Tongyeong

Tongyeong 통영시
Municipal City
Korean transcription(s)
• Hangul
• Hanja
• Revised Romanization	Tongyeong-si
• McCune-Reischauer	T'ongyŏng-si
Top: Hallyeo National Marine Park; middle left: Hallyeo Waterway Observation Cable Car; middle center: Turtle ship replica; middle right: Dongpirang Village; bottom left: Chungmusa shrineJungang; bottom right Live Fish Market.
Emblem of Tongyeong
Location in South Korea
Country	South Korea
Region	Yeongnam
Administrative divisions	1 eup, 6 myeon, 11 dong
Area
• Total	236.5 km2 (91.3 sq mi)
Population (2007)
• Total	134,082
• Density	566.9/km2 (1,468/sq mi)
• Dialect	Gyeongsang

Tongyeong is a coastal city in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. In 2010, it had an area of 238.81 km² and a population of 139,869 people. It is divided into 1 eup (town), 6 myeon (township) and 11 dong (neighborhood). Chungmu city and Tongyeong county were reunited in 1995, creating Tongyeong City as it is known today. It consists of Goseong Peninsula, Hansan Island, Mireuk Island and other islets. It was formerly known as Chungmu, after the posthumous name of Admiral Yi Sun-sin. The name Tongyeong means "command post" and is itself associated with Admiral Yi, as it refers to his principal base that was located on nearby Hansan Island.

Famous people associated with the city include Yi Sun-sin, whose headquarters were located there, and Yun Isang, a noted 20th-century composer.

Chungmu Halmae, or "Chungmu Grandmother", is a mythical old woman from Chungmu who gave her name to Chungmu Halmae Kimbap, a common Korean snack food. Chungmu Halmae, though mythical, is one of the most recognized personages from the area. The decision to group together a number of entities and incorporate them into the city of “Tongyong” erased the name Chungmu from the map of Korea and removed the home of the mythical grandmother from the peninsula.

Park Kyung-ni was a famous novelist, who wrote the well-known novel, Toji (토지, The Land) consisting of 16-volume story, in Korea.

Shin Suk-ja is a political prisoner held in Yodok political prison camp in North Korea. In August 2011 human rights activists from her hometown started the “Daughter of Tongyeong Rescue Campaign” to rescue her and her children.

Tongyeong was the site of the first race of 2009 in the International Triathlon Union-sponsored ITU World Championship Series, which encompasses "international-distance" triathlon events in cities around the world. On May 3, 2009, Bevan Docherty of New Zealand won the men's race in a thrilling photo finish as he crossed the line almost simultaneously with Brad Kahlefeldt of Australia.