The aim of this study is to clarify the characteristics of Kongju county as the center of administration, transportation and education by the method of historcal geography. The historical characteristics of Kongju county were traced through a chronolo...
The aim of this study is to clarify the characteristics of Kongju county as the center of administration, transportation and education by the method of historcal geography. The historical characteristics of Kongju county were traced through a chronological process. Kongju was the capital of an ancient dynasty, Baekje, and then, through the rise and fall of the function as a central city several times, in recent years this city has changed into a hub of educaation in Ch'ung-nam province. this process was also traced in view of the geographical aspects.
This study dealt with the administravtive funtions as a central city in Ch'unghan province, and covered the history of Kongju from the ancient capital of Baekje dynasty to the seat of a provincial office, which was transferred to Daejoˇn afterwards.
To write this thesis, the following books were especially referred to ; Yoˇji-Dosoˇ(與地圖書), Sejong-Shillock chiriji(世宗實錄地理誌), Tongguk-Yoji-Sungnam(東國與地勝覽), Chuˇngbo-Munhoˇnbigo(增補文獻備考), kongsanji(公山誌), Kongju-suˇngnam(公州勝覽), Kongju-Kunji(公州郡誌) and several county and school histories. Besides these, what is specially noteworthy through these books is to have identified the exact year when Kamyong, the name of an old provincial office in Yi Dynasty, was located in Kongju, and have confirmed that the first site of it was in Sansoˇng park, and have found the fact that, after its being removed several times, kamyong was finally settled down in the site of Attached Highschool To Kongju National University in 1706.
In 1905, a decision was reached, after many turn and twists, that Kyoˇngbu railway line would run to Daejoˇn bypassing Kongju. In addition to this decision, on the one hand, the provincial office was removed to Daejoˇn, and on the other hand, Kongju National Teachers College which was firstly instituted in Ch'ungnam, was founded in Kongju in 1948 in order to calm down an angry inhabitants owing to removing the provincial office from Kongju to Daejoˇn. As a result, the foundation of the college in Kongju has made a great contribution to becoming the central city for the educational function. While the characteristics and funtions of a central city for administration and transportation have gradually weaken. Therefore, it is natural that Kongju has fallen behind most other cities in Korea in the development of the city, especially of industry.
To renew and develope the function of this city as what it used to be, its characteristics of the educational, administravtive functions will have to be restored to the newly ones, together with to the historic relics of the past and its cultural inheritance, to the spectacular sight of Mt.Kyeryong, its wonderful surrounding s around the city and the tourist trade, and especcially together with removing the provincial office again from Daejoˇn in the near future after raising Daejoˇn to a city under the direct control of the government.