Mokpo

Cheonan

Mokpo (Korean pronunciation: [mok̚.pʰo]; Mokpo-si) is a city in South Jeolla Province, South Korea, located at the southwestern tip of the Korean Peninsula, close to Yudal mountain. Mokpo has frequent train service connecting in Daejon to Seoul, and is the terminus for a number of ferry routes serving islands in the adjacent Yellow Sea and Dadohae National Maritime Park. During the Japanese Occupation (1910–1945), Mokpo served as a crucial port for both commercial ventures and public transportation, due to its location along the sea routes between the Japanese archipelago and the Chinese mainland. The large number of islands surrounding Mokpo have also served as a protective barrier, making the city less vulnerable to high tides and tsunamis. In the occupation era, large residential areas were built to accommodate the Japanese colonists, which are now the city's historic districts. The end of World War II and Korea's independence in 1945 were responsible for the city slowly losing its position as a host to major government organizations and wartime industries. This led to a reduction in the size of Mokpo, which is currently a mid-sized city of the Honam region.

Cheonan (Korean pronunciation: [tɕʰʌ.nan] ; 천안시, Cheonan-si), also spelled Ch'ŏnan, is a city in South Chungcheong, South Korea. Cheonan has a population of 666,417 (2018), making it the most-populous city or county in South Chungcheong, and the third most-populous city in the Hoseo region after Daejeon and Cheongju. Cheonan borders the Gyeonggi cities of Pyeongtaek and Anseong to the north, the South Chungcheong cities of Asan to the west and Gongju to the southwest, Sejong Special Autonomous City to the south, the North Chungcheong city of Cheongju to the south east and Jincheon County to the east. Cheonan has been called "the core city of [the] nation" due to its location 83.6 km (51.9 mi) south of the national capital, Seoul, in the northeast corner of South Chungcheong, serving as a transportation hub to the Seoul Capital Area and surrounding regions. Cheonan is connected to various freeways and railways including the National Highways 1 and 21, the Expressways 1-Gyeongbu and 25-Honam, and the city's Korail station serves the Gyeongbu Line and the Janghang Line, with services of the KTX. Cheonan is one of the furthest places from Seoul connected to the Seoul Subway Line 1.