Pyeongtaek (Korean: 평택;Korean pronunciation:[ˈpʰjʌŋ.tʰɛk̚]) is acity inGyeonggi 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 ofUnited States troops. The South Korean government plans to transform Pyeongtaek to an international economic hub to coincide with the move of theUnited States Forces Korea (USFK) to Pyeongtaek. During theKorean War, it was the site of an early battle between U.S. and North Korean forces, theBattle of Pyongtaek. It is the location ofPyeongtaek University.
During theJoseon 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 currentPaengseong-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.[1]
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.[2]
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-doJinwi County.[3] (11 districts)
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 renamedPyeongtaek County.[4] Pyeongtaek-myeon was promoted to Pyeongtaek-eup.[5] (1 town, 9 districts)
August 1, 1948: North-myeon was renamed Jinwi-myeon.
January 1, 1963: Songtan-myeon was promoted to Songtan-eup.[6] (2 towns, 8 districts)
May 1, 1979: Paengseong-myeon was promoted toPaengseong-eup.[7] (3 towns, 7 districts)
July 1, 1981: Songtan-eup was promoted toSongtan City and separated from Pyeongtaek County.[8] (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.[9]
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 toPyeongtaek City and separated from Pyeongtaek County.[10] (Pyeongtaek County: 1 town, 7 districts; Songtan City: 8 districts; Pyeongtaek City: 6 districts)
January 1, 1987: Parts ofHwaseong 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.[11]
April 20, 1995: Parts of Jinwi-myeon (Galgot-ri, Goheon-ri, Cheongho-ri) were incorporated intoOsan.
May 10, 1995: Songtan City, Pyeongtaek City, and Pyeongtaek County merged to formPyeongtaek City as a metropolitan city.[12] (1 town, 8 districts, 14 districts)
April 19, 1996: Dongbu-dong was renamed Songtan-dong.[13]
October 1, 1998: Dowon-dong was merged into Songtan-dong.[14] (1 town, 8 districts, 13 districts)
November 5, 2002: Anjung-myeon was promoted to Anjung-eup.[15] (2 towns, 7 districts, 13 districts)
December 29, 2006: Pohseong-myeon was promoted to Pohseong-eup.[16] (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 andGodeok-dong. (4 towns, 5 districts, 15 districts)
November 15, 2021: Godeok-myeon’s Yeom-ri, Yulpo-ri, Jwagyori, and Haechang-ri were changed toGodeok-dong. (4 towns, 5 districts, 16 districts)
The South Korean and United States governments came to an agreement[when?] to enlargeCamp Humphreys—a U.S. Army installation outsideAnjeong-ri, a community in Pyeongtaek—and move the majority of US forces stationed in and north of Seoul to the Camp Humphreys area. Invokingeminent domain, the government obtained the surrounding land for the base expansion. This would result in the community's third displacement from their own land since the Japanese occupation during World War II.[17]
The move originally included the headquarters of theROK/US Combined Forces Command, which has operational control of South Korean, U.S., and U.N. combined forces during wartime. In March 2007, ROK Minister of Defense Kim Jang-soo andU.S. Secretary of DefenseRobert Gates agreed to dissolve the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command on April 17, 2012.[18] This would allow ROK forces to have wartime control of its military during a military confrontation with the North. The ROK/US agreement allows USFK to move to one centralized location away from the congestion of Seoul and its surrounding areas. This relocation agreement results in returning two-thirds of the land currently used by the United States Military back to the South Korean government. By 2008, the U.S. military was to have consolidated 41 installations down to 10 due to the relocation agreement. USFK's only jail facility in South Korea is at Camp Humphreys.
With its low average elevation, Pyeongtaek has the warmest January average temperature in Gyeonggi Province at -4.5°C, and the hottest average temperature in August at 26.4°C. The annual average precipitation is 1,100 mm, with an average of 283.4 mm in July and 207.3 mm in August, the lowest in the province. This is due to the relatively low occurrence of orographic rainfall compared to other regions.[22]
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