History of Daejeon

Pulsating in the centre of South Korea is the metropolitan city of Daejeon. Daejeon boasts to be the fifth largest city with an estimated population of 1,438,778. The Daejeon area was formerly called Hanbat, an indigenous Korean term meaning "large field." The term "Daejeon" literally implies the same thing in Hanja. History of Daejeon throws light upon the past culture and tradition of the city. History shows that the Hanbat district (present Daejeon), had been inhabited from the Paleolithic Age. In the Bronze Age, it comprised of an outlying northern district of Mahan which was regarded as one of the three Hans that of the time.

During third century A.D., the Baekje Dynasty seized Mahan, extending it to the southern coast of the peninsula. With a successful campaign, Baekje established its capital at Ungjin (present Gongju) and called the Daejeon district Usul-gun. Usul-gun was considered as one of the most important strategic regions in the unification struggle among the three powerful kingdoms, Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla.

Daejeon was a small village without many inhabitants. In the year 1905, the Gyeongbu railway started plying from Seoul to Busan, opening a station at Daejeon. In 1926, during the Japanese regime, the Honam railway was built between Daejeon and Mokpo, converting the latter into a significant center of transportation. Owing to its strategic location and easily accessible by means of transportation, Daejeon came into prominence. It was described as the boom town.

In the year 1932, the capital of Chungnam province was shifted from Gongju to Daejeon. With two major alterations taking place in the geographical boundaries, as a result of which the nearby town of Daeduk became a part of Daejeon, the city became an urban metropolis. The small town became the hub of economy, politics, culture and communication. Following the Second World War, with the formation of the Republic of Korea on August 15, 1948, it was called Daejeon city.