Songpa-Gu, beside the Han River in southeast Seoul, is 15km from the centre of Seoul, the capital city of South Korea.
Songpa-Gu was the birthplace of the Paekje dynasty and was the capital of Korea's Paekje Kingdom for 500 out of the 678 years of the Paekje dynasty.
Songpa literally means 'a hill of pine trees'. Amongst the high-rise towers of the modern city are huge mud ramparts built between the third and fifth centuries to protect the city from foreign invasion. There are also many tombs in the city, some in the form of raised soil mounds and some made of stone.
The cultural heritage of the area lives on in the regular festivals and performances of traditional dance, music, theatre and story telling.
Songpa-Gu was incorporated into the city of Seoul in 1963 as the city expanded rapidly after the Korean War.
While Songpa-Gu occupies just 5.6% of Seoul's total area, it is the largest local government of Seoul. Songpa-Gu has a high level culture, welfare and environment. Seoul is the financial and commercial centre of South Korea and the major stock exchanges and banks are based there.
Within the manufacturing sector the production of textiles, machinery, and chemicals is most prominent. Seoul is also an important centre for the printing and publishing industries.
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| The Christchurch Korean School took part in the Korea Day 2000 Parade |
Songpa-Gu and Christchurch become Sister Cities in 1995.
The relationship was instigated by the Honorary Consul for Republic of Korea, Clyde Sugden, and Korean businessman Charlie Lee, a long time Christchurch resident. It is Christchurch's newest Sister City but the relationship is becoming increasingly active and is supported by the Korean community in Christchurch.
Activities:
annyong haseyo hello annyonghe kaseyo goodbye chonun ........ imnida my name is ........ kamsa hamnida thank you ne yes anio no
Note: Observance dates for some holidays change each year
| January 1-2 | New Year Day |
| February 1 | Seollal Lunar New Year) |
| March 1 | Samil Independence Movement Day |
| April 5 | Arbor Day |
| May 5 | Children's Day |
| May 8 | Buddha's Birthday |
| June 6 | Memorial Day |
| July 17 | Constitution Day |
| August 15 | Liberation Day |
| September 11-13 | Chuseok (Harvest Moon Festival) |
| October 3 | National Foundation Day |
| December 25 | Christmas Day |
Visit the following Korean information sites: