Cheongju

Cheongju, city, North Chungcheong do (province), central South Korea. An old inland rural city, it is now the political and economic center of the province. After the city was connected to Seoul by highway in 1970, it developed rapidly. Rice, barley, beans, and cotton are produced within the vicinity. Among Cheongju’s leading industrial products are electronics, petrochemicals, and chinaware. The city is also the educational center of the province, being the site of Chungbuk National University (1951), Cheongju University (1947), Seowon University (1970), and Cheongju National University of Education (1962). A historical printing museum commemorates Korea’s early development of printing by means of movable type—of which a locally produced treasure, a collection of Buddhist teachings known as the Jikji (1377), is a noted example. An airport provides domestic and international service. Pop. (2020) 855,326.