Pyeongtaek

Pyeongtaek (; ) is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Located in the southwestern part of the province, Pyeongtaek was founded as a union of two districts in 1940. It was elevated to city status in 1986 and is home to a South Korean naval base and a large concentration of United States troops. The South Korean government plans to transform Pyeongtaek into an international economic hub to coincide with the move of United States Forces Korea (USFK) to Pyeongtaek. During the Korean War, it was the site of the Battle of Pyongtaek, an early battle between U.S. and North Korean forces. It is also the location of Pyeongtaek University.

== History == During the Joseon Dynasty, the eastern part of present-day Pyeongtaek (the eastern areas of Pyeongtaek and Songtan city, as well as Jinwi, Seotan, and Godeok-myeon) was part of Chungcheongdo Jinwi County (Jinwi-gun), while the western part (Pohseong, Anjung-eup, and Cheongbuk, Oseong, and Hyeondeok-myeon) was part of Suwon-yusu (Suwon-gun) in Gyeonggi-do. Some parts of the current Paengseong-eup and the southern part of Godeok-myeon were part of Chungcheongdo Pyeongtaek County (Pyeongtaek-gun). June 23, 1895 (lunar May 1): With the implementation of the 23 districts system, Chungcheongdo Jinwi County and Pyeongtaek County were incorporated into Gongju Bu, and Suwon County in Gyeonggi-do was incorporated into Incheon Bu. August 4, 1896: With the implementation of the 13 provinces system, Jinwi County in Gongju Bu and Suwon County in Incheon Bu were incorporated into Gyeonggi-do, while Pyeongtaek County in Gongju Bu was incorporated into Chungcheongnam-do. April 1, 1914: Gyeonggi-do Jinwi County was reorganized, incorporating parts of Gyeonggi-do Suwon County and Chungcheongnam-do Pyeongtaek County to form the newly organized Gyeonggi-do Jinwi County. (11 districts) {| class="wikitable" | - ! Administrative Districts at the Time | - | North-myeon, Seotan-myeon, Songtan-myeon, Godeok-myeon, Byeongnam-myeon, Cheongbuk-myeon, Pohseong-myeon, Hyeondeok-myeon, Oseong-myeon, Buyong-myeon, Seo-myeon |} 1926: The Jinwi County office was moved from North-myeon to Byeongnam-myeon. April 1, 1931: Byeongnam-myeon was renamed Pyeongtaek-myeon. April 1, 1934: Buyong-myeon and Seo-myeon merged to form Paengseong-myeon. (10 districts) October 1, 1938: Jinwi County was renamed Pyeongtaek County. Pyeongtaek-myeon was promoted to Pyeongtaek-eup. (1 town, 9 districts) August 1, 1948: North-myeon was renamed Jinwi-myeon. January 1, 1963: Songtan-myeon was promoted to Songtan-eup. (2 towns, 8 districts) May 1, 1979: Paengseong-myeon was promoted to Paengseong-eup. (3 towns, 7 districts) July 1, 1981: Songtan-eup was promoted to Songtan City and separated from Pyeongtaek County. (Pyeongtaek County: 2 towns, 7 districts; Songtan City: 8 districts) February 15, 1983: Parts of Anseong County's Wongok-myeon (Yongi-ri, Jukbaek-ri, Cheongyong-ri, Wolgok-ri) and Gongdo-myeon (Sosari) were incorporated into Pyeongtaek-eup without consultation with the residents. February 15, 1983: Likewise, parts of Yongin County's Namsa-myeon (Jinmok-ri and Bongmyeong-ri) were incorporated into Pyeongtaek City without consultation with the residents. January 1, 1986: Pyeongtaek-eup was promoted to Pyeongtaek City and separated from Pyeongtaek County. (Pyeongtaek County: 1 town, 7 districts; Songtan City: 8 districts; Pyeongtaek City: 6 districts) January 1, 1987: Parts of Hwaseong County’s Yanggam-myeon (Goryeom-ri) were incorporated into Pyeongtaek City without consulting the residents. July 1, 1987: The Anjung branch office was established (the Pyeongtaek County office was located within the Pyeongtaek City area at the time). April 1, 1989: The jurisdiction of the Anjung branch office was upgraded to Anjung-myeon. April 20, 1995: Parts of Jinwi-myeon (Galgot-ri, Goheon-ri, Cheongho-ri) were incorporated into Osan. May 10, 1995: Songtan City, Pyeongtaek City, and Pyeongtaek County merged to form Pyeongtaek City as a metropolitan city. (1 town, 8 districts, 14 districts) April 19, 1996: Dongbu-dong was renamed Songtan-dong. October 1, 1998: Dowon-dong was merged into Songtan-dong. (1 town, 8 districts, 13 districts) November 5, 2002: Anjung-myeon was promoted to Anjung-eup. (2 towns, 7 districts, 13 districts) December 29, 2006: Pohseong-myeon was promoted to Pohseong-eup. (3 towns, 6 districts, 13 districts) July 28, 2016: Cheongbuk-myeon was promoted to Cheongbuk-eup. (4 towns, 5 districts, 13 districts) April 11, 2019: The population of Pyeongtaek City exceeded 500,000. September 30, 2019: Yongi-dong was split into Yongi-dong and Songtan-dong. (4 towns, 5 districts, 14 districts) October 25, 2021: Dongnak-dong was split into Dongnak-dong and Godeok-dong. (4 towns, 5 districts, 15 districts) November 15, 2021: Godeok-myeon's Yeom-ri, Yulpo-ri, Jwagyori, and Haechang-ri were changed to Godeok-dong. (4 towns, 5 districts, 16 districts)