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Yeosu
Yeosu; 여수
	— Municipal City —
Korean transcription(s)
- Hangul	여수시
- Hanja	麗水市
- Revised Romanization	Yeosu-si
- McCune-Reischauer	Yŏsu-si
	View over the port of Yeosu.
	; Emblem of Yeosu
	; Emblem of Yeosu
Country	South Korea
Region	Honam
Administrative divisions	1 eup, 6 myeon, 20 dong
	Area
- Total	501.3 km2 (193.6 sq mi)
	Population (2007)
- Total	295,439
- Density	589.3/km2 (1,526.3/sq mi)
- Dialect	Jeolla

Yeosu (Yeosu-si) is a city in South Jeolla Province, South Korea. Old Yeosu City, which was founded in 1949, Yeocheon City, founded in 1986, and Yeocheon County were merged into a new city in 1998.

The city of Yeosu consists of the Yeosu peninsula as well as 317 islands (49 inhabited, 268 uninhabited). Lying about midway along the southern coast of South Korea, it is separated from Namhae County in South Gyeongsang Province to the east by a natural waterway, and the Bay of Suncheon to the west and northwest, the city of Suncheon sprawling along its banks. The city has three different City Halls. On April 1, 1998, the cities of Yeosu and Yeocheon, along with Yeocheon County merged to form the unified city of Yeosu.

Thanks to the sea wind and warm current, Yeosu has cool summers and mild winters. Its ocean climate also brings Yeosu relatively longer springs and autumns than other regions. Yeosu is a city of history and loyalty where the headquarters of South Jeolla Province Navy Base was located, and the Great Admiral Yi Sun Shin invented the Geobukseon (turtle ship) to save the country while serving as the Navy Commander.

Due to its appeal as an international ocean resort and tourist city, as well as its close proximity to the Yeocheon Industrial Complex, Yeosu has seen much development during the past several decades. In the 142nd General Assembly of BIE, held in Paris on November 26, 2007, the global community selected Yeosu as the host city for the 2012 World Expo. This Expo will be Korea's second, following Daejeon's 1993 Fair.

[edit] History

Wonchon-hyeon/Dolsan-hyeon was the name given to Yeosu in the 16th year of King Seong(538 A.D.) who was the king of Baekje Dynasty. The name changed to Haeub-hyeon/Yeosan-hyeon in 757 and to Yeosu-hyeon/Dolsan-hyeon in 940. Beginning in 1479, the Joseon Dynasty's Naval Headquarters for eastern sector of Cholla Province was located there. As such, it was the first base where Admiral Yi Sun-sin's fleet was based at during the Imjin War.

In 1897, Yeosu was renamed Yeosu-myeon and included in the new county of Yeosu-gun. In 1914, Yeosu-gun merged with Dolsan-gun, further increasing its territory. Naturally, Yeosu-myeon grew in its territory. In 1931, Yeosu-myeon became Yeosu-eup. In 1949, Yeosu became a city. In 1998, Yeosu city merged with Yeochon city and Yeochon-gun, creating the unified city of Yeosu.

[edit] Sights

In the harbour there is a full-size model of one of Admiral Yi's turtle ships, timber shelled vessels which were used to defeat the Japanese navy. There is a beach with volcanic 'black' sand near Yeosu that is popular with Korean tourists. It is also possible to take ferries to many local islands for an authentic taste of rural Korea.