# Nonsan

Nonsan (Korean: 논산; Korean pronunciation:) is a city in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. It is located at 36°12′N 127°5′E﻿ / ﻿36.200°N 127.083°E﻿ / 36.200; 127.083. The origin of Nonsan's geographical names is said to have come from the small garden " Nolmoe, " which rises in the middle of farming fields, where rice paddies and mountain are said to reflect geographical features. The city belongs to the Daejeon Metropolitan Area.

## History

Nonsan has a significant history. During the Samhan period, Nonsan is believed to have been part of Mahan territory. In the Baekje period, the district belonged to Hwangdeungyasan-gun. The crucial battle in which Silla defeated Baekje is thought to have taken place in the general area of Nonsan. Later, in the Silla period, Nonsan was divided into two different towns: Deogeun and Hwangsan.
The train station was built in 1911, in the same year as the rail line through the Nonsan plain was completed.
The modern city of Nonsan was established in 1914, by the merger of the four counties of Yeonsan-gun, Eunjin-gun, Noseong-gun and Seoksung-gun.
During the Korean War, a POW camp was set up by the U.S. and South Korean forces. On June 18, 1953, at the Nonsan camp as well as at POW camps at Busan, Masan, and Kwangju, thousands of POWs swarmed out of the camps and melted into the local population in order to avoid being repatriated to North Korea.

## Transportation

Nonsan is served by the national railroad system and city, regional and national bus lines. An expressway connects the city to Daejeon and other cities. Many streets have bike paths, sharing pavement with sidewalks. The stream running through the city proper is not navigable, but downstream it joins the Geum River, and an outlying subdivision of the city serves as a significant fishing port.
Chungcheong Metropolitan Railroad is proposed, in the third phase, to set Ganggyeong Station for the starting point and connect the city with Gyeryong, Daejeon, and Cheongju.

## Economics and industry

Nonsan is an agricultural city, with rice being the most important crop. Other important crops include strawberries, ginseng, napa cabbage, watermelons, and Korean pears. According to The Chosun Ilbo, the farmers are growing new varieties of strawberry produced in Japan without the producer's permission, while the JoongAng Daily says "Strawberries grown in Nonsan are of various types: seolhyang, maehyang, geumhyang, janghi (akihime) and yukbo (red pearl). The first three were developed in Nonsan while the latter two are from Japan. Janghi is the most commonly grown in Korea. However, seolhyang is the sweetest". Sesil [pronounced "say -shill"] company is the world's third leading producer of insects for natural pest control. The prominent yogurt company, Yakult, has its headquarters in Nonsan. Agro-Fisheries Trade Corp. is a regional supplier of food products.
The greater Nonsan area includes the ROK Army training center (36°07′32″N 127°06′24″E﻿ / ﻿36.125483°N 127.106697°E﻿ / 36.125483; 127.106697﻿ (Nonsan Korean Army Training Center (논산육군훈련소))).

## Education
### Higher education

* Konyang University, founded 1991, has its main campus in Nonsan. It has a university hospital with educational programs for medical technicians, nurses and doctors in Daejeon
* Geumgang University, founded 2004, is a Buddhist university in rural Nonsan, near Gyeryongsan.
* Korea Bio Polytechnic is a two-year college run by the Department of Labor.
* Korea National Defense University moved its campus from Seoul to Nonsan in 2017.

### Secondary education

Nonsan has a number of high schools, including a girls' high school, a technical high school, and two private schools which attract students from across the province and beyond.

## Tourism

Local attractions include the Eunjin Mireuk, a large standing Buddhist sculpture of the Goryeo period and its accompanying temple, Gwanchoksa, as well as the Baekje Military Museum.
Mireuk-bosal at Gwanchok Temple in Nonsan, South Korea.
The spring Strawberry Festival is a popular tourist event as is the Ganggyoung autumn fermented seafood festival.
The eight famous spots in Nonsan include Gwanchoksa, the historic sites of General Gyebaek, Tapjeong Reservoir, Ssanggyesa (Temple), and Noseong Sanseong (Fortress).

## Other

The city has a concert hall, where various cultural activities such as concerts and lectures are held. Konyang University's auditorium also hosts free cultural activities for the community.
In June 2011, the multipurpose culture hall Sangsang Madang was completed. It is dedicated to "indie art".
Donam Academy, one of the nine neo-Confucian seowon established in Korea during the Choseon dynasty, is in greater Nonsan. It was made a UNESCO provisional world heritage site in December 2011.

## Administrative divisions

Nonsan has jurisdiction over 2 eup, 11 myeon, and 2 dong.
| Name | Hangul | Hanja |
| Ganggyeong-eup | 강경읍 | 江景邑 |
| Yeonmu-eup | 연무읍 | 鍊武邑 |
| Seongdong-myeon | 성동면 | 城東面 |
| Gwangseok-myeon | 광석면 | 光石面 |
| Noseong-myeon | 노성면 | 魯城面 |
| Sangwol-myeon | 상월면 | 上月面 |
| Bujeok-myeon | 부적면 | 夫赤面 |
| Yeonsan-myeon | 연산면 | 連山面 |
| Beolgok-myeon | 벌곡면 | 伐谷面 |
| Yangcheon-myeon | 양촌면 | 陽村面 |
| Gayagok-myeon | 가야곡면 | 可也谷面 |
| Eunjin-myeon | 은진면 | 恩津面 |
| Chae-un-myeon | 채운면 | 彩雲面 |
| Chwiam-dong | 취암동 | 鷲岩洞 |
| Buchang-dong | 부창동 | 富倉洞 |

## Twin towns – sister cities

Nonsan is twinned with:
* Seocho District, Seoul
* Gangdong District, Seoul
* Jung District, Daejeon
* Jecheon, North Chungcheong Province
* Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province
* Mungyeong, North Gyeongsang Province
* Jining, China
* Jinzhou, China
* Langfang, China
* Gotemba, Japan
* Habikino, Japan

## Notable people

* Rhee In-je, three-time South Korean presidential candidate
* Chun Sung-gwan, Head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office (2009)
* Yeom Hong-chul, formal Mayor of Daejeon
* Go Soo, film and television actor
* Park Beom-shin, writer