About Uijeongbu City: Northern Gyeonggi’s administrative hub

Uijeongbu is a mixture of culture, art, and science. It is toward future, but knows how to embrace its history. Korean food, culture, future, name it!

Uijeongbu City, located north of Seoul and bordered by Yangju City to the north and Namyangju City to the east, has a jurisdictional area of 81.54 square kilometers. The city is the gateway to northern Seoul and serves as a center of transportation, industry, economy, culture, and education in northern Gyeonggi Province. Subway Line 1 (Blue Line) and Pyeonghwa-ro (road) cross the northern and southern areas of the city and connect with a network of other routes, making the city a historically important transportation hub.

As of 2019, Uijeongbu City had a population of 450 thousand people. In terms of population rank, it was overtaken by Goyang City in the 1990s, Namyangju City in the 2000s, and Paju City in 2018, thus losing its status as the most populous city in northern Gyeonggi Province. However, as it was the first to be promoted to city level in the region (in 1963), it still serves as an administrative hub in northern Gyeonggi Province and is the site of the Northern Gyeonggi Provincial Government Complex, the Northern Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education and the Gyeonggi Bukbu (Northern) Police Agency.

In 1963, when Uijeongbu was promoted, only Incheon and Suwon held equivalent city status. Moreover, when Incheon was designated as a directly controlled municipality in 1981 and separated from Gyeonggi Province, Uijeongbu City became the second oldest city in the province after Suwon City.

Uijeongbu art library
ⓒGyeonggi Province

Before United States military facilities relocated to Pyeongtaek City, Uijeongbu was the site of a number of U.S. military installations. For this reason, Budaejjigae (a.k.a. army stew), a hearty dish made with sausages and canned ham obtained from U.S. military units after the Korean War, became the soul food of people in Uijeongbu. The most famous Budaejjigae restaurant is “Odeng Sikdang” (오뎅식당) and the street where it is located has been designated as Budaejjigae Alley. Visit this blog for more information about Budaejjigae and the recipe.

Uijeongbu Observatory
ⓒGyeonggi Province

Current Infrastructure and Festival

2020 Future Show

The 2020 Future Show, which took place near Uijeongbu Station (Line 1), offered a glimpse into the Gyeonggi Province’s future per the Fourth Industrial Revolution. In order to ensure safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, the exhibition was staged in a walk-through manner and took place in an expansive outdoor area.

At the 2020 Future Show, the province showcased the future image of Gyeonggi. Of particular note, future technology installations, such as a media façade that combined lighting and architecture with VR and AR technologies, were exhibited to members of diverse generations.

The U Line (Light Metro Line)

The U Line is a driverless, fully automatic, light metro line in Uijeongbu City that is very similar to the Toulouse Metro, Lille Metro and Rennes Metro in France. The line is 11.2 km long and connects with Line 1. A single ride costs KRW 1,550. Since it runs outdoor like a monorail and operates on a round-trip system, many visitors say that it is the ideal means by which to travel through Uijeongbu City.

Uijeongbu U Line
ⓒGyeonggi Province

Latest News and Action Plan for the Future

Multi-Culture Convergence Complex Project

The Multi-Culture Convergence Complex Project entails the creation of integrated cultural, tourism, shopping and residential facilities on a 654,417 square-meter site in Uijeongbu City. Officially named the 'Ui-Government Complex Cultural Convergence Complex Urban Development Project,' this initiative will receive 34 percent of its funding from Uijeongbu City while private operators (including POSCO E&C, MB& Holdings, Shinsegae and YG Entertainment) will cover the remaining 66 percent; the total investment is projected to amount to approximately KRW 382.4 billion. The complex will feature international K-pop clusters, the Pororo the Little Penguin (computer-animated child TV series) Theme Land, Shinsegae Outlet, premium residential facilities, and more.

G&B City Project

The Green & Beauty City Project is a key initiative of Uijeongbu City to make the city greener and more beautiful. It is being implemented over a three-year period from 2019 to 2021.

Uijeongbu City is expanding urban green spaces throughout its jurisdiction to help address environmental problems, such as fine dust, while also improving the city's landscape so as to make Uijeongbu a superlative eco-friendly green city in northern Gyeonggi Province.

Uijeongbu jeil market
ⓒGyeonggi Province