in life and started the establishment of the great Confucian academy Dosan Seowon there, which was finished after his death. During this period Andong and its principal families were influential within Korean political circles, of which the three notable families were the Andong Kim, Andong Jang and Andong Kwon clans.

After the 16th century Andong became less influential until the early 19th century, when a marriage of the local Kim family resulted in strong influence on the royal family.

Andong was the site of intense fighting during the Korean War in the early 1950s, the Battle of Andong. Although the city was almost destroyed, it was quickly rebuilt. In 1976 the Andong Dam was built, providing the city with a reliable source of electricity.

In 1999, Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom celebrated her 73rd birthday in the city. There is an exhibit dedicated to this historic visit at Hahoe folk village museum. Andong soju is made using traditional methods that are centuries old unlike its popular modern counterparts. It is protected by government regulation to preserve authenticity and commands a steep premium in the marketplace.

Administrative divisions

Andong is divided into 1 eup, 13 myeon and 10 dong. The following is a list of eup, myeon and dong:

Local specialty foods

Andong has famous local foods that originated in the city such as heotjesabap, Andong jjimdak, Andong soju (a rice wine), Andong sikhye (a punch), Geonjin guksu (a noodle dish), and salted mackerel.

Heotjesabap () is a variety of bibimbap, served with soy sauce (ganjang) instead of the gochujang (hot pepper paste) that is more commonly used. Heotjesa bab consists mainly of several types of namul (young sprouted vegetables) over white rice. It is also served with grilled fish, shark, and jeon (Korean pancake). The dish originated in Andong. The term, Heotjesa bap literally means "dishes for fake jesa" that are ceremonies for death anniversary and ancestor veneration held in Korea. The reason it is considered fake is that it is not covered in incense ash, as would happen to any food sacrificed in a jesa ritual.

Andong jjimdak is a variety of jjim (a Korean steamed or braised dish), made with chicken, cellophane noodles, and various vegetables marinated in a ganjang (Korean soy sauce) based sauce. The name literally means "steamed chicken of Andong." There are many speculations on the origins of the dish. One is that the it is a specialty food of the inner rich village of Andong during the Joseon period, prepared and eaten for special occasions. The more likely explanation is that during the 1980s in the Dak golmok () of the "Andong Old Market," restaurant owners there made a dish including ingredients that regulars demanded, which became the current Andong jjimdak. Restaurateurs in the area claim it was invented by five local old women who had limited chicken supplies and wanted to stretch it out. The most plausible speculation among existing assumptions is that merchants of the Dak golmok at the market created the dish to keep their position against the rapid expansion of Western fried chicken shops.

Andong Soju is a specialty of the region. It is made with natural ingredients, unlike mass-produced brands, it was historically used for medicinal purposes, and was developed during the Silla period. Andong soju was traditionally made by the wife of a household, and she passed down the secrets to her daughters-in-law.

Mackerel is another popular local delicacy. Caught downstream where the Nakdong River meets the sea, in ancient times the fish would spoil before being brought further inland. Using special salting techniques, Andong was the furthest inland the fish could be brought, so aristocrats would travel to Andong specially for the salted fish.

Sikhye is a fermented rice punch served across Korea. The Andong variety, however, is particularly spicy, made with powdered red pepper, ginger, and radish. Sikhye contains lactobacillus, a benign strain of bacteria found in the gastrointestinal tract, and often used as a digestive aid in dishes including kimchi, yogurt, and sauerkraut, among others.

Culture

Museums

• Andong Soju and Traditional Food Museum
• Gyeongsangbuk-do Forest Science Museum
• Kwon Jeong Saeng Fairy Tale Museum
• Municipal Folk Museum
• Seonseonghyun Cultural Heritage Complex
• Traditional Cultural Contents Museum

Parks

• Gyemyeongsan Recreation Forest
• Amsan Pleasure Ground

Villages

• Andong Gunja Village
• Yeumteo Village
• Jirye Arts Village
• Hahoe Folk Village

Confucian Academies

• Dosan Seowon
• Byeongsan Seowon
• Imcheon Seowon
• Gosan Seowon

Mountains

• Gallasan Mountain
• Cheondeungsan Mountain

Monuments

• Gyeongsangbuk-do Independence Movement Memorial

Experiences

• Dosan Hot Spring
• Andong Maskdance Festival
• Hahoe Mask Dance.
• Hakgasan Hot Spring

Architecture

Historical

• Bongjeongsa, a Buddhist monastery
• Mukgye Seowon
• Nongam Jongtaek
• Andong imcheonggak
• Taesamyo
• Confucian Land

Modern

• Gyeongbuk Provincial Government Office

Special product

• Wol Young Yakgwa
• Hahoe mask bread

Education

• Andong Manner School
• Advanced Center for Korean Studies

Transport

Air

The city does not have its own airport. The nearest international airport is Daegu International Airport, located 92 km south of Andong.

Sports

• Andong Gymnasium

Visitor attractions in Andong

The Hahoe Folk Village is perhaps the most notable folk village in South Korea. This village is listed by the South Korean government with UNESCO as a World Heritage site with Yangdong Folk Village in 2010.

Andong is also a home of Confucian studies and academies during the Joseon period. The notable examples of seowon, or Confucian academy are Dosan Seowon that enshrines Yi Hwang, Byeongsan Seowon for Yu Sŏngnyong, Imcheon Seowon for Kim Sŏngil, Gosan Seowon, Hwacheon Seowon and others. Other notable visitor destinations are Sisadan, Jirye Artists' Colony, Bongjeongsa temple and Andong Icheondong Seokbulsang aka Jebiwon Stone Buddha.

Andong also has Andong Dam. In the area where Andong Dam is located, there is a monument to the Andong Samil Movement to honor the March First Movement. In addition, there are Wonmom theme parks and Unbu parks.

Festival

• Andong International Mask Dance Festival

Climate

Andong has a humid continental climate (Köppen: Dwa), but can be considered a borderline humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cwa) using the -3 C isotherm. The city is located in the mountainous region of central South Korea and is part of the temperate climate. Temperatures vary widely, fog is high at 79 days per year, seasonal winds are northwest in winter and northwest in summer.

| Jan record high C = 13.2 | Feb record high C = 23.2 | Mar record high C = 26.6 | Apr record high C = 32.1 | May record high C = 35.1 | Jun record high C = 35.7 | Jul record high C = 38.9 | Aug record high C = 38.8 | Sep record high C = 36.0 | Oct record high C = 29.0 | Nov record high C = 25.1 | Dec record high C = 17.0 | year record high C = 38.9

| Jan record low C = -20.4 | Feb record low C = -18.6 | Mar record low C = -11.5 | Apr record low C = -4.3 | May record low C = 1.8 | Jun record low C = 6.1 | Jul record low C = 11.8 | Aug record low C = 12.0 | Sep record low C = 4.0 | Oct record low C = -4.2 | Nov record low C = -11.8 | Dec record low C = -16.0 | year record low C = -20.4

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220129211110/https://data.kma.go.kr/resources/normals/pdf_data/korea_pdf_0106_v2.pdf | archive-date = 29 January 2022 | access-date = 4 April 2022 | access-date = 4 April 2022 | script-title = ko:순위값 - 구역별조회 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161207185450/http://www.kma.go.kr/down/Climatological_2010.pdf | archive-date = 7 December 2016 | access-date = 8 December 2016

Gallery

Korea-Andong-Sisadan-01.jpg|Sisadan Hahoe Folk Village 02.jpg|Hahoe Folk Village Hahoe Byeolsingut Tallori 04.jpg|Hahoe Dance Mask Andong Gu Market.jpg|Andong Gu Market, food market in downtown Andong Weolyeonggyo Bridge 01.jpg|, Bridge in Sang-a dong, Andong

Sister cities

Andong has a sister city relationship with:

• GRC Corinth, Greece
• PER Cusco, Peru
• CHN Pingdingshan, China
• JPN Sagae, Japan
• CHN Xi'an, China

People from Andong

• Cho Yoon-jeong (born 1979), tennis player
• Ji Han-jae (born 1936), martial artist, Hapkido grandmaster and actor
• Lee Elijah (born 1990), actress
• Lee Jae-myung (born 1964), President of South Korea
• Kim Jin-kyu (1922–1998), actor, film director and producer
• Kim Jong-gil (1926–2017), poet
• Kim Mi-soon, Paralympic archer
• Park Ki-woong (born 1985), actor
• Park So-yeon (born 1987), singer, actress and K-pop idol (T-ara)
• Kim "Canna" Chang-dong (born 2000), professional League of Legends player, currently a top laner for DWG KIA.
• Lee Dong-heon (born 1995), singer and K-pop idol (VERIVERY)
• Kim Byung-chul (born 1974), South Korean actor.

References

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