Jeju City

Jeju 제주시
Administrative city
Korean transcription(s)
• Hangul
• Hanja
• Revised Romanization	Jeju-si
• McCune-Reischauer	Cheju-si
Overview of Jeju City
Flag
Location in South Korea
Country	South Korea
Region	Jeju
Administrative divisions	19 dong, 4 eup, 3 myeon
Area
• Total	977.8 km2 (377.5 sq mi)
Population (2012)
• Total	435,413
• Density	418/km2 (1,080/sq mi)
• Dialect	Jeju

Jeju (Jeju-si; Korean pronunciation: [tɕe̞.dʑu]) is the capital of Jeju Province in South Korea and the largest city on Jejudo. The city is served by Jeju International Airport (IATA code CJU).

Located on an island off the Korean Peninsula, Jeju has mild, warm weather during much of the year. The city is a well-known resort, with prestigious hotels and public casino facilities. In 2011, 9.9 million passengers flew between the two cities of Seoul and Jeju, making the Gimpo–Jeju route the world's busiest passenger air route. Jeju welcomes over ten million visitors from mainland Korea, Japan, and China every year.

The area of the city has played a central role in Jeju since before recorded history. The Samseonghyeol, holes from which the three ancestors of the Jeju people are said to have come, are located in downtown Jeju City.

The city has grown quite rapidly since the 1970s. Shin Jeju (신제주), or "new Jeju", was created some decades ago, up the hill from the airport and houses many government buildings. The thatched roof buildings that were common throughout the city until the 1970s are gradually disappearing.

The city was separated from Bukjeju County in 1955. However, in 2005 Jeju Province voters approved a proposal to merge the city with Bukjeju County, also merging Seogwipo with Namjeju County to create two large cities directly administered by the province. That change was put into effect in July 2006.