Waegwan is the seat of government for Chilgok County, North Gyeongsang province, South Korea. It consists primarily of the administrative district of Waegwan-eup. It is situated on both sides of the Nakdong River, which is traversed by railroad, automobile and pedestrian bridges.
Waegwan's name literally means "Japanese dwelling," and may indicate that the town was a common stopping-point for Japanese salt traders during the Joseon Dynasty.
In the summer of 1939, Korean and Japanese students from the Daegu Normal School (now the teachers' college of Kyungpook National University) were sent to Waegwan to do forced labor on the Gyeongbu Line railroad tracks. A demonstration, known as the Waegwan Incident (왜관사건) took place on July 26, in which Korean students protested preferential treatment given to Japanese students. In consequence, seven of the students were expelled.
Korean War
During the early phase of the Korean War in August and September 1950, the area around Waegwan was the site of intense fighting as North Korean forces pushed south toward Daegu. Monuments to the UN and South Korean forces now stand on the low mountain overlooking the northeastern section of the city, which is locally known as "Jagosan" and known in military reports as Hill 303.
Bridges across the Nakdong River at Waegwan.
In an attempt to slow the Northern advance, on August 3 American forces blew up the bridge at Waegwan while hundreds of refugees were crossing. This took place under the orders of Major General Hobart R. Gay and Lieutenant General Dell Plunkett. They believed that the refugees were North Korean soldiers in disguise. In the 1990s, the halves of the bridge were reconnected to serve as a pedestrian crossing between the two halves of Waegwan.
This was not the only atrocity committed in the area. On August 27, 1950, the retreating North Korean forces who had gained control of the area shot more than forty American POWs on Hill 303. Of these, five survived.
The Korean War was fought between North Korea and South Korea from 1950 to 1953. The war began on 25 June 1950 when North Korea invaded South Korea following clashes along the border and rebellions in South Korea. North Korea was supported by China and the Soviet Union while South Korea was supported by the United Nations, principally the United States. The fighting ended with an armistice on 27 July 1953.
Daegu, formerly spelled Taegu and officially known as the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea.
The Gyeongbu Line (Gyeongbuseon) is a railway line in South Korea and is considered to be the most important and one of the oldest ones in the country. It was constructed in 1905, connecting Seoul with Busan via Suwon, Daejeon, and Daegu. It is by far the most heavily travelled rail line in South Korea.
The Gyeongbu Expressway is the second oldest and most heavily travelled expressway in South Korea, connecting Seoul to Suwon, Daejeon, Gumi, Daegu, and Busan. It has the route number 1, signifying its role as South Korea's most important expressway. The entire length from Seoul to Busan is 416 kilometers (258 mi) and the posted speed limit is 100 kilometers per hour (62 mph), enforced primarily by speed cameras.
Cheongdo County (Cheongdo-gun) is a county in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It is connected to the national transportation grid by the Gyeongbu Line railroad and the Daegu-Busan Expressway. The seat of government is located in the center of the county, in Hwayang-eup.
Miryang, formerly also spelled as 推火郡, Milbeol (密伐) and Milseong (密城), is a city in Gyeongsangnam-do Province, South Korea. Its name is originated from the tribal country named Miri midong guk (彌離彌凍國). There are various hypotheses as to the meaning of Miryang, such as Milky Way, Galaxy, dragon's field, The Wheat Field and the watery field. Neighboring cities include Changnyeong to the west, Cheongdo to the north, Ulsan to the east, and Yangsan, Gimhae, and Changwon to the south. The city bird is the Korean magpie, the city tree is the pine, and the city flower is the royal azalea.
The Nakdonggang River or Nakdonggang is the longest river in South Korea, and passes through major cities such as Daegu and Busan. It takes its name from its role as the eastern border of the Gaya confederacy during Korea's Three Kingdoms Era.
The Battle of the Pusan Perimeter was a large-scale battle between United Nations Command (UN) and North Korean forces lasting from August 4 to September 18, 1950. It was one of the first major engagements of the Korean War. An army of 140,000 UN troops, having been pushed to the brink of defeat, were rallied to make a final stand against the invading Korean People's Army (KPA), 98,000 men strong.
The Jungang Expressway (Korean: 중앙고속도로) is an expressway in South Korea. Its name literally means "Central Expressway," and for much of its length it runs through mountainous terrain near the country's east-west center line, including the national parks of Chiaksan and Sobaeksan. It covers a total distance of roughly 388.1 kilometers.
Seo District is a gu, or district, in western Daegu, South Korea. A major transportation nexus, it is transected by the Gyeongbu, Guma, and Jungang Expressways. It is also connected to the downtown region and to Dalseong County by Daegu Subway Line 2. The Gyeongbu Line railroad also passes through Seo-gu, but no major stations are located there.
Camp Carroll Army Base is located on the south east portion of the peninsula of South Korea, in the village of Waegwan, approximately 20 km from the city of Daegu. Camp Carroll is bound by urban areas on the northwest, west, and southwest. Hilly forested areas bound the base on the north and east. Agricultural fields border the base on the northeast and to the south. The Naktonggang River flows nearby, southwest of the base. Camp Carroll has been a supply staging ground for U.S. military operations on the peninsula and in the Far East since the late 1950s. Often referred to as "The Crown Jewel of Area 4", it is named after Sergeant First Class Charles F. Carroll, a posthumous recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross for his acts of heroism during the Korean War.
The Gyeongbu high-speed railway, also known as Gyeongbu HSR, is South Korea's first high-speed rail line from Seoul to Busan. KTX high-speed trains operate three sections of the line: on April 1, 2004, the first between a junction near Geumcheon-gu Office station, Seoul and a junction at Daejeonjochajang station north of Daejeon, and a second between a junction at Okcheon station, southeast of Daejeon, and a junction near Jicheon station, north of Daegu entered service; then on November 1, 2010, the third section, between a junction west of Daegu and Busan became operational. The missing gaps across the urban areas of Daejeon and Daegu were in construction for an expected opening in 2014, separate tracks into Seoul Station were also planned. The temporary ends of the three sections were connected to the parallel conventional Gyeongbu Line by tracks that will serve as interconnector branches upon the completion of the entire line. On August 1, 2015, construction on urban areas of Daejeon and Daegu were completed; all the sections of HSR line were connected.
The KTX-I, also known as the TGV-K or Korail Class 100000, is a South Korean high speed train class based on the French TGV Réseau. The 20-car formation of the trainsets without restaurant car is optimized for high capacity. The 46 trainsets were built partly in France and partly in South Korea in the framework of a technology transfer agreement, which was the basis for further domestic high-speed train development in South Korea.
The 10.1 Daegu Uprising of 1946 in Korea was a peasant uprising throughout the southern provinces of Korea against the policies of the United States Army Military Government in Korea headed by General John R. Hodge and in favor of restoration of power to the people's committees that made up the People's Republic of Korea. The uprising is also called the Daegu Riot or Daegu Resistance Movement. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Korea chooses the neutral name of the Daegu October Incident.
The Battle of Taegu was an engagement between United Nations Command (UN) and North Korean forces early in the Korean War, with fighting continuing from August 5–20, 1950 around the city of Taegu, South Korea. It was a part of the Battle of Pusan Perimeter, and was one of several large engagements fought simultaneously. The battle ended in a victory for the UN after their forces were able to drive off an offensive by Korean People's Army (KPA) divisions attempting to cross the Naktong River and assault the city.
The Hill 303 massacre was a war crime that took place during the opening days of the Korean War on August 17, 1950, on a hill above Waegwan, Republic of Korea. Forty-one United States Army (US) prisoners of war were murdered by troops of the North Korean People's Army (KPA) during one of the engagements of the Battle of Pusan Perimeter.
The Battle of Tabu-dong was an engagement between United Nations Command (UN) and North Korean forces early in the Korean War from 3 to 29 August 1950, in the vicinity of Tabu-dong, north of Taegu in South Korea. It was a part of the Battle of Pusan Perimeter, and was one of several large engagements fought simultaneously. The battle ended in a victory for the UN after large numbers of United States Army (US) and Republic of Korea Army (ROK) troops repelled a strong Korean People's Army (KPA) attack.
Saint Maurus and Saint Placidus Abbey, Waegwan, Chilgok, North Gyeongsang, South Korea is a Benedictine monastery of the Congregation of Missionary Benedictines of Saint Ottilien. Established in 1952 by Korean monks who had survived the dissolution of the Territorial Abbey of Tokwon and Holy Cross Abbey in Yanji, the monastery is currently home to 131 monks. Fr Blasio Park is the current abbot.
The Intercity Train eXpress-Saemaeul abbreviated as ITX-Saemaeul (Korean: ITX-새마을) is a class of train operated by Korail, the national railroad of South Korea, it was introduced on May 12, 2014, to replace the Saemaeul-ho. The new ITX-Saemaeul trains have a faster average speed of 150 kilometers per hour. The name was taken from the Saemaul Undong after a public competition to determine the new train's name.
The Pusan Perimeter offensive was a large-scale offensive by United Nations Command (UN) forces against North Korean forces commencing on 16 September 1950.
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