Suncheon

Suncheon
순천시
Korean transcription(s)
  Hangul순천시
  Hanja順天市
  Revised RomanizationSuncheon-si
  McCune–ReischauerSunch'ŏn-si
Location in South Korea
Coordinates: 34°57′02″N 127°29′15″E / 34.95056°N 127.48750°E / 34.95056; 127.48750
CountrySouth Korea
RegionHonam
Administrative divisions1 eup, 10 myeon, 12 dong
Government
  MayorNo Gwan-gyu (노관규)
Area
  Total
907.43 km2 (350.36 sq mi)
Population
 (September 2024)
  Total
276,375
  Density300/km2 (790/sq mi)
  Dialect
Jeolla
Time zoneUTC+9 (Korea Standard Time)
Area code+82-61

Suncheon (Korean: 순천; Korean pronunciation: [sʰun.tɕʰʌn]) is the largest city in South Jeolla Province, South Korea, with a population of 280,719 as of 2022. It is located in the southeast of the province and is a scenic agricultural and industrial city, known for tourist attractions, such as Suncheon Bay. The port city of Yeosu is around forty minutes south of Suncheon and Gwangyang twenty minutes to the east of the city.

It is currently experiencing strong development due to being included as part of the Gwangyang Bay Free Economic Zone, one of three newly created Free Economic Zones (FEZs) in South Korea due to open within the next decade. As of October 14, 2007 plans are being set up and a referendum is being planned for a merging of the cities of Yeosu, Suncheon and Gwangyang into a new metropolitan city, taking advantage of the Gwangyang Bay Free Economic Zone, Yeosu's Expo 2012 bid and port facilities, Suncheon's educational institutes and Gwangyang's POSCO plant.